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Grazia Magazine

Grazia (Italian for Grace) is an Italian weekly women's fashion and celebrity gossip magazine, with international editions printed in France, Serbia, Australia, United Kingdom, Thailand, Spain, Poland, Bahrain, Greece, Portugal, Japan, the Netherlands, Indonesia, India, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Germany. The Italian edition of Grazia was first published in 1938 and the British edition was started in 2005. In Italy, it is owned by the Mondadori (one of Silvio Berlusconi's companies), and is owned in the UK under licence by Bauer Consumer Media.

Fr France

March 20, 2010

Still from "Telephone" Music video.

June 4-10, 2010

Photography by Francois Berthier (Only cover)

March 18-24, 2011

Photography by Tom Munro, Nick Knight for MAC Viva Glam.

September 13-19, 2013

“I WANT TO INVENT THE FUTURE”

Before the release of her album ARTPOP, the diva granted us an exclusive interview in which she evokes her flaws, her come-back, her fans and her haters. A crazy and sincere moment. Just like her.

Buckle up: after a nine months absence (pretty much an eternity in the world of pop music), Lady Gaga is back! A new single, Applause, a video signed by star photographers Inez & Vinoodh, a collaboration with modern art guru Marina Abramovic, a memorable feud with Perez Hilton, whom she accuses of harassment, and a third album, ArtPop, announced for November 11th as a total artistic experience. Along with, as usual, the return of the fashion rollercoaster dear to Gaga: from the Margiela hood to the bubble dress and oversized wigs. And, cherry on the cake, an exclusive interview offered on a golden plate to Grazia.

AN XXL-SIZED SHOW

Sunday September 1st, D-day for the 27 year-old oversized diva who decided, for her big official come-back onstage, to open the iTunes Festival held at Roundhouse and broadcasted online live all around the world. An intimate London venue (3000 people tops), renowned for its exceptional acoustic quality and its circular architecture. 8 pm: that’s when one approaches the trendy district of Camden that one realizes Gaga is indeed in London. One crosses not-so-young men with hot pink devil horns, post-teens that could come out of a Skins episode with pig snouts (Gaga’s latest trend), girls with Pierrot-like makeup on the face, just like the singer on her new single cover. After facing the mile-long queue with dizziness, we finally enter the crowded and heated venue where we cross Adele, Niall Horan (from One Direction) or Neil Tennant (from Pet Shop Boys), among other celebrities. 9:30 pm: half-an-hour late, with the audience screaming deafening “Gaga! Gaga! Gaga!”s for the last 15 minutes, the pop star appears and lands out of nowhere inside a masochistic cage made of steel. Here we go for an hour-long XXL-sized show: wigs come and go, dancers disguised as pigs fly over the audience. Gaga, her face masked with a scarf, holds a huge knife on which is traced in bloody letters the word “Hollywood”. She multiplies spins, throws herself and her dancers into choreographies that would make Beyoncé jealous, talks to her public, changes live onstage and ends up alone on the piano after a long monologue where she repeats to her fans how much she needs their love with I Wanna Be With You, a teary ballad that would give goose bumps to the toughest listeners.

12 INCHES-HIGH STILETTOS COVERED WITH MIRRORS

But it’s the following day that things get serious. Forget about shopping, even though we’re a few feet away from Oxford Street: it is about being available between 3 and 7 pm, waiting for a mail, a text or a carrier pigeon and running to the palace, hopefully located near the hotel where we’ve been accommodated. With my throat swollen, I am finally ready to live my 15 minutes of fame with the biggest star of the past five years. 5 pm: I’ve been walking in circles for a while in my Starck-designed hotel room, when the long-awaited signal finally arrives! I’m waiting 30 more minutes in the lobby of a huge London palace, after getting my way through a tight crowd of 200 fans. I’m waiting for one of the numerous Gaga staff assistants (they’re at least 30) to come and lead me to the room where she’ll receive me. Because the pop star has the elegance of changing her outfit, wig and hotel room for each interview! Half-an-hour later, I’m hearing whispers, I recognize her voice and God… um, Gaga I mean, finally arrives! Perched on 12 inches-high stilettos covered with mirrors, she wears kind of elaborate pleated and purple baggy trousers, a black tank, a wig with a very 80s inspired lock and tiny black round glasses that she’ll keep during the whole interview. She says a joyful “hey!”, shakes my hand, sits very straight on the armchair appointed to her, covers up her little belly that comes out of her tank, holds the Grazias that I brought her: “Oh, I love this magazine. Four different covers, it’s great!”. It’s official: the show must go on!

