When Oscar nominee Lady Gaga showed up at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards in January, she exuded such old-school Hollywood glamour, one might have mistaken her for a starlet from another time.
The A Star is Born actress wowed the crowd in a slit-down-to-there white Dior gown that belied her true age.
But, just how old is Lady Gaga?
Lady Gaga’s musical journey started at a young age
Lady Gaga was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in Yonkers, New York. Her dad, Joseph Anthony Germanotta, was an internet entrepreneur.
Her mom, Cynthia Louise, noticed her daughter’s remarkable musical talent at a very young age.
By the time Gaga was 4 years old, she was already picking out songs on the family piano.
At age 11, the talented youngster was accepted to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York but opted to attend a private Catholic school in Manhattan instead.
She focused on her music lessons, and at the ripe old age of 14, the young songstress made her first New York nightclub appearance.
Around age 17, Gaga was admitted to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she focused on songwriting while simultaneously issuing intelligent essay analyses of religion, politics, art, and social issues.
Interestingly, she was one of the youngest students ever admitted to the prestigious music school.
When she was 19 years old, Gaga formed her first band and moved out of the family home.
Gaga partnered briefly with talent scout Rob Fusari. With his help – and the inspiration of a Queen song, “Radio Ga-Ga,” she came up with her unique stage name,
Lady Gaga. In 2006, Gaga signed with Def Jam Records, but the label dropped her after a few fruitless months.
Lady Gaga wasn’t an instant success
The discouraged singer moved back in with her folks and tried on a variety of personas. Gaga became infatuated with New York’s nascent neo-burlesque scene and worked for a time as a bikini-clad go-go dancer in a nightclub,
At age 20, Gaga started working at Interscope Records where she wrote songs for other artists on the label, including New Kids on the Block, Pussycat Dolls, and Britney Spears.
She had not given up her job as a burlesque dancer, however, and that’s when R&B singer, Akon, discovered her.
Akon was so impressed with the Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue, he signed the singing dancer to his own label, Kon Live.
It was on this Interscope subsidiary label that Gaga wrote and recorded her first album, The Fame.
The first single from The Fame was a commercial and critical success. “Just Dance” was nominated for a Grammy in 2008 but lost to “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk.
Nonetheless, the record raced up the charts and was immediately followed by another hit single, “Poker Face.”
Both hit songs were co-written by Akon associate, RedOne, and achieved chart-topping acclaim worldwide.
Later that same year, Lady Gaga worked as an opening act for the reformed NKOTB.
She even collaborated with them on a song from the grownup boy band’s album, The Block.
In 2009, Gaga released an eight-song album, “Big Girl Now.”
The following year, The Fame Monster debuted in record stores. 2011 saw the release of Born This Way.
In 2013, Artpop was released with less fanfare than her previous albums.
How old is Lady Gaga today?
If you think this all adds up to massive success, you’re right. What’s even more remarkable is that Lady Gaga managed all of the above before she was 30.
The talented entertainer was born March 28, 1986 and is only 32 years old and still making waves on international music and fashion fronts.