To what she is now for any other reason than she knew it would shift more records and column inches?
She doesn't dress "normally" because she knows nobody would care - as they didn't when she dressed "normally" and released a single under the name of Stephanie.
She is about as original as Katie Waissel in a Topshop denim jacket.
The problem with calling her out over pictures like that, is that they were taken when she was a young (15-18 year old) girl with all the restraints that go along with that. She couldn't exactly be that eccentric when half the time she was in a Catholic school girl uniform and the rest spent with domineering parents.
She moved out at 19 and began evolving her style. She wore disco bras and fish nets, setting fire to hairspray on stage as 'Gaga' long before she went blonde. She's now 25. Approaching a decade since the photos of teenage Stefani. It's hardly an overnight transformation.
Of course she knows that wearing outlandish things and pulling stunts attracts attention - a concept Bowie, Madonna, Elton, MJ et all have well established - but I think it's a misconception that she couldn't possibly be genuinely interested in fashion and enjoy styling herself accordingly. Her day-to-day wear isn't meat dresses and lobster hats, it's rocker gear. Leather jackets, fish nets, boots and general 80's attire. That's pretty common for the NYC club kid scene.
Well by chance I watched her Paul O'Grady special last Friday, I never usually watch it, I was blown away by her I kept singing the songs all weekend, I have downloaded certain songs off her album, I am not a fan of the really weird stuff, but loved her singing Friday.
The problem with calling her out over pictures like that, is that they were taken when she was a young (15-18 year old) girl with all the restraints that go along with that. She couldn't exactly be that eccentric when half the time she was in a Catholic school girl uniform and the rest spent with domineering parents.
She moved out at 19 and began evolving her style. She wore disco bras and fish nets, setting fire to hairspray on stage as 'Gaga' long before she went blonde. She's now 25. Approaching a decade since the photos of teenage Stefani. It's hardly an overnight transformation.
Of course she knows that wearing outlandish things and pulling stunts attracts attention - a concept Bowie, Madonna, Elton, MJ et all have well established - but I think it's a misconception that she couldn't possibly be genuinely interested in fashion and enjoy styling herself accordingly. Her day-to-day wear isn't meat dresses and lobster hats, it's rocker gear. Leather jackets, fish nets, boots and general 80's attire. That's pretty common for the NYC club kid scene.
THIS. Most people at the age of 15-18 don't have the confidence to be totally the indivivual they want to be. She was always quite courageous, there were reports about her cutting massive holes in her ballet tights for performances that she got into trouble for and things like that. But when she left home at 19, she really started to evolve. And when she met Lady Starlight, she began to take on the idea of performance artistry. From 2005 to 2007, she really formed into Gaga. There are plenty of obscure videos that show her performing her show with Starlight wearing the kind of thing we recognise her in today.
Not saying she wouldn't have done it if the paps weren't there, but...
This is something that genuinely really bugs me with any singer, actor etc!
Why can't people accept that they might just be genuine, nice people? Why is it always for the cameras? You've got to be pretty dense if you would buy her album just coz she seems nice..
Also, she must get followed by the paps literally everywhere she goes, 24/7; there comes a point where you just forget about that and be natural, and do/say what you would have done even if the cameras weren't there!
The problem with calling her out over pictures like that, is that they were taken when she was a young (15-18 year old) girl with all the restraints that go along with that. She couldn't exactly be that eccentric when half the time she was in a Catholic school girl uniform and the rest spent with domineering parents.
She moved out at 19 and began evolving her style. She wore disco bras and fish nets, setting fire to hairspray on stage as 'Gaga' long before she went blonde. She's now 25. Approaching a decade since the photos of teenage Stefani. It's hardly an overnight transformation.
Exactly. People who make the criticism that she hasn't always dressed like that seem to forget that she's never claimed to have always dressed the way she does now. In fact, she mentioned the opposite on POG.
I doubt any of us dress the exact same way as we did 10 years ago, it doesn't mean we're putting on an act about what we want to wear now.
