As recently as 2008, Lady Gaga was a little-known songwriter and burlesque artist from New York. Her debut single, ‘Just Dance’, was released in the US that spring and spent five months in the Billboard Top 100, peaking at No 2 that summer. An album, The Fame, was released that autumn, finally reaching the UK in January 2009.

Since then, Lady Gaga’s rise to global stardom has proceeded at breakneck pace. The Fame is one of the most successful pop releases in years, winning a Grammy for Best Electronic/Dance Album and spawning an extended deluxe edition (The Fame Monster), the Fame Ball and Monster Ball tours, and a remix collection.

‘The Fame is about how anyone can feel famous,’ Gaga explains on her website. ‘Pop culture is art. It doesn’t make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced it and you hear it all over The Fame. But, it’s a shareable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle.’ Continue reading →