Fifteen years ago, Lady Gaga was an unknown artist giving interviews in Berlin’s underground clubs. Today, she is a global icon, a 13-time Grammy winner, and a cultural phenomenon who has shaped modern pop music with her ever-evolving sound and theatrical personas. In a recent interview with The Times UK, Gaga reflected on her journey through fame, the struggles she endured, and the triumphs that brought her to her latest album, Mayhem.
Surviving Success: “People Don’t Always Make It—But I Did”
Gaga, now 38, acknowledges that the relentless nature of the music industry took a toll on her. “The music industry took over my life when I was younger,” she told The Times UK. “It took me far away from myself, and I had to endure a lot. It hardened me, for sure.”
Her career has been a whirlwind of reinvention, from the avant-garde starlet draped in a raw meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards to the stripped-down, acoustic performer of Joanne (2016) and the Hollywood leading lady of A Star Is Born (2018). Yet, through all the transformations, she struggled with chronic pain from fibromyalgia, a condition that at times left her in agony and forced her to cancel tour dates.
“It’s very under control now,” Gaga revealed. “It took over my life for a long time, but I’m 95 percent better. I still have pain days, but they’re rare. People don’t always make it through the career and success I’ve had. They don’t always get to the other side, given how it can affect your mental health and body. But I did.”
Reclaiming Her Art and Authenticity with Mayhem
Set for release later this year, Mayhem marks Gaga’s return to her roots—high-energy pop music infused with heavy bass, unpredictable melodies, and raw emotion. “It’s the most ‘Gaga’ I’ve sounded in a decade,” she says. The album blends club beats with introspective lyrics, featuring tracks like How Bad Do U Want Me?, a fusion of Taylor Swift’s storytelling and Yazoo’s synth-pop edge.
Despite being a master of reinvention, Gaga has often battled against public expectations. Early in her career, she was ridiculed for her theatrical outfits, only to later be criticized for toning down her image with Joanne. “At first, I was in a conversation with the public saying, ‘No, this is who I am—this isn’t a game!’ And then later people complained,” she said. “They viewed Joanne or A Star Is Born as normcore.”
But for Gaga, true authenticity has always been about full artistic expression. “I’ve been criticized for being the weird one or different,” she says. “But I was never trying to fit in. I wasn’t considered the most beautiful girl in the room, so my superpower was my creativity.”
Love, Business, and the Next Chapter
Beyond music, Gaga’s personal life has also evolved. Engaged to venture capitalist Michael Polansky since last year, she has even joined the board of his biotech firm, Outer Biosciences. “I’m incredibly interested in skin science,” she shared. The couple met through her mother, Cynthia, and bonded over shared intellectual curiosity—though Polansky surprised her with his own musical abilities during the pandemic.
“All of a sudden, he ripped into Joanne on guitar,” she laughed. “I write at home and like to bounce ideas off people … that I love. You know how it is with a partner? You speak a secret language.”
Fame in the Digital Age: “Everyone Has the Opportunity to Be Famous Now”
As someone who has explored fame in her music—her debut album The Fame (2008) and its follow-up The Fame Monster (2009) dissected society’s obsession with celebrity—Gaga sees the landscape shifting. “The way we feel about celebrities, whether good or bad, is just part of entertainment now,” she said. “There are two selves—the real you and the one you project to the world. Everyone faces that now.”
She acknowledges the darker side of fame, particularly in politics and tech. “Leadership right now is so dangerous, yet also so famous. It’s hard to remember it being this bad,” she remarked, hinting at figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk. “What we’re ingesting on a daily basis is the result of how fame has changed. It’s incredibly challenging.”
Still, Gaga remains hopeful. Mayhem ends with Die with a Smile, a collaboration with Bruno Mars that serves as a message of resilience. “There’s peace at the end, even if it’s all crumbling,” she says. “This album isn’t about changing the world. It’s about embracing the chaos.”
As she nears 40, Gaga finds stability in love, family, and normalcy. “Gravity brought me home,” she says. “Friendships—the real ones. Going to the store, making dinner. That is what made my whole life richer. I wouldn’t say fame made my life more full.”
From the Berlin clubs to the world’s biggest stages, Lady Gaga has navigated the highs and lows of superstardom—and emerged stronger. Mayhem promises to be her most personal and triumphant work yet.
