Claim: Lady Gaga had a contract with Def Jam Recordings.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta -LRB- -LSB- ˈstɛfəniː_dʒɜrməˈnɒtə -RSB- ; born March 28 , 1986 -RRB- , known professionally as Lady Gaga , is an American singer , songwriter , and actress . At the beginning of her career , Gaga became known for her unconventionality and provocative work . A popular contemporary recording artist , she is noted for constantly experimenting with new musical ideas and images .   Gaga initially played roles in high school plays , and studied at CAP21 through NYU 's Tisch School of the Arts before dropping out to pursue a musical career . After leaving a rock band , participating in a performance art circuit , and being dropped from a contract with Def Jam Recordings , Gaga worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing . From there , Akon noticed her vocal abilities and helped her sign a joint deal with Interscope Records and his own KonLive Distribution in 2007 . Gaga rose to prominence with the release of her successful debut album The Fame -LRB- 2008 -RRB- and its international chart-topping singles `` Just Dance '' and `` Poker Face '' . A follow-up EP , The Fame Monster -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , was met with a similar reception and the singles `` Bad Romance '' , `` Telephone '' , and `` Alejandro '' were also successful .   Gaga 's second full-length album Born This Way -LRB- 2011 -RRB- topped the charts in more than 20 countries , including the US , where it sold over one million copies in its first week . The album produced the number-one single `` Born This Way '' . Gaga 's third album Artpop , released in 2013 , topped the US charts and included the successful single `` Applause '' . In 2014 , Gaga released a collaborative jazz album with Tony Bennett titled Cheek to Cheek , her third consecutive number one in the US . For her work in the television series American Horror Story : Hotel , Gaga won a Golden Globe Award in 2016 . With her fifth studio album Joanne -LRB- 2016 -RRB- , she became the first woman to have four US number one albums in the 2010s . In February 2017 , Gaga headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show , which had over 150 million audience across various platforms worldwide , making it the most viewed musical event in history .   With global album and single sales of 27 million and 146 million respectively , as of January 2016 , she is one of the best-selling musicians of all time . Her achievements include twelve Guinness World Records , three Brit Awards , and six Grammy Awards . She has also received awards from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Council of Fashion Designers of America . Gaga regularly appears on Billboards Artists of the Year lists and Forbess power and earnings rankings . She was ranked at number four on VH1 's Greatest Women in Music , finished second on Times 2011 readers ' poll of the most influential people of the past ten years , and was named Billboards Woman of the Year -LRB- 2015 -RRB- . She is known for her philanthropic work and social activism , including LGBT rights and her own non-profit organization , the Born This Way Foundation , which focuses on promoting youth empowerment and combating bullying .