When Lady Gaga was 18 years old she worked as a dancer and one of her most popular acts was when she ripped off a black leather outfit from her body. She described the scene back then during an interview one time saying, “I was working in strip clubs when I was 18. My act was pretty wild. I don’t like to talk about it too much but there were drugs, serious drugs.”

Her real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta and she eventually left the strip clubs for a very successful career as singer/songwriter and actress. She left one industry that is known for its drug use for another industry that is riddled with it. But her performance didn’t suffer from it as she is one of the top artists of our time.

She was once part of a band that was signed and then dropped by Def Jam Recordings. Eventually she ended up with a gig at Sony/ATV Music Publishing as a songwriter. Someone there heard her sing once and a star was born. Def Jam really missed the boat on her and you have to wonder how many people gave her ten or twenty bucks for a lap dance back in her early days. It would cost them a whole lot more now!