Lady GaGa Was Once ‘Painfully Shy’

Posted on October 8, 2010 by

According to People, Bob Leone first met young Stefani Germonatta when she attended open mic nights. He then became Lady Gaga’s early manager. He said, “She was painfully shy – very different from who she is now, she came to the open mics with her mother twice before she built up the courage to go onstage. She was prodigy-like. She was clearly a very good songwriter and keyboard player.”

Leone, who is auctioning off early Gaga demos for the Gotta Have Rock ‘N Roll online auction, worked with the singer, then known by her real name, Stefani Germonatta, for seven years, and witnessed her transformation from Germonatta to Gaga. He managed her for six months: “It was a very important six months because going into it, she was Stefani, and she was still writing pop music. By the end of that six-month period, she was officially Lady Gaga,” Leone said.

Germonatta became more confident as Gaga, Leone recalls, at a showcase featuring other artists. “She blew everyone away, nobody talked about anything after that show but Lady Gaga. She bantered with the audience and was very funny. I never noticed that sense of humor when she was Stefani.”

“What is your goal?” people would ask. She would always give the same two-word answer: ‘world domination,’” says Leone with a laugh.

She has definitely dominated pop music.