Many celebrities today do anything to avoid tremendous amounts of attention and try hard to keep a low key profile. Lady GaGa would choose to do otherwise. Her hit single, "Just Dance" shows that this vibrant artist is anything but shy. Calling during her stay in Chicago, Lady GaGa took the time to chat about her musical career on and off the stage.

Starpulse: Today, there are a lot of artists trying to preach a statement or bring up serious subject matters. With you, you're one of those artists bringing the fun back into music. How does that feel to break that mold.

Lady Gaga: It feels good. I guess it's sort of by default too because I don't really believe in things that you don't really know about. Not to say that I don't know things about politics, religion, or education because I do. I just feel that you have to earn the right to talk about stuff like that as an icon. For example: John Lennon or Bono or any activist. I feel they've earned that right to talk about starvation or AIDS. I'm just a girl from New York.

SP: You've been traveling a lot and with you being a New Yorker, what's it like come back to your home town and performing?

LG: It's amazing. It's kind of a whirlwind because last time I was in New York, I had just gotten signed. Every time I've come back to New York, I've hit a new phase of my career.

SP: Now you're also a songwriter as well and you've worked with The Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears. How does your role differ from being a singer on stage to being behind the scenes as a songwriter?

LG: Well you have to honor their medium and for me when I'm writing for other people, I'm not the star that day, they are. Also when I write with someone else, I focus on how they feel and their session and song. I use them as my muse. It's not about me that day.

SP: If you had your choice of working with anyone-dead or alive, who would it be?

LG: John Lennon, Andy Warhol, Grace Jones, David Bowie, and Madonna.

SP: I see a lot of Madonna in you.

LG: Thank you very much!

SP: Now I was reading your Myspace, you talk about making your way in this business the old fashion way instead of winning a TV contest or already being a celebrity. How has that struggle shaped you as an artist? You don't really see new and up coming artists that have struggled from the ground up.

LG: Well that's a really interesting question. I look at it in two different ways. The first way I look at is that there's really no other way to do it because I can't really name any artist that I respect and admire that have come from reality television or an actress turned singer or somebody's daughter. I don't consider any them of them artists. They're famous, but are they contributing art? They contribute to pop culture but I don't think they're contributing to art. Secondly, I just don't know any other way to do it.There's really no other way to make it. It's not important to be famous, but to make important art about the truth. My album is called The Fame and it's about that sense of inner fame that I felt working in New York. This is my gift of New York to the world. Also I think there's this big misconception of major labels. That once you get signed to a label, like that's it-your life is planned for you. I think there's about 175 artists signed to a label and every year about four or five get released. Out of those four or five in the world of music, out of all the music labels in the world including the indies, I'd say you'd get a maximum of six brand new artists a year. Usually three of those artists are from American Idol. So if you think about it that's three spots for new artists. Regardless if you're signed to a major label or not, it's your job to take it and figure out how you're going to get it because at the end of the day a label will only get you so far.

SP: You're right. I think today, a lot of it is do-it-yourself.

LG: You've got to. Even before signing to a major label, I had already played over a hundred shows in New York, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Even before then, maybe over 600 shows all together. Things can change when you get signed. You have to know your music and know what you're good at.

SP: When you're not touring or working on music, what does Lady GaGa do on her down time?

LG: Well I'm in bed right now. If I have two hours of phoners and radio and more phoners and radio, in between all that I'm usually in bed.

SP: Fashion is a big part of your life. Would you ever like to do a run way show?

LG: Oh yeah for sure! I'd love to have my own line, I don't think I'd do it under Lady Gaga. I'd do it under something else.

SP: Can you tell me a little unknown fact no one might know about you?

LG: That's hard. I used to stand outside TRL when I was in middle school. I'd take the bus to TRL after school with all my girlfriends and write "Britney" on our faces and scream for her in Times Square.

SP: And now you are on TRL!

LG: And I work for her now! She was the most provocative performer of my time, I was about 13 then. Britney and all the other Mickey Mouse Club kids would cause traffic jams in Times Square. I wanna start my own traffic jam.

SP: You've made a name for yourself and have a successful career. What has been the most rewarding experience?

LG: I'd have to say it's playing certain night clubs and coming back and play for a crowd and then come back weeks or a months later and see how the show changes. I played this show in Chicago where they only closed off half the club and then a month later the whole place was packed There were people wall to wall screaming and I could've crowd surfed. For me it's so rewarding to see my song grow and to see people dance to it. If anything, I'm sure you can testify, that it's been a long time since people have been actively going to shows and buying the music. To see people be big enough fans to come out to the shows and support, it's really rewarding.

Lady Gaga's album 'The Fame' hits stores in the United States October 28.

Interview by Angelica Castillo

Starpulse contributing writer