Lady GaGa

The first time "Just Dance" blasted out of our stereo speakers, we thought "Yup, this chick is gonna be huge!" But then when we saw Lady GaGa dressed up in all her kooky glory, we knew for sure. If you’re not already down with her addictive electro-pop beats and eccentric stage antics, allow us to get you up to speed on Lady GaGa.

Lady GaGa (real name Stefania Gabriella Germanotta) is no average pop artist. She's actually a bit of a musical genius: she taught herself to play the piano at four years old, and had written her first musical ballad by the time she was 13! When she was 17 she was one of only 20 kids in the world to get an early admission into the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and she was signed to Interscope records by the time she was 20. Now GaGa, as she prefers to be called, writes music for artists like The PussyCat Dolls as well as writing all the lyrics and melodies for her own debut album Fame.

GaGa's catchy pop rock beats (you might have heard "Just Dance" or "Poker Face") are only part of the reason everyone's talking about GaGa right now: it's her image that has everyone intrigued. A typical stage outfit for GaGa might include glitter on her face, custom designed sunglasses that look as though the glass has smashed on one side, and a cat suit. Think disco balls, hot pants, sequins and stilettos.

GaGa gets her eccentric style from being obsessed with David Bowie, Cindy Lauper and Michael Jackson growing up, and she’s become known for her crazy (and often self-designed) outfits and wild stage antics. The visual theatrics of her performance are just as important as the music to GaGa, "It’s not just about the music. It’s about the performance, the attitude, the look; it’s everything."

We’re really digging GaGa’s 80’s eccentric look and electro-pop sound, so check out her debut album Fame if she sounds like your kind of thing.

Lady GaGa trivia to make you seem totally in-the-know.

• The name Lady GaGa is inspired by old-school rock band Queen’s song “Radio Ga-Ga”.
• When she first started performing on the New York Lower East Side club scene, GaGa would light spray cans on fire as part of her shock theatre antics.
• Rumour has it Lady GaGa might be writing some lyrics and music for Britney Spears’ upcoming album Circus.