What Is Lady Gaga’s Real Name? 7 Facts To Know About The GRAMMY-Winning ‘MAYHEM’ Singer

Editor's Note: This article was updated on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, to reflect Lady Gaga’s most recent GRAMMY wins at the 2025 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 67th GRAMMY Awards.

Everything Lady Gaga has touched bears her conspicuous fingerprints, but the simple fact remains: There's no predicting in which direction she'll swerve next.

She hit the world stage by slugging out some of the most undeniable pop smashes of the late 2000s, like "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance." Then, she made a bold stride for LGBTQ+ representation with 2011's Born This Way.

From there, the 14-time GRAMMY winner proved she could be it all, and do it all — from gonzo EDM (2013's Artpop) to confessional soft rock (2016's Joanne) to futuristic dispatches (2020's Chromatica).

In between, she's helped Tony Bennett conclude his career on a magnificent note with 2014's Cheek to Cheek and 2021's Love for Sale, shattered hearts as the co-lead of 2018's A Star is Born, and overall kept her scores of Little Monsters satiated with each creative move.

But if you've made it to this article, chances are you're looking for a few basic facts about the multi-hyphenate born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. So here are seven questions about Lady Gaga, answered — whether you're a brand-new fan or just want to brush up.

Explore More: How Each Of Lady Gaga's Albums Led Her To MAYHEM

Who Is Lady Gaga, And Where Did She Come From?

Germanotta was born on March 28, 1986, into an Italian American family in New York City. She showed musical promise early on — she played piano from age 4 and went on to perform at open-mic nights.

Her mother, Cynthia Louise, is a philanthropist and businesswoman; her father, Joseph Germanotta, is an internet entrepreneur. She has a younger sister, Natali Germanotta.

After attending the all-girls school the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Manhattan, she studied music at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. And before her musical career took off, she danced in go-go bars in New York City.

Why Did Lady Gaga Change Her Name?

Her stage name is a nod to Queen and their classic song "Radio Ga Ga." Throw on the faux-royal title, and you've got a moniker that the world won't soon forget.

What Is Lady Gaga's Biggest Hit?

That depends on what metric you want to go by. Through a GRAMMYs lens, "Bad Romance," "Poker Face," "Shallow" (from A Star is Born) and "I Get a Kick Out of You" (with Tony Bennett) are up there, in terms of wins and nominations.

Spotify tells a slightly different story, at least at press time: While "Shallow" reigns supreme at 1.85 billion streams, her Ariana Grande collab "Rain On Me" and another Star is Born track, "Always Remember Us This Way," have broken 800 million streams ("Rain On Me" has nearly 833 million, and "Always Remember" has more than 804 million).

And according to the Billboard Hot 100, Lady Gaga's biggest hit is "Born This Way," which remained at No. 1 for six weeks. She had four other songs hit No. 1 on that chart, too: "Rain On Me," "Just Dance" (with Colby O'Donis), "Shallow," and "Poker Face."

How Many GRAMMYs Has Lady Gaga Won?

At press time, Lady Gaga has won 14 GRAMMYs and has received 38 GRAMMY nominations overall. Most recently, she won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Die With A Smile,” her collaboration with Bruno Mars, at the 2025 GRAMMYs.

Did Lady Gaga Really Wear A Meat Dress?

She sure did — at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. But she didn't mean it as a knock against animal rights.

"It's certainly no disrespect to anyone that's vegan or vegetarian. As you know, I'm the most judgment-free human being on the Earth," Gaga explained to Ellen Degeneres post-VMAs, in one of many examples of her sociopolitically outspoken nature.

"It has many interpretations," she continued. "But for me this evening, it's [saying], 'If we don't stand up for what we believe in, if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones." (In this case, she was referring to "don't ask, don't tell" policies in the military.)

But flank steak aside, Gaga has touched the fashion and lifestyle worlds in many other ways — from her endlessly inventive outfits over the years to her cruelty-free cosmetics brand.

What Is Lady Gaga's Connection To Bradley Cooper?

Lady Gaga starred alongside Bradley Cooper in the 2018 film A Star is Born. In the film, Cooper plays Jackson "Jack" Maine, an alcoholic, drug-addicted musician whose career is dwindling. He later discovers and nurtures Ally (Lady Gaga), a struggling artist. The two fall in love quickly and deeply.

A Star is Born heavily features the chart-topping song "Shallow," the lead single off the film's soundtrack, performed by Lady Gaga and Cooper. Lady Gaga won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, shared with Cooper, and Best Song Written For Visual Media, both for "Shallow," at the 2019 GRAMMYs. The song also won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2019. At the 2020 GRAMMYs, Lady Gaga won the GRAMMY for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media for A Star Is Born as well as Best Song Written For Visual Media for "I'll Never Love Again (Film Version)," a single off the film's soundtrack.

And while Gaga's and Cooper's steamy performance of "Shallow" at the 2019 Oscars ginned up gossip about an offstage relationship, there's no evidence that's been the case. But on screen, they suffused the fourth remake of the film with crucial chemistry and verve.

Bonus fact: While some film historians believe actors Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay's relationship was the real-life inspiration for the original 1937 version of the film, A Star Is Born is not based on a true story.

Director William A. Wellman and screenwriter Robert Carson devised the original storyline together, based on a simple, shopworn conceit: a young woman has showbiz dreams and meets a famous man in decline — who charts her path to stardom while falling for her.

Next up: Lady Gaga will star alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to the 2019 blockbuster, Joker. Early reports on the film, which is reported to be a musical, indicate Gaga will star as Harley Quinn, Joker's devilish sidekick and love interest. Lady Gaga confirmed her involvement in Joker: Folie à Deux — as well as the film's release date, Oct. 4, 2024 — in a teaser video she posted on social media today.