We break down the legacy of Mother Monster, from her freaky hits to her fantastical performance art and fabulous fashion.
Welcome to Diva Week, a magical 7-day period on the calendar where we celebrate the birthdays of Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, and Lady Gaga. Every day we will be sharing stories on our favorite divas—and what makes them tick—so make sure to check back in with us daily.
Lady Gaga has long had an obsession with fame. She explored the subject from the very beginning of her career: her debut album was appropriately titled The Fame, and one of its biggest hits “Paparazzi,” explores the struggle between wanting fame and wanting love, which has remained a core theme in her music. “It’s about the media whoring, if you will, watching ersatzes make fools of themselves to their station,” she told DJ Ron Slomowicz about the track in 2008. “It’s a love song for the cameras, but it’s also a love song about fame or love—can you have both, or can you only have one?”That is the eternal struggle of a diva, after all. How can one be larger than life, while still striving to maintain some semblance of normalcy? It’s a superstardom tightrope that’s difficult to walk, but throughout her game-changing career, Gaga has managed to do it. In fact, one could argue that she’s the last great musical diva to exist, following in the footsteps of giants like Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé.It was obvious from the beginning that Gaga was a different kind of artist. Her electronic, sex-tinged music attracted younger audiences, while her cultural touchpoints could be appreciated by their parents too—whether it was the David Bowie-inspired lightning bolts on her face, or “Radio Ga Ga,” the 1984 song that inspired her stage name . She quickly proved she had the musical chops as well, instantly collecting two number-one hits in “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” as well as five Grammy Award nominations, including one for Album of the Year.But a diva is not born from mere radio hits and award show buzz, and Gaga understood she needed to create something more holistic. “For me, the work doesn’t end with the song,” she told the Telegraph in 2010. “It’s the fashion, the performance and then the trajectory of the energy as it bounces off all of the irises of the fans in the audience and comes back to me.”Her very existence as Lady Gaga became a form of performance art: walking the red carpet wearing a dress literally made from meat ; faking her death and spurting blood from her outfit during a legendary VMAs performance to, what else, but “Paparazzi”; the Grammys ceremony where she arrived inside an egg.Gaga easily made the transition into diva—and not just because of her extravagant choice in footwear, her constant outfit changes, or her vocal range—but the sheer bravura and fearlessness through which she approached every aspect of being a star. There was that time, early on, that Gaga was plagued by transphobic rumors that she was secretly a man. When she sat down for an interview with Anderson Cooper, he asked why she had joked about the rumor during a concert rather than try to shut it down. “Why the hell am I gonna waste my time and give a press release about whether or not I have a penis?” Gaga proffered. “My fans don’t care and neither do I.”But while she became superfamous, Gaga still kept her personal life close to her chest. Though her lyrics contain plenty of allusions to her youth, odes to her lovers, and references to her hardships, she always established a clear division between the two. “Lady Gaga” is even the name she has chosen when she has ventured into acting—as all bonafide divas know to do. Clearly though, her talent transcended artistic fields. She would eventually earn an Oscar for her A Star Is Born song “Shallow,” in a performance that also garnered her a nomination for Best Actress. She’s currently only one award away from achieving an EGOT.Almost two decades later, Gaga has made the case that you can, in fact, have both fame and love. When she released her sixth studio album, Mayhem, in March of last year, it marked a thrilling return to form for the pop superstar—not only sonically, but thematically. She revisited the idea of fame on the track “Perfect Celebrity,” hinting at the fact that she’s now arrived at a place where she no longer has to choose between them. “I’ve become a notorious being / Find my clone, she’s asleep on the ceilin’ / Now, can’t get me down / You love to hate me / I’m the perfect celebrity.” And in a way Gaga is the perfect celebrity. The last of the divas. She uses her platform and her voice, while giving us unforgettable performances, groundbreaking fashion, and a superstar to admire. She’s participated in the game, but has learned to not let herself be taken over by it. That’s surely something to put your paws up for.Now, engaged and getting ready to tie the knot, Gaga is about to enter a new chapter of her life. This year, the one we endearingly call Mother Monster is turning 40 years old, and for nearly half of that time, she has been living dead-center in the spotlight. It’s fair to argue that Gaga is perhaps one of the last great musical divas, at least according to our traditional understanding of the word, but now the question remains: What will she do next?
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