Shane Gilberto Jenek, better known under the stage name Courtney Act, is an Australian drag queen, singer and television personality. Courtney first came to prominence competing on the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. After the show, she signed to BMG Australia, and she released her debut single, "Rub Me Wrong", which peaked at No. 29 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified Gold. While auditioning for Australian Idol, she became the first LGBTQ contestant to openly appear on a reality TV talent show. In 2014, Courtney was one of the runners-up in season six of RuPaul's Drag Race. Courtney is a member of the drag girl-group, The AAA Girls.
Willam Belli, mononymously known as Willam, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, reality television personality, author, and YouTuber. Willam came to prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2012, but was disqualified in the "Frenemies" challenge.
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influential figure in popular music.
Sharon Needles is the stage name of Aaron Robert Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. A self-described "stupid genius, reviled sweetheart, and PBR princess", Needles rose to international attention on the fourth season of the Logo reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, where she quickly became a fan favorite and was subsequently crowned "America's Next Drag Superstar" in April 2012.
Morgan McMichaels is the stage name of Scottish-American drag performer Thomas White, best known as a contestant on the second season of the reality television competition RuPaul's Drag Race, as well as the third season of the show's All-Stars spinoff. She has also been involved in various Drag Race spin-offs, including RuPaul's Drag U and RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race.
Greyson Michael Chance is an American singer-songwriter. He rose to national attention in 2010 as a child singer, after his performance of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" went viral on YouTube and gained over 72 million views. Two of his original songs, "Stars" and "Broken Hearts", gained over six and eight million views respectively on his channel the following year. He signed a joint-venture recording contract with Ellen DeGeneres' eleveneleven – an imprint of Maverick, Streamline, and Geffen Records – to release his debut commercial single, "Waiting Outside the Lines" in October 2010. His debut studio album, Hold On 'til the Night (2011) was released the following year and peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200, remaining his only charting release.
American singer Lady Gaga has released three video albums and has been featured in over thirty music videos. From her debut album The Fame (2008), she released music videos for the singles "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "Eh, Eh", "LoveGame", and "Paparazzi". In the latter, Gaga portrays a doomed starlet taking revenge on her lover. She also shot a video for the album's promotional single "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich". Gaga reissued her first album as The Fame Monster (2009), preceded by a music video for the lead single "Bad Romance", which won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video and seven MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year in 2010. The following year, Jonas Åkerlund directed the music video for "Telephone"—a continuation of "Paparazzi"—which was shot as a short film. It received an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year nomination, and was named the Best Music Video of the Decade by Billboard in January 2015. For her 2010 video "Alejandro", Gaga received positive reviews from critics, though she was criticized by the Catholic League that alleged blasphemy.
Yara Sofia is the stage name of Gabriel Burgos Ortiz, a Puerto Rican drag queen, professional make-up artist, and reality television personality.
Chantaize Darius Jeremy Pierce, better known by the stage name Shangela Laquifa Wadley or simply as Shangela, is an American drag queen, reality television personality, TV producer, and actor best known for competing on RuPaul's Drag Race. Shangela was the first contestant eliminated in season two, and returned as a surprise contestant in the series' third season, placing sixth. She returned once again for the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars where she finished in joint-third/fourth place alongside winner of the first season, BeBe Zahara Benet. Shangela has also made several television appearances and regularly performs across the United States and Canada.
Matthew Dail Sanderson, better known by the stage name Detox Icunt or simply Detox, is an American drag performer and recording artist. Detox was a fixture of the Southern California drag scene before coming to international attention on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, as well as the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Artpop is the third studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on November 6, 2013, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga began planning the project in 2011, shortly after the launch of her second effort, Born This Way. Work continued until 2013 while Gaga was traveling for her Born This Way Ball tour and recovering from surgery for an injury she had sustained while touring. Gaga described Artpop as "a celebration and a poetic musical journey". It displays an intentional "lack of maturity and responsibility" by comparison to the darker and anthemic nature of Born This Way.
"Applause" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her third studio album, Artpop (2013). It was released as the album's lead single through Interscope Records on August 12, 2013. Written and produced by Gaga, DJ White Shadow, Dino Zisis and Nick Monson, additional songwriters included Martin Bresso, Nicolas Mercier, Julien Arias and William Grigahcine. "Applause" was inspired by the cheering of her fans, which kept her motivated during the months she toured with the Born This Way Ball in pain, before cancelling it due to a hip injury, and pays respect to the art of performance. It is an electropop, dance-pop and Eurodance song built around synthesizers and hi-NRG beats, with lyrics addressing how Gaga is dependent upon her fans' adoration and how she lives to perform.
"Gypsy" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga, for her third studio album Artpop (2013). It was written and produced by Gaga with French DJ Madeon, with additional writing credits from RedOne and Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair. The song was developed with Madeon after Gaga's Born This Way Ball tour performance in France. "Gypsy" was described by Gaga as Artpop's most personal song; she elaborated that it was about travelling the world and the loneliness associated with it. A Europop and electropop song, "Gypsy" is a 1980s style "anthemic" track with piano and guitar instrumentation, and lyrically talks about Gaga's fans as being the people she feels closest to. The track was mistakenly assumed to be the third single from the album when Interscope Records listed it on their SoundCloud page reserved for future releases.
Bryan Watkins, known by his stage name Shannel, is an American drag queen and television personality, best known for competing on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race and later the first and ninth seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars.
Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular is a Thanksgiving television special with American singer Lady Gaga and the Muppets. The 90-minute program aired on ABC on November 28, 2013, with guest stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elton John and RuPaul and an appearance by Kristen Bell. It was the second Gaga Thanksgiving special on ABC, after A Very Gaga Thanksgiving in 2011. The singer had previously collaborated with the Muppets on media appearances and in her shows.
Lady Gaga Live at Roseland Ballroom was the first concert residency by American singer Lady Gaga. Performed at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, New York, the residency began on March 28 and concluded on April 7, 2014, after completing seven shows. It was the final event hosted by the venue after it was announced that it was being closed down and being replaced with a 42-story skyscraper. Gaga revealed that Roseland was the only venue in New York City that she had never played, although she had visited there previously to watch shows. A poster announcing the event was released, showing an old image of Gaga taken before the time she became successful as a recording artist.
Naysha Lopez is the stage name of drag performer and beauty pageant winner Fabian Rodriguez, who won the 2013 Miss Continental competition and appeared on the eighth seasons of both RuPaul's Drag Race and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
Charlie Hides is a British-American drag queen, impersonator, actor, and comedian. Hides is known for his YouTube channel, and his participation in the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Following live performances in London clubs, Hides started a YouTube channel in March 2011. He has produced hundreds of videos satirizing popular culture, and impersonating celebrities such as Cher, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Lana Del Rey.
Pierre Leverne Dease, better known by the stage name Nina Bo'nina Brown, is an American drag queen and television personality best known for starring on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, where she placed sixth.
Mark Kanemura is an American dancer noted for appearances on seasons 4 and 7 of So You Think You Can Dance, music video and concert performances, and his Instagram posts.
