Real meaning behind Lady Gaga alter-ego and why she ditched unique birth name
Lady Gaga has been the reigning queen of pop for over a decade now, but many fans still don't know the true meaning behind her unique stage name and why she ditched her birth name
Lady Gaga is once again the talk of the town following the release of her latest album, Mayhem. She's also been hitting headlines due to her accompanying tour, which saw fans desperately scrambling for tickets. Her new tracks 'Abracadabra,' 'Disease,' and 'Garden of Eden' have been a hit with her fanbase, affectionately known as Little Monsters.
Her performance at Coachella was another highlight, despite technical difficulties with her microphone. The incident led to the festival being humorously dubbed 'Gagachella', as she dominated conversations. When her mic failed, she simply quipped: "At least you know I sing live."
But despite everyone going gaga for Gaga recently – there's some trivia people are only just learning about the star. They've been interested to learn how she got her stage name.
Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, Lady Gaga shot to fame in 2008 with her debut album 'The Fame,' featuring hits like 'Just Dance,' 'Poker Face,' and 'LoveGame. ' Her popularity has only grown since then.
She further cemented her status in pop culture with 'Born This Way,' an anthem for the LGBTQIA+ community, using its lyrics to foster inclusivity. But where did the stage name 'Lady Gaga' originate?
While there's some debate over the exact story, it's thought that the name was born out of an autocorrect mishap by her ex-partner and music producer, Rob Fusari. He reportedly began calling her 'Gaga' after she reminded him of the 1984 Queen song 'Radio Gaga'.
Later, when he tried to text 'Radio Gaga,' autocorrect changed it to 'Lady Gaga'. Since then, she's adopted the name with pride, and in a 2010 tell-all, she revealed her desire to "reinvent" herself.
In that interview, she reportedly stated: "So I said, 'What about Lady Gaga?' because Gaga is sort of crazy and Lady has such connotations."
So why not stick with her distinctive real name, Stefani Germanotta?
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Gaga expressed a deep connection to her stage persona, admitting her childhood wasn't a walk in the park.
She confessed: "I've always been Gaga... I suppressed all those eccentricities about myself so I could fit in. Once I was free, I was able to be myself."
It was at the tender age of four that Lady Gaga, displaying early signs of her musical genius, self-taught piano by ear and composed 'Dollar Bills' using " Mickey Mouse staff paper".
In another heartfelt admission during an interview, she recounted: "I used to get made fun of for being either too provocative or too eccentric, so I started to tone it down. I didn't fit in, and I felt like a freak."
However, it's precisely these quirks that have crowned her as one of the most iconic artists of our time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Japanese manga comic predicts ‘great disaster' in July 2025 – what could it mean?
Andrea Horbinski, 40, isn't that fussed that Japan could face Armageddon in only a few weeks. Horbinski, who holds a PhD in Japanese history, knows all too well that a 2021 manga has predicted a 'great disaster' will strike the country in July. The complete edition of Watashi ga Mita Mira (The Future I Saw), by Japan's answer to Nostradamus, Ryo Tatsuki, says it will occur on July 5. The unfounded claims have convinced some superstitious tourists to cancel their holidays, fearing a 'mega-earthquake'. Not Horbinski, though. The San Francisco Bay Area local landed in Tokyo this week – while in the city, she bought a copy of The Future I Saw. 'I'd heard about it a bit from people on social media,' she told Metro, 'and I'm always interested in reading interesting manga.' What does the manga predict will happen? And has it ever come true? The Future I Saw, published in 1999, is composed of 15 dreams that Tatsuki had in 1985 when her mother gifted her a notebook. The cover shows pages from her 'dream diary'. 