Lady Gaga's Fresh Mental Health Confession: How 'Poker Face' Star Lost Her 'Sense of Self' Amid 'Horror' of Global Fame
Lady Gaga talked about the 'horror' of losing her identity during her successful career.
March 12 2025, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Lady Gaga has lifted the veil on the unsettling truth of her fame.
The 14-time Grammy winner revealed the "horror" of losing her identity throughout her career while discussing a powerful song on her new album Mayhem, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The singer discussed the meaning behind her new song Perfect Celebrity, which is on her new album Mayhem.
On Tuesday's episode of The Howard Stern Show, the host asked Gaga, 38, to explain the meaning behind her new song Perfect Celebrity – which explores her complex relationship with Hollywood.
She said: "I think in a way, when I was writing, I was feeling like there was the real me and there was the clone me.
"It"s kind of one of the more angry songs I’ve ever written."
The Grammy winner refers to herself as a 'human doll' in the impactful new track.
The singer-turned-actress then shared how the song reflects her feelings of having "anger toward herself" for deciding to enter the industry.
She explained: "The song is a little bit of a retaliation against myself, and I’m just sort of trying to figure out as I go through it, how I feel about it all, and it’s kind of a reckless tune, I think, in a way."
When asked about the "horror of fame," Gaga – real name Stefani Germanotta – said she had "lost her sense of self" in the midst of it all at one point.
She elaborated: "There’s a high I used to get from being in the public eye all the time, and it kind of, like, burnt me out and made me value what people thought of me over who I was in my everyday life.
"Ultimately, it was my responsibility to start to value myself differently."
Gaga explained her mindset eventually led her to cultivate a "distorted way of thinking" about herself.
She continued: "It actually feels really nice to have things not be about me all the time.
"I enjoy being there for the people I love, supporting others. I guess what I’m trying to say is that having everything revolve around me for such a long time created a warped sense of self."
Gaga has revealed her fiancé Michael has been a huge turning point in her life.
In her song Perfect Celebrity, Gaga portrays herself as a "doll" – focused on pleasing others and seeking approval from outside sources.
She sings: "I'm made of plastic like a human doll / You push and pull me, I don't hurt at all / I talk in circles, 'cause my brain, it aches / You say, 'I love you,' I disintegrate."
Another lyrics in the song say: "I've become a notorious being / Find my clone, she’s asleep on the ceiling."
Previously, the A Star is Born actress told InStyle the lyrics refer to "the idea that we all, in a way, have our real selves and then our clone version that we project to the world."
In another recent podcast interview, Gaga opened up about her mental health struggles – confessing she had psychosis five years ago.
She explained: "I was not deeply in touch with reality for a while. It took me out of life in a big way, and after a lot of years of hard work, I got myself back."
The Bad Romance hitmaker further described the dark period as "a time of deep emotional turmoil."
Around the same time, Gaga unveiled her feelings of being in the spotlight – tweeting "Fame is prison."
After the release of her 2017 Netflix documentary Gaga: Five Feet Two, she described fame as lonely, isolating, and psychologically challenging, as it alters how people perceive you.
On the flip side, she also expressed gratitude for the love from her fans, the platform to promote empowerment and equality, and the opportunities to help others.
Meeting her now-fiancé Michael Polansky, 46, has also been a major turning point in her life, with the entrepreneur showing her a kind of warmth and support she had never experienced before.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
She recently revealed: "When I met Michael, I was in a much better place, but I remember him saying to me pretty early on, 'I know you could be a lot happier than you are.'
"It was really hard for me to hear him say that because I didn't want him to think that of me. I wanted him to think I was like this happy, totally together person."
Gaga admitted she still finds it difficult to open up about her past struggles.
Despite her superstar status, Gaga says she still battles with mental health and finds it difficult to open up about her past struggles.
She confessed: "It's something that I have found increasingly harder to talk about. I hate feeling defined by it. It felt like something I felt ashamed of. But I don't think that we should feel ashamed if we go through times like that.
"I mostly just wish to say, it can get better. It did for me, and I'm grateful for that."