For your come-back onstage, it’s as if you’ve given everything…

You liked it? (she simpers like a little girl) I am so happy, I’ve had quite an incredible moment, it was crazy, everything happened like I wanted it to. At last, I’ve felt free and relieved to be able to show onstage, to my fans, the songs I’ve borne in myself for months.

The bonus is that you’ve only played tracks from your upcoming album ArtPop…

Thank you, thank you. (she still simpers) I’ve been very clear with my label: it was that or no show. I’ve been absent from the media for a long time and it was out of the question to play my old hits. I have only one wish at the moment: to talk about the future, and not rely on what I’ve already done. It’s about moving forward. I’m happy that you liked it, that the audience was on top of its glory.

ARTPOP is announced as a different record, a multimedia experience – what can we expect exactly?

I would rather ask you what you expect from this record, what you wanna find, hear in it. (she hesitates) ArtPop is a journey inside my head throughout my various inspirations. It’s a list of all the things that excite me, a notebook in which I talk about everything I’ve been into lately, everything that influences me, where I write my craziest ideas. For ArtPop, in a symbolic way, I’ve put myself in front of a mirror, I’ve taken off my clothes, then the makeup, then the wigs, I’ve dressed myself with a black jumpsuit and I’ve told myself: “Now, you have to prove you can be brilliant without all that”. This album required a lot of efforts, it was about going very deep inside my soul.

So it is a “work in progress”?

Yes. I very often change my look, I’m wearing different wigs, I’m working with many designers. Constant change is an important part of my personality. I’m not trying to take refuge into the past, I want to invent the future, be constantly a different person, put myself into the skin of a whole bunch of new identities and kill the ones I’ve embodied before. It’s very easy for me to get into the skin of another person, it’s the very essence of who I am.

Is it a way of hiding your identity, escaping or protecting yourself?

No, it’s just a way of being stronger! I’m not trying to hide myself or anything, I’d rather transform myself to become a super-heroine, a girl with wings… Like an actress, I am able to embody pretty much anyone. I’m not trying to hide myself, I have no problem with my personality, I know who I am: I’m my daddy’s daughter! The real question is what I can be and who I wanna be. I can be every diva, every icon, and not just one, you know what I mean? All these facets are me, like parts of a whole. I’m a performer in the theatrical sense.

Your numerous look changes translate a certain sense of excess: is it what characterizes best pop music?

To be honest with you, I admit that at the moment, I still don’t know exactly what pop music is.

But you must have an idea of what excess represents?

Yes, of course: ostentation, luxury, extravagance, the rich and the famous… I don’t really associate this notion with pop culture, but rather with the concept of fame. I’m not a celebrity, I’m an artist, and the photographers who take pictures of me don’t do it for the same reasons than when they shoot a socialite. Careful, I’m not saying artists are better than socialites, I’m just saying that I don’t belong to this category, it’s as simple as that. Sometimes, I have the feeling we put this luxury notion on my back, while I’m not addicted to luxury at all, but to fashion. One day, I can be wearing couture from head to toes, and show up the following day in a ****ty t-shirt, or a totally crazy bubble dress. I don’t care that people think I’m rich, I’m not trying to look rich and it’s really the last of my concerns.

But luxury isn’t just a question of money and wealthiness, it’s also having the freedom to do whatever you want…

It’s exactly how I would define it. Since my beginnings, deep inside of me, I’ve always wanted to become an artist, the ambition of being part of History. No matter how many people are watching me or are behind me. Hopefully, I am lucky my art appeals to many people.

You have many fans, but also a lot of haters. How do you deal with this constant hatred some seem to hold against you?

