Lady Gaga

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Raised in New York City, Gaga, the eldest of two, primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart. A college drop out at 17, Gaga briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to focus on her musical career and starting to perform in the rock music scene of Manhattan's Lower East Side. By the end of 2007, Gaga was signed with Streamline Records. Employed as a songwriter for the record company, she captured the attention of recording artist Akon who, recognizing her vocal abilities, signed her to his label Kon Live Distribution. Gaga came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album The Fame (2008), which was critically praised and noted for its influences of synthpop music. Its first two singles, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", were number-one singles and the album itself reached number one on nine record charts worldwide. Gaga embarked on the Fame Ball Tour in order to promote the album.