What made Gaga the biggest pop star during her peak years?

[Modern Ecstacy 3,872]

The "downfall" of Gaga's career is a recurring and major topic not only in this fanbase but something the GP talks about too. Although there are multiple theories as to why she fell so hard from her spotlight, I've always really wondered what made her the biggest pop star during 2009/2010. I mean she was so huge during that time. She was the second most liked Artist on Facebook just after Michael Jackson, She was the most followed person on Twitter, her videos were the trending topic during those times and she was one of the most viewed artists (if not the most viewed) on YouTube, She was the most Halloween'd person, and the most Googled person also. I know a huge part of the media attention she got was because of her "Gaganess" : The outrageous outfits, the really weird music videos, over the top performances. But is that one only reason? I also feel like her eccentricity is one of the factors why her music got so much attention and not vice-versa but that's just my thought.

What do y'all think? It would be especially great to hear insight from people who have been stanning her since the beginning as opposed to me who only started stanning her about an year ago so I may not have that much knowledge about her rise to fame. Share your opinions!

[Easy 5,306]

1. She was(and still is) different from everyone else.

2. The mystery of Gaga. People now know too much about her, anonymity always work, look at Sia becoming big after covering her face. People wants to know the girl behind the burqa, once it's revealed then they lost interest. 

[Bio 23,538]

We just didn't have anything like her at the time. She basically brought pop music and music videos back from the dead. After her everyone started trying to do what she was doing and it became a competition of who had the most outrageous outfit, music, video, etc. So the GP got tired. 

[DeanWinchester 41,390]

Just now, Bio said:

We just didn't have anything like her at the time. She basically brought pop music and music videos back from the dead. After her everyone started trying to do what she was doing and it became a competition of who had the most outrageous outfit, music, video, etc. So the GP got tired. 

Pretty much this

[Mister Gaga 22,948]

She had the whole package. She raised the bar to a point that now a days, no one (not even herself) can top.

Incredible music videos, incredible songs, talented singer, dancer and performer, mystery, outrageous fashion; huge media scrutiny, commercial and critical success...

No other popstar had all of this on their first eras. She achieved all of this right from the beginning, that's why she peaked so quickly. 

After perfection, there's nowhere to go but down.

[Guest]

Her eccentricity but to me also her sound. I feel like her songs were universal. Something 50 cent said that I think is interesting is how he'd make sure the melodies of his songs were universal so that all around the world people can at least hum it and the song gets stuck in their head even if they don't know english. I think that's what Gaga's songs were like, very universal even if you hate pop you can love at least one of her songs. One of the things that made Michael Jackson universal as well, although he's on another level but Gaga could've been close if she kept on using her originality and imagination. Fact of the matter is, being different is good, and it's a myth that we all the same, we're not we all should use our own individuality and be proud of it!!!! 

[Modern Ecstacy 3,872]

3 minutes ago, Bio said:

We just didn't have anything like her at the time. She basically brought pop music and music videos back from the dead. 

This is so true though. I know people in this fanbase don't like hearing this but I really really really miss the old Gaga. Her music videos are just not the same =/

[funkyhaus 7,697]

Effort 

[holy scheisse 22,310]

she was unique . in terms of her music, she was a pioneer in reviving dance music to the forefront of pop.. in terms of persona, she was truly an enigma popstar and nobody knew anything about her so she was super intrigueing. she spoke so eloquently about vane subjects like pop culture, sex, club music, etc. yet she also had alll this artistic fire that you could sense through the way she dressed, the people she referred to as her inspiration, etc.. everything was a piece of art back then. evvery performance was super unique and the live versions always sounded so much better than the studio. she rose the bar and everybody else had to step their game up basically. but eventually they all did, and then the gp left gaga in the dust without any form of credit for how she impacted the whole scene. she was truly the original superstar of the millenial generation in the internet age.

[Phoenix 17,395]

People expected her to be another one hit wonder with her song about party and dancing.

But after Just Dance she put out another even better song, and after that one, an even better one, and so on and on.

And soon after that, she delivered even more with her next album.

And on top of that, she could sing, dance, and put on a breathtaking show. 

 

[gagzus 16,084]

She had catchy pop songs, grasped attention and had major PR. She also supported multiple minorities but did nothing to act on her support and she was sexually appealing when she was skinny and provocative.

Her career went off course when she stopped playing by her labels rules, got rid of her perfectly crafted team, started openly acting on her support and in my eyes Born This Way and being pro-gay openly and fully was her downfall plus overexposure. Also people started seeing her as style over substance and that's EXACTLY why her personal style is different now because she fears her music taking a back seat beyond being catchy like it used to.

 

EDIT: She also deserves credit as the first true massive popstar of the digital age and she reinvigorated pop with proven facts to back that up.

[Modern Ecstacy 3,872]

2 minutes ago, holyscheisse said:

 then the gp left gaga in the dust without any form of credit for how she impacted the whole scene. she was truly the original superstar of the millenial generation in the internet age.

This breaks my heart. She deserves so much more credit and praise for how much she impacted pop culture. 

[MillionReasons 402]

tbfh shes so underrated

[Josip 3,971]

Majority of the people who buy her (or anyone's) songs could not care less about what she says or does apart from her music career. 

It is quite simple. No matter how much we love her work and the new songs, TF, TFM & BTW were outstanding, brilliant albums packed with huge bops. ARTPOP and Joanne are inferior to them. Or should I rather say, the songs are not as good as the ones from aforementioned albums to the GP.

All in all, she will be back on the top if she decides to do RedOne wicked dance hits and the likes of it or she will continue to be present on the music scene, reinventing herself with every album and every genre, but not so popular. Either way, I am fine with it. 

[jxckk 959]

I became a stan just after the release of the Love Game video and what made her such a big star back in 09 in my eyes was the fact that her music was so so catchy, every radio was playing her, everybody wanted to know everything about her and she was deemed as the "new pop girl" along with having an edge to her. She didn't dress like other pop stars at the time, Rihanna and Beyonce were about at the rise of Gaga but they weren't the Beyonce and Rihanna that we know today. Her music videos release were like a big event also, I remember when the Paparazzi video was released, I had never seen anything like it. Nobody else was really doing videos like that during that time, she really did bring pop back to the forefront of music along with reviving music videos, everything at that time was sexy R&B videos that all blended into one another. Then the VMA performance came with the bleeding outfit and along with the release of Bad Romance/The Fame Monster she shot into the stratosphere, we got all these catchy songs that were constantly played on radio. Thats how she really did own 2009-2010. 

Of course, everyone caught onto the whole avant garde aspect and we ended up with all the pop girls having the same aesthetic, Beyonce (IASF), Rihanna (Rated R) Ke$ha & Nicki Minaj came out just a short while after with that exact aesthetic also and it probably just became too much in the eyes of the GP.  Gaga stuck to it while all the others ditched it after an album cycle and then BTW came along which was a massive hit but really polarizing which alienated a lot of people. The overexposure did her damage also, people began to get annoyed by her which is such a shame.