lady gaga is DONE rebranding

And as for Gaga, first, we need to understand how Mother Gaga had every single chance to build a billion-dollar empire.

Gaga 1.0.

I've been writing music since I was 13 and playing in clubs in New York, and I just never gave up.

In Michelle Phan's terms, Lady Gaga is a true creator.

A creator creates her own destiny.

The only FOMO for the first year of not going to Coachella is missing Lady Gaga.

What are you doing here? [crowd cheering]

Because when Telephone came up on my Spotify shuffle last night on my walk, I realized how timeless and iconic her vision was.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta began playing the piano at age four when her mother insisted that she become, quote-unquote, "a cultured young woman." And as a teenager, she played at open mic nights, studied method acting, then dropped out in second year NYU music school to pursue music.

And music did she pursue, through three marketing wins.

First, she hacked the pop formula, then broke it.

2008, Just Dance hit the club scene hard, blending infectious synths with fashion-forward visuals.

She combined Britney-level hooks with Madonna-level shock, but added her own weird.

Within just one year, she was dominating every chart and award show.

Second, she turned every appearance into performance art, not just music videos.

Everything was a stage.

Award shows, interviews, paparazzi shots, all curated and theatrical.

I love you so much

muchOh, thank you

I'm so happy

Thank you.

The meat dress at the VMAs, that was not random.

It was calculated brand theater that earned global headlines.

And as a natural marketer, Gaga learned something valuable.

Test, repeat, replicate.