Before she had production companies to handle all her equipment for her, Lady Gaga, aka Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, personally purchased her cases directly from Gary Peterson at Encore. While her taste in fashion may make some people scratch their heads, her choice of case manufacturers was right on target.
The singer, songwriter and actress began her career like a lot of artists these days – singing at open mic nights as well as performing in school plays. After Def Jam Recordings cancelled her contract, Lady Gaga worked at Sony/ATV Music Publishing as a songwriter. There, she met and got support from singer, songwriter, businessman and record producer Akon. He helped her sign a joint deal with not only Interscope Records, but also KonLive Distribution, which is his own label.
Lady Gaga’s Ascent
From there, Lady Gaga’s career skyrocketed. She wasn’t afraid to try out several different genres for her albums – dance pop, electro pop, electronic rock, R&B, disco, and even most recently, jazz! Her debut album The Fame (2008) had two chart topping singles – the famous songs “Just Dance” and “Poker Face”. The next year, the singer/songwriter released an EP called The Fame Monster, from where singles “Bad Romance”, “Telephone” and “Alejandro” became a hit.
After that, it was a smooth ride for Lady Gaga. Born this Way (2011) sold more than one million copies in its first week and topped the US charts. Artpop (2013) included the hit single “Applause” also topped the US charts. Her album Check to Check (2014), which was produced with Tony Bennett, was her third consecutive album to become number one on the US charts.
Even in her early days, though, Lady Gaga was a personality all of her own, and Gary still remembers her telling him that she was also a stripper. Of course, she was joking, but it sure caught Gary’s attention!