As for the "attention-seeking" criticism, I'd rather an artist brought attention towards their act than their personal life.
My experience echoes yours, a fair amount of people I know have become (or returned to being) fans recently after those appearances and her new album.
As a fan, I can appreciate that although the music was great with The Fame Monster, she definitely turned her persona up a few notches that alienated many.
I think she's opened up now in interviews, it's a more light hearted and humorous affair than before.
Can't speak for other people, but I'm as indifferent to her and her music as I ever was.
Does she pay royalties to Madonna, Bowie, Queen, et al? I just find her whole act dreadfully dull and lacking in any originality. Her PR/marketing/record label seem to be very savvy though, we've had the is she/or isn't she a guy, religious undertones to her new songs, and now the "somebody think of those getting bullied!!" - whole lot of cards there to play with. They know full well what notches a few noughts onto their (and, Stefani Germanotta's) bank balance.
She makes me giggle. She's a girl who likes to dress up a bit and her fans love her. I grew up listening to Madonna and I remember my parents mortified faces when I was 13(ish) and singing Like A Virgin at the top of my voice (they were very strict catholics. I didn't think the word virgin was bad, considering I heard it said by the priest every Sunday at mass!). My 14 year old girl likes Lady Gaga and we watch her videos and I laugh because I think Madonna did it much better, with meaning and understanding in her videos, not for the shock value but to make us think. Like when she released Like A Prayer, everyone was up in arms about Jesus' colour, not thinking about that's how he may have looked like, not some Swedish looking man with blue eyes and blond hair as depicted in religious paintings.
She makes me giggle. She's a girl who likes to dress up a bit and her fans love her. I grew up listening to Madonna and I remember my parents mortified faces when I was 13(ish) and singing Like A Virgin at the top of my voice (they were very strict catholics. I didn't think the word virgin was bad, considering I heard it said by the priest every Sunday at mass!). My 14 year old girl likes Lady Gaga and we watch her videos and I laugh because I think Madonna did it much better, with meaning and understanding in her videos, not for the shock value but to make us think. Like when she released Like A Prayer, everyone was up in arms about Jesus' colour, not thinking about that's how he may have looked like, not some Swedish looking man with blue eyes and blond hair as depicted in religious paintings.
I remember my Grandmother and I were watching TV and somebody briefly mentioned that Madonna sang Like A Virgin. My Nan said: "I don't think that she's a virgin"! Bless her Ukranian ignorance.
Exactly. People who make the criticism that she hasn't always dressed like that seem to forget that she's never claimed to have always dressed the way she does now. In fact, she mentioned the opposite on POG.
I doubt any of us dress the exact same way as we did 10 years ago, it doesn't mean we're putting on an act about what we want to wear now.
As for the "attention-seeking" criticism, I'd rather an artist brought attention towards their act than their personal life.
This. The last sentence in particular sums up how a lot of the detractors say that she is simply attention-seeking,yet they're the ones who create a lot of the GaGa threads,on both the Showbiz and Music forums. Pure comedy.
She has some catchy tunes but the ridiculous costumes are pathetic. Despite what some people clearly think, she will never go into the hall of fame as any kind of music legend, interest will have greatly died down within the next five years.
She has some catchy tunes but the ridiculous costumes are pathetic. Despite what some people clearly think, she will never go into the hall of fame as any kind of music legend, interest will have greatly died down within the next five years.
I agree with that user. Interest in her is already waning. Look how fast her album sales have dropped off in America after less than a month. Yet Adele keeps going from strength to strength.
why cant people see the good she does in her work for equality and gay rights, look at
her speech at roma europride (its on youtube) where she spoke for nearly 15 minutes on equality
I think she's trying to show she's human and not all crazy. There's no denying her songs are popular, I can't even recall how many albums of Born This Way she has sold.
Personally, I think she is very talented as an artist. I base this purely on her performance at Radio 1's Big Weekend. Sure she can bang out the popular hits but when she got on the piano and started singing, it was something else. Especially, Edge of Glory, you can see her shed a tear at the end (maybe she's a drama queen?).