You know, many artists have had to deal with hatred: David Bowie, Andy Warhol, John Lennon also had a lot of haters. I’ve understood pretty quickly that my status as a pop star had to go with the one of a warrior and that I would be confronted to many obstacles before people would finally understand my approach. But let’s be clear: I have no problem with the fact people may enjoy or not my music or the things I do in general. I just have the feeling that haters are a generational issue: many people feel the need to express their disagreement, they feel like they asboluterly need to tell you how much they hate you. I imagine they may be feeling lonely, angry, vulnerable. And the anonymous dimension of the internet makes this kind of behavior easy. Yes, I have haters, but I’d rather focus on the people who love me. It’s much more productive, don’t you think?

Is it hard to give that much for your fans?

Yes, it requires me to hide in order to protect my superstar image. For my fans, I always have to be on top of myself and of my creativity. It drives me crazy sometimes, but I just can’t go out like that, each and every one of my public appearances requires a lot of efforts. Disappointing my fans by showing up like a normal person is out of the question. As a result, my appearances have been very brief the past few years. The occasions when I had to walk the most were when I had to go from my car to the airport tarmac.

When you live in such a surreal world, the pleasure according to Lady Gaga is…?

Oh, I love taking bubble baths while smoking a cigarette and listening to Edith Piaf.

You’re quite a simple girl, actually!

(For the first time of the interview, she takes off her glasses and gives me one of those smiles. With her little girl voice, she concludes the interview with a “thank you, thank you” and disappears as fast as she came in).

Photography by Inez and Vinoodh.

Ae Middle East

September 3-9, 2014

OWNING THE STAGE IN A BEJEWELLED BODYSUIT, WITH HER ADORING AUDIENCE REFLECTED IN A JEFF KOONS BLUE GAZING BALL ON HER CHEST,

Lady Gaga is utterly fearless. This is the opening outfit in her artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball global tour and the shiny sphere captures Gaga’s incredible connection with her little monsters, who are also sporting crazy, colourful get-ups. The megastar has continually pushed boundaries, with her outlandish performances and outfits often dividing critics. But what is unique about the 28-year-old is her ability to empower her fans, often through fashion. She encourages them to be original, take creative risks, and practice tolerance and acceptance. Whatever you think of her on and off stage antics, there’s no denying the power of Gaga.

In just six year, Stefani Germanotta has bravely built her very own Gaga empire, complete with record-breaking albums sales – 27 million at the last count – five Grammy Awards and 43 million Twitter followers. Last year was tough as she split with her longtime manager, Troy Carter, and there was a hip injury, but following quality time with her actor beau Taylor Kinney, 33, and super-cute French bulldog, Asia, she has bounced back, stronger than ever. And just when we thought we’d seen it all she surprises us with another incarnation. The most recent is her collaboration with singing legend, and new bestie, Tony Bennett. Their jazz album, Cheek to Cheek is released on 19 September. “I’m so excited for Cheek to Cheek, I haven’t felt like this in ages. I daydream of the theatres, Tony B, the band. The curtain revealing,” says Gaga, who will star with the 88-year-old Tony in H&M’s holiday campaign. Additionally, there appears to be no stopping Gaga, who is also set to release her second signature fragrance, Eau de Gaga this autumn.

When we catch up with her, she is enjoying a rare moment of calm in-between gigs in Melbourne, on the Australian leg of her artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball tour. “I’ve been so overwhelmed by the amazing fans waiting outside the hotel every day,” she enthuses of her #AussieMonsterAngels. The seven-month tour in 68 countries began in the States in May and has since taken in Canada, Japan, Korea, and now Australia. She has however, missed boyfriend-of-three-years, Taylor Kinney. “Sleepy girl, resting up before Brisbane. In the car with my pillow. Missing T.” She captioned a selfie on Instagram, however she says she is beyond excited about kicking off the next leg of her tour on 10 September in Dubai. She promises her fans the “the show of a lifetime” and what makes it all more major is that it’s her first visit to the region. “I have not been before and I am excited to see my fans in the Middle East,” she tells Grazia. “I know I’m going to love performing for them and seeing all the beautiful, mythical things come true that I have heard of this enigma called Dubai”

Lady G even got the regional lowdown from her friend Karl Lagerfeld, who fell in love with our city years ago, and famously brought his Chanel Cruise show here in May. She told him, “Of course, I must explore the local designers and go shopping!” Did King Karl divulge ay tips for hunting down stylish offerings in Dubai? “I would tell you our shopping secrets, but then I wouldn’t be able to get to the nut before the other squirrels!” laughs Gaga, who spends most of her life jet-setting but keeps an apartment in NYC, complete with Marilyn piano, pink couch, and her treasured Mikimoto pearls.

