Is Lady Gaga the Next Madonna?

She's got over 31 million Facebook fans and another 9 million followers on Twitter. Her latest #1 single, "Born This Way," was played on the radio more than 4,600 times during the first week after its release, the highest number ever annotated by Billboard Magazine. Her public appearances in dresses made of meat and hatching out of an egg are always controversial attention grabbers and she was recently the focus of a featured 60 Minutes piece. All this and Lady Gaga is only three years out of the gate.

Back in 1985, another fresh young female recording artist was hitting the world by storm. With two albums, seven top ten singles, and a major motion picture already under her belt, Madonna was on the cusp of releasing her third album, "True Blue," to much hype and anticipation. A year earlier she'd caused a stir at the MTV Video Music Awards when she appeared at the top of a giant wedding cake, decked out in wedding garb, and sporting a belt with the words "Boy Toy" emblazoned on the buckle. Rolling around on the floor during the debut performance of her newest single, "Like a Virgin," made many wince.

Since 1985, Madonna has amassed an astonishing list of accomplishments in a career to rival the biggest of names in the music industry. With a flair for producing great music, the talent for trendsetting through a myriad of reinventions, and an ever present source of controversy and media attention, Madonna is the latest recording artist to have set the standard, but is Lady Gaga capable of matching or even surpassing her success?

The much hyped release of "Born This Way" invariably drew comparisons between the two singers. Many believe the song is eerily reminiscent of the former's 1989 smash "Express Yourself" (with a little bit of "Vogue" thrown in, as well!). Though the squabbles over that one have subsided, there's no doubt that Gaga's a fan of Madonna and as such Madonna's music has influenced the music of the fledgling superstar.

"There is really no one that is a more adoring and loving fan of Madonna than me. I am the hugest fan personally and professionally," Gaga told Jay Leno in a recent appearance on the Tonight Show. The singer says that people from Madonna's camp reached out to her via email to say that they loved and supported the single. Satisfied with that, the singer then acknowledged the obvious: "If the queen says it shall be, then it shall be."

So the question remains: will Lady Gaga still be around in 30 years? Will she have the staying power to change with the times and stay on top of her game, or will she fade into the annals of music history with a potential unfulfilled? Does she have what it takes to be the queen? No one could have predicted the heights that Madonna would reach back in 1985 and no one can say with certainty whether Gaga has the wherewithal or the talent to endure.

One thing's for certain and that is Lady Gaga is a talented young performer with a similar penchant for making great music and gaining attention in the process. It's clear that the singer has the potential and will most likely eclipse the star power of such other popular Madonna-influenced singers like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and a whole host of others. Only time will tell if Gaga will eventually become the true heir to Madonna's throne.

For more on this topic, see:

Madonna's Influence on GaGa's "Born This Way" Causes Intergenerational Rift

Lady GaGa and the "Sociology of Fame": A 60 Minutes Interview with Anderson Cooper

Sources:

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