If you were asked to jot down a list of the most successful new female pop artistes of the decade beginning with the year 2000, such a list would never be complete without mentioning Lady Gaga somewhere among the top three names! The way this lady (pun unintended!) entered the contemporary pop music scene and took it by storm is unbelievably amazing! All her songs, from the debut number Boys Boys Boys to the latest hit singles Telephone, Alejandro and Born This Way, have something outrageously attention-grabbing about them - is it the burlesquely-outfitted-with-loud-makeup persona in her music videos or is it the rebellious lyrics and powerful voice? Perhaps it is all of this plus more, bundled into a high-voltage package of music and entertainment! Let's check out a brief biography of Lady Gaga to get to know this maverick pop entertainer a little closely. Birth and Early Life Lady Gaga was born on 28th March, 1986, in New York City. She belongs to Italian American descent. Her father, Joseph Germanotta, is an Internet entrepreneur and her mother, Cynthia was a telecommunications executive. Lady Gaga attended a Roman Catholic school, situated on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, since she was eleven years old till she turned seventeen, when she got into the prestigious Tisch School of Arts at the New York University. She was extremely enthusiastic about acting and took active part in cultural, and entertainment programs that involved singing and music. Friends and acquaintances from her school time describe her as being a good student with a strong penchant for singing. She is left-handed and a natural brunette (she bleached her hair blonde to escape speculations on her resemblance to Amy Winehouse!). Real Name and History Behind Stage Name Lady Gaga's real name, the name that is there on her birth certificate, is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Her stage name, Lady Gaga was given to her by music producer Rob Fusari, who used to start singing Radio Gaga song by Queen (which young Stefani was very fond of) whenever she entered the studio as a way of greeting her. One day when Rob was texting Stefani, he typed the words Radio Gaga on his cell phone screen and the device ran an auto correct, changing radio into lady. That sealed it and Lady Gaga was born! This is one of the most interesting facts of this Lady Gaga biography! Early Career Lady Gaga ventured upon her musical career at the age of nineteen when she signed her first contract with Def Jam Recordings. However, she was dropped after three months of signing the contract. Next, she got introduced to RedOne, by the company which managed both her and RedOne's account. Boys, Boys, Boys was her first song with RedOne and she took inspiration for this song from Motley Crew's hit number Girls, Girls, Girls. Following her stint with RedOne, she also worked with hip-hop artist Grandmaster Melle Mel and started a band which she named the Stefani Germanotta Band. The band members consisted of her friends from the New York University. During this phase, Lady Gaga reportedly began experimenting with illegal narcotics and worked part-time as a Neo Burlesque performer besides recording with her band. She cites John Lennon, Madonna and Michael Jackson among others as her idols and inspirations. Recognition and Rise to Fame During her initial days at Interscope, who signed her shortly after she graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts, her singing talent was discovered by Akon who signed her for his recording label, the Kon Live Distribution. Lady Gaga is gifted with a contralto vocal range which is the reason behind her signature deep singing voice and powerful renditions. Her debut album, Fame, was released in the year 2008 which met with astounding success and rave reviews from critics all over the world! It topped various international charts and sold more than twelve million copies globally! A deluxe edition of the Fame, The Fame Monster, followed in November 2009. Various versions of different singles from these albums became runaway hits and broke all previous records in a very short time! Prominent among these hit singles are Bad Romance, Telephone and Alejandro which catapulted her among the top contenders for the most famous singers and successful musical entertainers of the decade. The biography of Lady Gaga is a testimony to fame and success that follows hard work and dedication towards breathing life into one's passion! What this lady is today is due to her years of hard work and stoic determination to excel at what she considered to be the love of her life - singing and music! Besides her immense vocal talents, the thing that sets her apart from her contemporaries the most is her rebellious attitude and her open disregard for conformation, which is prominently expressed in her videos, lyrics and her fashion sense! A refreshing change from the conventional divas, wouldn't you agree?