We’ll have to wait and see what Gaga wears off-stage during her Arabian adventures, but on stage we can sure she will pull out all the sartorial stops. From a clam shell bikini and a winged bodysuit, to latex and sequins-a-plenty, fans can expect an extravagant spectacle. Gaga will perform 24 songs including the hits Born This Way, G.U.Y, and Bad Romance. What was her original vision for her tour? “We were inspired by Op Art, especially those by Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka.” she reveals. “We then became inspired by underground raver street culture, and the works of Marina Abramovic, Robert Wilson and Jeff Koons. This turned into a psychedelic party that we coined the artRAVE.”

The concept of the show is Gaga as Greek goddess Aphrodite, taking the audience to planet Venus, where we can celebrate the creativity inside us all. The dancer’s outfits at the start of the show tap into this theme.

“These were inspired by the rave culture as imaged on the planet Venus,” Gaga says. “It’s a celebration of [Aphrodite's] birth place and I’m essentially being born as I rise up like a phoenix. if you look closely, we’re all wearing epic swimwear inspired by Matthew Barney.” When quizzed about her fave looks from the tour, Gaga loves her “Versace Gypsy” outfit, designed by her pal Donatella. “This makes me feel like a gypsy bride except I am not wedding a man or a woman – I am marrying the journey of my life. The canvas,” says Gaga. “As I continue to travel from place to place, my fans and I splash paint on the canvas of life.”

Working with arguably the world’s most famous living artist, Jeff Koons, was also a dream come true. The duo were first introduced by Miuccia Prada at new york’s Met Ball in 2010 and they fused art and pop when he created a sculpture of Gaga for the cover of her third album, ARTPOP. “Jeff Koons represents the ultimate dream – to be inspired by your homeland and create work that grows to be the most valuable contemporary art in the world,” Gaga says. Since then, the friends have forged a close bond, both artistically and personally. “He has so much joy and support for everything I want my fans to experience through ARTPOP.” she says. “he talked to me about how would gaze into his work for long periods of time, which is something that I felt very comforted by because I have always thought of my gazing as ‘obsessing’. I like to open the show with the gazing ball to centre the audience into the gravity of the message as the gaze into my heart.”

For Gaga, fashion is all about creative freedom, both for herself and the fans. “Fashion is one of my art forms,” she tells us. “It naturally empowers me every single day. When I made ARTPOP, I wanted my fans to see how your own art can empower you to your fullest.”

When Karl Lagerfeld recently asked her in a Harper’s Bazaar interview if she had a different look planned for every city of her tour, she responded: “I don’t have my looks planned, but it’s a nice compliment to suggest so… I bring lots of vintage pieces with me – jewels, hats, bags – and I’m also very fortunate to get sent beautiful couture and runway looks all over the world. I just wear what makes me feel good for the day. Right now I’m enjoying feeling like a lady.”

It turns out Gaga has a vast fashion archive in LA, boasting everything from stage costumes to couture gems, to rare collectables worn by stars of yesteryear. Gaga even has her own personal website where she can see everything. The tour pieces are the most cherished as she believes that clothes carry the soul of the designer and the person who wears them, those those worn on stage collect the energy and joy of her fans around the world. Will all of her outfits from the artRAVE tour find a home in the sartorial heaven? “Of course! My tour clothes are my most prized possessions,” she declares.

At just 28, it’s hard to believe Gaga has done so much trailblazing, constantly defying her critics. When asked what artwork would sum up her life, she replies cryptically: “My own artwork best describes me, but it is unfinished. There really is no art piece to sum up mu whole life because my life is nature, and nature is more beautiful than art.” and how about if she could paint a picture of her future? How would it look? “Like the one I am already painting.” smiles the artist currently known as Lady Gaga.

Gb United Kingdom

De Germany

March 4, 2010

Photography by Christian Jakubaszek.

January 10, 2019

Ir Iran

27 April-May 3, 2011

May, 2010

Za South Africa

20 November, 2013

Other Publications

October 13, 2008

Photography by Kane Skennar.
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