Lady Gaga MUSIC, MARRIAGE & FINDING PEACE

Life is hitting a high note for the superstar as she releases Mayhem, her first studio album in five years, and plans her wedding to fiancé Michael Polansky

- JAIME HARKIN

Long before she became a global icon, Lady Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) was a struggling singer trying to make it in the NYC club scene. "I would knock on door after door after door and just say, 'Can I please play here?"" the 38-year-old megastar told Hot Ones host Sean Evans on the Feb. 13 episode. "Or I would call and pretend I was my manager. I'd be like, 'She's so hot right now.' And sometimes I would do an accent. I would do anything to get booked."

Gaga has poured blood, sweat and tears into her work since breaking out with her Grammy-winning debut album, The Fame, in 2008. Her commitment to her art has won her legions of fans (a.k.a. her beloved Little Monsters) and countless awards (she's taken home 14 Grammys in total, as well as a Golden Globe and an Oscar). But her success came at a price. She's been open about her battles with mental health and said in a 2020 interview that she once "hated being famous" and felt "exhausted and used up."

As she promotes her highly anticipated seventh studio album, Mayhem, there's been a shift for the star. She's as dedicated as ever to her music she's called the record "a total labor of love" but not at the expense of her personal life or sanity. Gaga confirmed her engagement to venture capitalist Michael Polansky, 41, in July 2024; they are planning their wedding and she recently told Elle she'd like to start a family. "The biggest change in Gaga is that she knows performing is only one part of her artistry," says a source. "She's grown to value who she is off stage to her family and her dogs and her friends." Adds the source: "Her sense of peace at home is what keeps her grounded. She's happier than she's ever been in her adult life."

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