'Boom!' one reads, depicting the once 'beautiful' Mount Fuji erupting as storm clouds gather. Another has an image of Princess Diana with the words, 'The dream I saw on August 31, 1995. Diana? What is it?', while one cryptically mentions a 'death anniversary' and the date June 12, 1995. But the most alarming among them: 'Great disaster happens March 2011.' Some readers saw the Tōhoku earthquake in March 2011, among the strongest ever recorded in Japan, as the 'great disaster' Tatsuki dreamt of. The 9-magnitude earthquake set off a devastating tsunami that sent towering walls of water slamming into the northern coast, killing 19,700. Of the 15 dreams, 13 have come true, more or less, including the deaths of Diana and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, as well as a pandemic in 2020 – the coronavirus. A reprint of the graphic novel included the July prophecy and has gained cult status, with more than one million copies sold since 2021, according to the publisher, Asuka Shinsha. 'A crack will open up under the seabed between Japan and the Philippines, sending ashore waves three times as tall as those from the Tōhoku earthquake,' the book says, adding that the seas will 'boil'. Bookings to Japan tumble in Asia amid 'earthquake prophecy' Tourism in Japan has been booming for years. This year alone, more than 10,500,000 international tourists have visited, with nearly 3,500,000 in March. But airline bookings to Japan from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea have plummeted in recent months, an analysis by Bloomberg found. Reservations from Hong Kong fell 50% in April compared to last year, while those booked for late June to early July tumbled 86%. Hong Kong travel agencies have said they're seeing fewer bookings because of the 'earthquake prophecy'. 'After discussing it with my family, we cancelled our trip to Japan in July and August,' one spooked tourist told the Hong Kong paper Headline Daily. 'The earthquake has been widely reported in the newspapers and everyone is saying the same thing, so we decided to avoid it just to be safe. We have chosen to travel to Europe instead.' Horbinski said: 'This manga being credited with a decrease in bookings shows the powerful role manga can play in people's imaginations. 'But while I'm sure some people are holding off on travelling to Japan due to this manga's dire predictions, I suspect the overall decrease probably has more to do with increasing global fears of an economic recession.' Could the 'great disaster' be a mega-earthquake? Some holidaymakers believe Tatsuki's bleak prediction is one that seismologists have long anticipated – a 'mega-quake' hitting Japan. Government officials say there's an 80% chance it will happen in the next 30 years, with a death toll of 298,000 in the worst-case scenario. Stewart Fishwick, professor of geophysics and Head of School at the University of Leicester, said there's no need to panic – or cancel your holiday – just yet. Earthquakes happen when two tectonic plates butt heads and one slips under the other, causing a burst of energy. Japan sits on top of four major tectonic plates, Fishwick told Metro, making it likely to experience tectonic activity. 'Given the location, and the number of people who would be affected by a great earthquake, and any resulting tsunami, there is a necessity to be aware of the risks and to consider what mitigations (to limit damage and loss of life) can be put in place,' he explained. While a monster earthquake could be on the cards for this century, the chances of it are lower than some think. Fishwick said: 'Even the 80% chance in the next 30 years is at the very high end of the range of forecasts that have been made for this area – others put it at around 10-30%.' Dr Ian Stimpson, a senior lecturer in geophysics at Keele University in Staffordshire, said that if seismologists and soothsayers have one thing in common, it's being unable to predict when a major quake will happen. Speaking to Metro, he said: 'There are strong earthquake-resistant building codes and intensive monitoring by networks of seismometers and GPS stations. 'Whilst knowledge of the geology, the historical record of earthquakes in the region, and seismic monitoring allow the forecasting of earthquakes, suggesting areas with a high probability of an earthquake occurring over the next few decades, the precise time, location and magnitude of a particular earthquake cannot be predicted.' Tatsuki, 70, agrees. 'People can think in their own ways, but please don't get too afraid,' she told the Mainichi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper. 'Listen to experts and stay calm.' check our news page.
