She took piano lessons and practiced through her childhood. Gaga began playing the piano at age four when her mother insisted she become "a cultured young woman". She considered herself a misfit and was mocked for "being either too provocative or too eccentric". Gaga has described her high-school self as "very dedicated, very studious, very disciplined" but also "a bit insecure". From age 11, she attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private all-girls Roman Catholic school. Brought up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Gaga said in an interview that her parents came from lower-class families and worked hard for everything. Her parents are Cynthia Louise ( née Bissett), a philanthropist and business executive, and Internet entrepreneur Joseph Germanotta, and she has a younger sister named Natali. Both of her parents have Italian ancestry. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born on March 28, 1986, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, to an upper middle class Catholic family.
She also ventured into acting, playing leading roles in the miniseries American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016), for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, and the critically acclaimed musical drama film A Star Is Born (2018). Following her EDM-influenced third album, Artpop (2013), and its lead single " Applause", Gaga released the jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014) with Tony Bennett, and the soft rock album Joanne (2016). The title track became the fastest-selling song on the iTunes Store, with over one million downloads in less than a week. Her second full-length album, Born This Way (2011), explored electronic rock and techno-pop and sold more than one million copies in its first week. Gaga's five succeeding studio albums all debuted atop the US Billboard 200. The album was later reissued to include the EP The Fame Monster (2009), which yielded the successful singles " Bad Romance", " Telephone", and " Alejandro". Gaga rose to prominence the following year with her debut studio album, The Fame, and its chart-topping singles " Just Dance" and " Poker Face". After Def Jam Recordings canceled her contract, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where she signed a joint deal with Interscope Records and Akon's label, KonLive Distribution, in 2007. She studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21, through New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, before dropping out to pursue a career in music. Gaga began performing as a teenager, singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays.
She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( / ˈ s t ɛ f ən i ˌ dʒ ɜːr m ə ˈ n ɒ t ə/ STEF-ən-ee JUR-mə- NOT-ə born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress.