Overview

This book is about Lady Gaga’s branding—the stories that inform it and the ideas that shape her public image. Who is Lady Gaga and how does she connect with her fans and audiences via storytelling? These questions guide Nelligan’s discourse and textual analyses of Gaga’s media interviews, product marketing, songs, albums and documentaries to reveal numerous themes and messages that inform her brand. These themes include: stories about monsters, self-love bravery, kindness and pride; distinctive and outlandish fashion and boundary-pushing performance art; LGBTIQA+ activism and support of queer communities; mental-health advocacy and philanthropy (which, as Nelligan shows, is powerfully underpinned by Gaga’s own mental-health challenges); and personal reflections on the significance of family and kinship in shaping her identity as a songwriter and artist. Nelligan demonstrates how Gaga, in a considered yet heartfelt manner, weaves these themes together to form the overarching story of Brand Lady Gaga, offering insights into the star’s extraordinary life and the dynamics of twenty-first-century branding in music.

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9781501370984

Table of Contents

Reviews

Through a journey of examining Lady Gaga’s storytelling, Nelligan asks how this superstar transcends the commercial enterprise [JE1] of pop by bringing social, cultural, and political benefits to her fans and audiences. This original study sheds a new light on Gaga’s approach to trauma, healing, pride, and kindness. It is a book of profound self-reflection that contributes significantly to the field of popular music studies. * Stan Hawkins, Professor Emeritus, University of Oslo, Norway * Nelligan shows the intersectional range of Gaga's work and influences, exploring the musician as fan, as brand, as leader and as innovator. The range of approaches shows the depth of Gaga's work, and the range of fan and industry engagements with the artist. Nelligan's book is both personal and professional, providing readers with multiple access points the ideas and insights. * Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, Music and Sound Design, University of Technology Sydney, Australia *

Through a journey of examining Lady Gaga’s storytelling, Nelligan asks how this superstar transcends the commercial enterprise [JE1] of pop by bringing social, cultural, and political benefits to her fans and audiences. This original study sheds a new light on Gaga’s approach to trauma, healing, pride, and kindness. It is a book of profound self-reflection that contributes significantly to the field of popular music studies. * Stan Hawkins, Professor Emeritus, University of Oslo, Norway * Nelligan shows the intersectional range of Gaga's work and influences, exploring the musician as fan, as brand, as leader and as innovator. The range of approaches shows the depth of Gaga's work, and the range of fan and industry engagements with the artist. Nelligan's book is both personal and professional, providing readers with multiple access points the ideas and insights. * Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney, Australia *

Through a journey of examining Lady Gaga’s storytelling, Nelligan asks how this superstar transcends the commercial enterprise [JE1] of pop by bringing social, cultural, and political benefits to her fans and audiences. This original study sheds a new light on Gaga’s approach to trauma, healing, pride, and kindness. It is a book of profound self-reflection that contributes significantly to the field of popular music studies. * Stan Hawkins, Professor Emeritus, University of Oslo, Norway *

Author Information

Kat Nelligan is a proud Gamilaraay woman and Lecturer in Music Industry in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University, Melbourne. Kat’s research interests include youth justice and music, music and social and emotional wellbeing, and Indigenous storytelling through music. She is a songwriter, music producer (Ableton Live), and performer who composes music under the artist name of Zaffiri.

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