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Royal Ascot 2025, explained: Dates, race times, course guide and how to watch
Royal Ascot is British flat racing's most prestigious event and one of the highlights of the summer social season, with 35 races run over five days at the Berkshire racecourse. Aside from the sport, which features eight Group One races such as the Gold Cup, St James's Palace Stakes and Commonwealth Cup, it is a festival of fashion, hospitality and royal patronage. Last year, the King attended all five days bar Wednesday while the Queen was there for the entire showpiece. Royal Ascot is one of racing's most lucrative meetings with more than £10 million in prize money up for grabs. The two biggest prize pots of the week come in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. When is Royal Ascot? The first day of Royal Ascot is Tuesday, June 17 with the final day of racing on Saturday, June 21. The first race of each day should start at 2.30pm with the last race at 6.15pm, before racegoers shuffle back to Ascot train station or wrestle their way out of one of many car parks. How do I watch it in the UK? Every race of the meeting is being broadcast live on ITV1, with coverage also available on Sky Sports Racing for subscribers. How do I watch in the US? Assisted by racing anchor Nick Luck, NBC's streaming service Peacock offers full coverage of the meeting, as will betting-orientated channel FanDuelTV. How can I buy tickets? Tickets can be booked via the Royal Ascot website. If you want access to the more exclusive Royal Enclosure though, you will need to be a member or a member's guest. Applicants for membership need to be sponsored by two current members as well as pay a £100 joining fee. Members can apply for Royal Enclosure badges from January each year. There are still tickets on general sale though, ranging from £35 for Tuesday access to the Windsor Enclosure to £99 in the Queen Anne Enclosure. Prices rise slightly on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On those final three days, there is also the middle-tier option of the Village Enclosure, where attendees can enjoy a post-racing concert until 9pm. Racegoers can also choose to purchase a 'party package' for up to six people, with £116 per person for the Queen Anne Enclosure on Tuesday including two drinks tokens and a race programme. For those who want to take the weight off their feet, there are also a range of 'ticket enhancements' available, such as booking picnic tables in the Queen Anne or access to the Terrace Club. Demand is high for the extra comfort. Course guide Horses have run at Ascot since 1711, when Queen Anne decided the heathland was ideal for 'horses to gallop at full stretch' while out riding. That August, 100 guineas were on offer for the winner of Her Majesty's Plate, open to any horse over the age of six. Remarkably, the race consisted of three heats of four miles, so it is fair to say it was not a test of speed. Today, races at the Royal meeting are run on a mixture of the round course and the straight. The round course is a 14-furlong right-handed track, with a relatively short run-in of just two-and-a-half furlongs meaning it can be difficult to win from off the pace. The shorter races, such as the six-furlong Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, are run along the straight in front of the grandstand. For races of a mile, some are straight while others are a round mile from the old starting point near Swinley Bottom. What are the racecards for the week? (Group/class, distance, age, prize money) Tuesday, June 17 2.30pm: Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1, straight 1m, four-year-olds and older, £750,000) 3.05pm: Coventry Stakes (Group 2, 6f, two-year-olds, £175,000) 3.40pm: King Charles III Stakes (Group 1, 5f, three-year-olds and older, £650,000) 4.20pm: St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1, round 1m, three-year-old colts, £650,000) 5pm: Ascot Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 2m, four-year-olds and older, £110,000) 5.35pm: Wolferton Stakes (Listed, 1m 2f, four-year-olds and older, £120,000) 6.10pm: Copper Horse Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 1m 6f, four-year-olds and older, £110,000) Wednesday, June 18 2.30pm: Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2, 5f, two-year-old fillies, 5f, £150,000) 3.05pm: Queen's Vase (Group 2, 1m 6f, three-year-olds, £265,000) 3.40pm: Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2, round 1m, four-year-old and older fillies and mares, £225,000) 4.20pm: Prince Of Wales's Stakes (Group 1, 1m 2f, four-year-olds and older, £1,000,000) 5pm: Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap Class 2, straight 1m, three-year-old and older, £175,000) 5.35pm: Kensington Palace Stakes (Handicap Class 2, straight 1m, four-year-olds and older fillies and mares, £110,000) 6.10pm: Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed, 5f, two-year-olds, £110,000) Thursday, June 19 2.30pm: Norfolk Stakes (Group 2, 5f, two-year-olds, £150,000) 3.05pm: King George V Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 1m 4f, three-year-olds, £110,000) 3.40pm: Ribblesdale Stakes (Group 2, 1m 4f, three-year-old fillies, £250,000) 4.20pm: Ascot Gold Cup (Group 1, 2m 4f, four-year-olds and