Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, born 28 March 1986) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut album The Fame in 2008 and became known for reinventing her image, for flamboyant fashion and for working across pop, jazz and film. With estimated sales of 124 million records she is one of the best-selling artists of all time. This biography follows her life and career up to November 2026.
Lady Gaga at a Glance
| Full name | Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta |
| Born | 28 March 1986, Manhattan, New York City, United States |
| Age | 40 (as of November 2026) |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter and actress |
| Record label | Interscope Records (signed 2007) |
| Breakthrough album | The Fame (2008) |
| Latest album | Mayhem (7 March 2025) |
| Awards | 16 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, two Golden Globes |
| Business | Haus Labs (cosmetics) and the Born This Way Foundation |
Early Life in New York
Gaga was born in Manhattan to Cynthia Louise (née Bissett) and Joseph Germanotta, who both have Italian ancestry, and she grew up on the Upper West Side with her younger sister Natali. She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private girls' school, from the age of 11. She began playing the piano at four, learned music by ear and played at open mic nights as a teenager. She studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute for ten years.
In 2003 she gained early admission to the Collaborative Arts Project 21 at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She left in 2005, in her second year, to focus on her music career.
The Fame and Stardom
After signing with Interscope Records in 2007, Gaga released The Fame in 2008 and its reissue The Fame Monster in 2009. The singles "Just Dance", "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance" were each certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. Her second album, Born This Way (2011), sold 1.1 million copies in its first week in the United States, and its title track became the fastest-selling song on the iTunes Store at the time, with more than a million downloads in under a week.
Reinvention: Jazz and Soft Rock
After the electronic dance-influenced Artpop (2013), Gaga recorded the jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014) with Tony Bennett and then the soft-rock album Joanne (2016). She returned to jazz with Love for Sale (2021), her second and final album with Bennett.
Acting and Shallow
Gaga won praise for her roles in the miniseries American Horror Story: Hotel and in the films A Star Is Born (2018) and House of Gucci (2021). Her contributions to the A Star Is Born soundtrack, including the chart-topping single "Shallow", made her the first person to win an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Grammy in a single year. In 2024 she starred as Harleen "Lee" Quinzel opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux, and she released the soundtrack Harlequin.
Chromatica and Mayhem
Gaga returned to her pop roots with Chromatica (2020), which included the number-one single "Rain on Me", and with Mayhem, released on 7 March 2025 to critical acclaim and a number-one debut in the United States. The album includes "Die with a Smile". In 2025 she staged the concert series The Art of Personal Chaos, including a free concert at Copacabana Beach, and then The Mayhem Ball tour, which was extended into 2026.
At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in 2026, Gaga won Best Pop Vocal Album for Mayhem and Best Dance Pop Recording for "Abracadabra". She also made a guest appearance during Bad Bunny's Super Bowl LX halftime show.
Personal Life and Advocacy
Gaga became engaged to venture capitalist Michael Polansky in April 2024, four years after they began dating. She has spoken openly about her mental health and about her experience as a survivor of sexual assault, and her philanthropy focuses on mental health awareness and LGBTQ rights. In 2012 she co-founded the Born This Way Foundation, a non-profit that supports the wellness of young people, and she launched the vegan cosmetics brand Haus Labs.
Awards and Records
Gaga has seven number-one albums on the Billboard 200 and six number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100. She was the first female artist with four singles that each sold at least ten million copies worldwide, and she holds the record for the most-attended concert by a woman. Her honours include 16 Grammy Awards, 22 MTV Video Music Awards, two Golden Globes and recognition from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Conclusion
Lady Gaga has moved from New York clubs to the Oscars stage without settling into a single style. Her 2025 album and tour showed that she can still reach a mass audience, and her work on mental health continues to define her public voice.
