As Lady Gaga rings in her 31st birthday, she’s seeing herself at one of the highest points of her life, both professionally and personally.
Simply stated: 2017 has been her year.
Though Mother Monster has pretty much always reigned with her eclectic style and serious vocal range, we’ve seen her take her career to a whole new level this year with new projects, major headlines and a whole new side to her musical talent.
Career stuff aside, we’ve also seen her excel on a personal level, finding love after a difficult heartbreak and making some of her biggest dreams come true.
So let’s dive a little deeper into just why this had been her strongest year yet:
Let’s start with her biggest moment of the year so far: that insane Superbowl performance! She kicked off the show by jumping from the roof of Houston’s NRG Stadium, and that was only the beginning. Gaga went non-stop with hit after hit throughout the 13-minute performance and didn’t miss a beat… literally. Not only was it the second most-watched halftime show ever, but it also fulfilled a lifelong dream of hers.
“I’ve been planning this since I was 4, so I know exactly what I’m going to do,” the singer said in a promotional behind-the-scenes video leading up to the show. “For me, it’s all about giving to the fans and bringing people together that wouldn’t normally come together. The thing is, it’s such a big world stage in terms of how many people see it and it’s been done so many times.”
Although the singer dropped her album Joanne in 2016, it’s only gained popularity over time and saw a 1,000 percent surge following her Superbowl performance. The album illustrates a whole new side to the singer, diving into her emotions more than ever.
“The truth is I want nothing more for both myself and for other people than human connection and love,” she described the feeling of the album to E! News. “I just want to be closer to not only my fans, but other people and to build a relationship with them through the music where they know that I’m their sister, know that I’m their friend.”
Immediately following the Superbowl, Mother Monster announced her Joanne World Tour, which marks her first solo international pop tour since ArtRave in 2014.
Though the tour isn’t set to kick off until August 2017, many shows across the United States and parts of Europe almost immediately sold out.
Despite some technical difficulties, the singer kicked ass while performing with Metallica at the 2017 Grammy Awards. Though some thought this was a random pairing, her true fans recalled that she used to be a go-go dancer to Metallica and other hard rock groups. Not to mention, once they hit the stage together, their chemistry explained itself. She rocked, she rolled, she head-banged hard throughout the fiery show to much applause from the crowd.
You could almost hear hearts break around the world when we found out Lady Gaga had split from Taylor Kinney, ending their engagement and their five-year relationship. Things were only harder when her ‘Joanne’ album dropped and expressed some of the sadness she faced following the breakup.
However, she’s since given us reason to believe in love again after finding romance with her new man, Christian Carino. E! News confirmed their romance in February after they were spotted smooching and taking selfies together at the Superbowl. They’ve since been spotted out and about on many occasions, looking lovey-dovey and very happy.
Finally, to continue her kick-ass year, Gaga has replaced Beyoncé to headline at the massive 2017 Coachella Music and Arts Festival over two weekends in April.
“Let’s party in the desert!” the “Born this way” singer wrote on Twitter while sharing the adjusted line-up for the show.
Needless to say, it seems like Gaga’s biggest present on her 31st birthday is, well, the present. Happy birthday, again, to the Mother Monster!