The rest of her is just to sell records etc. I don't even agree with her message but certainly have cut her some slack ever since!
I saw her being interviewed by Wossy & she came across as being someone with a complete personality bypass & watching him try & talk to her was like puling teeth. Haven't seen such a poor interview since Parky & Meg Ryan.
I'm not a Ga Ga fan but have enjoyed some of her music. Putting aside the 'lovefest' of Norton I quite liked her in the way she opened up somewhat & got a glimpse of someone who has a personality, is clearly a talented, singer/ songwriter if somewhat eccentric.
I repect her dedication to her fans the monsters as she calls them & I like that. It reminds me of the dedication of Tom Cruise & the way he treats his fans (ok there is a ego trip there also & I am not a Cruise fan at all) but I do like it when people like that make an effort & give back to their fans whatever their underlying motivations may be but both to me come across as being genuine.
So all the rubbish aside I have a new respect for Ga Ga & that is all that matters I am not a fan though.
why cant people see the good she does in her work for equality and gay rights, look at
her speech at roma europride (its on youtube) where she spoke for nearly 15 minutes on equality
This. She gives lots to charities, comes across positively mannered in interviews, does her best to improve equality and rights, genuinely cares about her fans. And as an artist, at least writes her own music, sings live, preforms, self manages herself etc... Which is more than can be said for 90% of other mainstream artists.
And then she lots of flak for her 'Costumes'. As if that's all people care about. :rolleyes:
I saw her being interviewed by Wossy & she came across as being someone with a complete personality bypass & watching him try & talk to her was like puling teeth. Haven't seen such a poor interview since Parky & Meg Ryan.
I think it's pretty clear that she just didn't like the guy. Perhaps it had something to do with before the interview? However, she certainly could have acted differently for the sake of the interview. Although to be fair I'm not a fan of him myself.
Interest in her is already waning. Look how fast her album sales have dropped off in America after less than a month. Yet Adele keeps going from strength to strength.
Selling her album as a 99¢ download for the first week of release gave sales a huge and totally artificial boost.
Selling her album as a 99¢ download for the first week of release gave sales a huge and totally artificial boost.
Week 1 - 1,108,000
Week 2 - 174,000 (down 84%)
Week 3 - 66,000 (down 38%)
If you were to have not counted the 99¢ sales, it still would have been about 900,000 on week 1. Lots of other artists have done the same anyway.
I wouldn't think 3M worldwide is a 'Flop' however, as someone else tried to say. That's pretty ridiculous. It's like saying that everyone except Adele has 'flopped'. Gaga will still be around in 5 years time. The only thing stopping her is herself. Her devotion to keep working will only keep her going strong, if anything.
This. She gives lots to charities, comes across positively mannered in interviews, does her best to improve equality and rights, genuinely cares about her fans. And as an artist, at least writes her own music, sings live, preforms, self manages herself etc... Which is more than can be said for 90% of other mainstream artists.
And then she lots of flak for her 'Costumes'. As if that's all people care about. :rolleyes:
I think it's pretty clear that she just didn't like the guy. Perhaps it had something to do with before the interview? However, she certainly could have acted differently for the sake of the interview. Although to be fair I'm not a fan of him myself.
I am not a fan of Wossy but if she is going to go on a chat show she should have made more of an effort (regardless of how she may or may not of felt about the host).
Comments
The problem with calling her out over pictures like that, is that they were taken when she was a young (15-18 year old) girl with all the restraints that go along with that. She couldn't exactly be that eccentric when half the time she was in a Catholic school girl uniform and the rest spent with domineering parents.
She moved out at 19 and began evolving her style. She wore disco bras and fish nets, setting fire to hairspray on stage as 'Gaga' long before she went blonde. She's now 25. Approaching a decade since the photos of teenage Stefani. It's hardly an overnight transformation.
Of course she knows that wearing outlandish things and pulling stunts attracts attention - a concept Bowie, Madonna, Elton, MJ et all have well established - but I think it's a misconception that she couldn't possibly be genuinely interested in fashion and enjoy styling herself accordingly. Her day-to-day wear isn't meat dresses and lobster hats, it's rocker gear. Leather jackets, fish nets, boots and general 80's attire. That's pretty common for the NYC club kid scene.
