
So we’ve established by now that Lady Gaga is one of the most talented musicians of our time, and a brilliant, award-worthy actress in A Star Is Born. You could say a Star Is Born This Way… couldn’t you?
Over 10 years and six albums (including her Tony Bennett jazz collab Cheek To Cheek and the A Star Is Born soundtrack), Stefani Germanotta, as she was born, has shapeshifted through different images, sounds and ‘eras’. But one thing she doesn’t get nearly enough credit for is her ability as a songwriter.
With lead songwriting credits on 13 songs of the A Star Is Born soundtrack – the current ARIA number one album that boasts a number one single in her spine-tingling duet with co-star Bradley Cooper, ‘Shallow’ – Gaga has converted even the cynics.
As Cooper’s Jackson Maine says to Gaga’s aspiring singer-songwriter Ally, “Talent is everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it so people listen to it, that’s a whole other bag.”
This is the part where I declare my card: I’ve been a Little Monster from way back. With each album, I’ve loved seeing how Gaga’s singles came to life in elaborate music videos and performances, and lingered on the many, many songs that have all been worthy of being singles.
Gaga has always juggled extroverted dance-pop with introverted balladry, which is why she has such a deep connection with her fans. We know her because we are her – strong and vulnerable.
The strength and vulnerability Gaga gave voice to while playing Ally has always been there in her own music. She sings of love, loneliness, co-dependent relationships, personal independence, liberation, loss and fame (indeed, her debut album was The Fame).