Taking the world by storm back in 2008 with her single ‘Just Dance’, talk of Lady Gaga circulated globally, particularly with reference to her avant-garde fashion but also due to her electronic sound and experimental performances. Grammys and sell-out tours aside, Lady Gaga is most inspirational because she endeavours to pursue exactly what she desires regardless of attempted industry-led control.
With her 2013 album ARTPOP dubbed ARTFLOP, Gaga was hit with a wave of criticism from her third studio album but continued to stick to the album’s message, failing to tame herself to a pop genre that wasn’t ready for her evolving chameleon-like nature. Continuing to believe in her art, Gaga is a woman that stands against the need for the music industry to categorise women and music, fluidly making her way across genres and losing herself in a ballad in one performance while allowing a vomit-artist to perform on her in a vibrant, wild display in another.
With Gaga’s most recent album being a collaborative jazz one with Tony Bennett as well as her recently performing a tribute to The Sound of Music earlier this year at the Academy Awards, Gaga refuses to be led by anyone apart from herself. Whether she wants to scream and lose herself within heavy electronic beats or whether she wants to perform a cappella at The O2 arena, Lady Gaga is both capable and willing to do so. Even if it means she loses popularity along the way; Gaga isn’t here to please.