THIS. Most people at the age of 15-18 don't have the confidence to be totally the indivivual they want to be. She was always quite courageous, there were reports about her cutting massive holes in her ballet tights for performances that she got into trouble for and things like that. But when she left home at 19, she really started to evolve. And when she met Lady Starlight, she began to take on the idea of performance artistry. From 2005 to 2007, she really formed into Gaga. There are plenty of obscure videos that show her performing her show with Starlight wearing the kind of thing we recognise her in today.
This is something that genuinely really bugs me with any singer, actor etc!
Why can't people accept that they might just be genuine, nice people? Why is it always for the cameras? You've got to be pretty dense if you would buy her album just coz she seems nice..
Also, she must get followed by the paps literally everywhere she goes, 24/7; there comes a point where you just forget about that and be natural, and do/say what you would have done even if the cameras weren't there!
Exactly. People who make the criticism that she hasn't always dressed like that seem to forget that she's never claimed to have always dressed the way she does now. In fact, she mentioned the opposite on POG.
I doubt any of us dress the exact same way as we did 10 years ago, it doesn't mean we're putting on an act about what we want to wear now.
As for the "attention-seeking" criticism, I'd rather an artist brought attention towards their act than their personal life.
Can't speak for other people, but I'm as indifferent to her and her music as I ever was.
I remember my Grandmother and I were watching TV and somebody briefly mentioned that Madonna sang Like A Virgin. My Nan said: "I don't think that she's a virgin"! Bless her Ukranian ignorance.
This. The last sentence in particular sums up how a lot of the detractors say that she is simply attention-seeking,yet they're the ones who create a lot of the GaGa threads,on both the Showbiz and Music forums. Pure comedy.
That's been said for the past 3 years...
Which makes her 2 years off hitting 5.
I agree with that user. Interest in her is already waning. Look how fast her album sales have dropped off in America after less than a month. Yet Adele keeps going from strength to strength.
her speech at roma europride (its on youtube) where she spoke for nearly 15 minutes on equality
I'm not a Ga Ga fan but have enjoyed some of her music. Putting aside the 'lovefest' of Norton I quite liked her in the way she opened up somewhat & got a glimpse of someone who has a personality, is clearly a talented, singer/ songwriter if somewhat eccentric.
I repect her dedication to her fans the monsters as she calls them & I like that. It reminds me of the dedication of Tom Cruise & the way he treats his fans (ok there is a ego trip there also & I am not a Cruise fan at all) but I do like it when people like that make an effort & give back to their fans whatever their underlying motivations may be but both to me come across as being genuine.
So all the rubbish aside I have a new respect for Ga Ga & that is all that matters I am not a fan though.
This. She gives lots to charities, comes across positively mannered in interviews, does her best to improve equality and rights, genuinely cares about her fans. And as an artist, at least writes her own music, sings live, preforms, self manages herself etc... Which is more than can be said for 90% of other mainstream artists.
And then she lots of flak for her 'Costumes'. As if that's all people care about. :rolleyes:
I think it's pretty clear that she just didn't like the guy. Perhaps it had something to do with before the interview? However, she certainly could have acted differently for the sake of the interview. Although to be fair I'm not a fan of him myself.
Selling her album as a 99¢ download for the first week of release gave sales a huge and totally artificial boost.
Week 1 - 1,108,000
Week 2 - 174,000 (down 84%)
Week 3 - 66,000 (down 38%)
If you were to have not counted the 99¢ sales, it still would have been about 900,000 on week 1. Lots of other artists have done the same anyway.
I wouldn't think 3M worldwide is a 'Flop' however, as someone else tried to say. That's pretty ridiculous. It's like saying that everyone except Adele has 'flopped'. Gaga will still be around in 5 years time. The only thing stopping her is herself. Her devotion to keep working will only keep her going strong, if anything.