older, £650,000) 5pm: Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap Class 2, straight 1m, three-year=old colts and geldings, £120,000) 5.35pm: Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3, 1m 2f, three-year-olds, £150,000) 6.10pm: Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 7f, three-year-olds and older, £110,000) Friday, June 20 2.30pm: Albany Stakes (Group 3, 6f, two-year-old fillies, £125,000) 3.05pm: Commonwealth Cup (Group 1, 6f, three-year-old colts and fillies, £650,000) 3.40pm: Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 1m 4f, three-year-olds and older, £110,000) 4.20pm: Coronation Stakes (Group 1, round 1m, three-year-old fillies, £650,000) 5pm: Sandringham Stakes (Handicap Class 2, straight 1m, three-year-old fillies, £110,000) 5.35pm: King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2, 1m 4f, three-year-old colts and geldings, £250,000) 6.10pm: Palace Of Holyroodhouse (Handicap Class 2, 5f, three-year-olds, £110,000) Saturday, June 21 2.30pm: Chesham Stakes (Listed, 7f, two-year-olds, £110,000) 3.05pm: Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2, 1m 4f, four-year-olds and older, £250,000) 3.40pm: Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1, 6f, four-year-olds and older, £1,000,000) 4.20pm: Jersey Stakes (Group 3, 7f, three-year-olds, £150,000) 5pm: Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap Class 2, 6f, three-year-olds and older, £175,000) 5.35pm: Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap Class 2, 1m 2f, three-year-olds, £110,000) 6.10pm: Queen Alexandra Stakes (Conditional Class 2, 2m 6f, four-year-olds and older £110,000)
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tammy Hembrow shares her beauty secrets as she reveals her eye-watering $700 daily makeup routine
Tammy Hembrow has shared the secret behind her flawless makeup. In a posted shared to Instagram, the 31-year-old flaunted her glamorous look and revealed the products she uses to achieve it - but it comes at a cost. The fitness influencer spends just a few dollars shy of $700 for a full face of makeup that she uses daily. Among the products was the Chanel Les Beiges Sheer Healthy Glow Highlighting Fluid, valued at $91. She also uses the Rhode Glazing Milk, which sells for $80 and the REFY Glow and Sculpt Primer for $65. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Tammy uses the Patrick Ta Major Skin Crème Foundation And Finishing Powder Duo which rings in at $93. The blonde also uses the Haus Labs by Lady Gaga Triclone Skin Tech Foundation which is priced at $85. Her surprisingly affordable lip care come in the form of the Dermal Therapy Tinted Lip Balm Rose Pink, which costs $10. For a pricier option, Tammy uses the Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil which retails for $49. Tammy favours the Dior lipstick for $72 and uses the Rare Beauty Liquid Blush which comes in at $45. She finishes her look with the Makeup By Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette for $102. Tammy has previously swapped the daily routine of applying lipstick for a more permanent solution - getting her lips tattooed a luscious shade of pink. She showed her Instagram followers every step of the cosmetic process she recently underwent on the Gold Coast. Among the products was the Chanel Les Beiges Sheer Healthy Glow Highlighting Fluid, valued at $91. She also uses the Rhode Glazing Milk, which sells for $80 and the REFY Glow and Sculpt Primer for $65 Tammy expressed her excitement, stating, 'I've wanted to do this for so long and I'm finally doing it. Lipstick is the one thing I wear the most when it comes to makeup.' The process began with Tammy's makeup being removed from her lips. She then chose the perfect pink colour for her new pout from a number of options. 'She had so many colours to choose from, and you can mix whatever ones you want together, which is so good,' she said. Tammy also previously revealed uses Fenty products by Rhianna, along with Nars, favouring the brand's liquid blush and highlighter. 'I love liquid blush and liquid highlighter, especially on days that I am not putting on proper makeup,' she said. 'You put on a tiny bit of liquid blush and a tiny bit of highlighter and it just boots your natural beauty a little bit.' 'I love creams and liquids a lot,' she added, explaining she prefers creams and liquids over powders. When it comes to fitness, Tammy told Daily Mail Australia that no matter if she's 'super busy', she will always 'fit in the gym somewhere'. 'As long as I go at least three times a week, then I'm good. If I don't have time to go at least three times, then it just stresses me out,' she said. 'I work out to keep my sanity, but between three and five workouts is usually what I do.' Tammy follows a routine of HIIT (high-intensity interval training), weights, resistance training involving booty bands, ab circuits and boxing. She revealed that the most common question she's asked about workouts is the amount of weight to use. 'I think the answer is really simple,' she said. 'It's just whatever is to your strength, which should be difficult for you to complete. It's going to be different for everyone.' 'People will get what other people are using and think they should be using that, but just work with whatever works for your strength.'
