This woman is a lady. This woman is gaga. This woman is NEW YORK!

A huge, white loft in Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood/Manhattan. Lady Gaga (25) comes in black, transparent lace, flashing her underwear. Chanel handbag, very high Louboutins.

What does New York mean for this Lady?
“New York is the metaphor of my life. This endless creativity! New York has so many faces! New York is my biggest inspiration!”

The singer was born here, went to school as Stefani Germanotta, here she gave concerts in small clubs, as no one knew her, here she became a mega star!

What was it like to spend your childhood in New York? Didn’t you miss forests, security…? The lady laughs. Deep and smoky.
“Oh, we have trees in New York! And not only that, if you get a craving for sesame chicken at night, you simply go around the corner to the nearest Chinese restaurant. I loved my childhood here! The best part was the subway ride. This is one of the things I miss most today.”

During the interview Lady Gaga drinks tea. The cup was brought extra. Black and gold and Versace. Lifted? No! Just a little eccentric. However, down to earth are her best experiences in her native city:
“Coming out of a pub at 6 o’clock in the morning on New Year’s Day with your friends, the sun rises and you eat scrambled eggs with ketchup. That’s New York! Or a slice of pizza from a plastic bag. It’s found nowhere else. If someone is standing on the street with a pizza in a fancy white box, dabbing the grease with a napkin, you know immediately: They’re not from here”.

Where will you meet Lady Gaga in New York? In an in-club, partying?
“No, I rather like small, scruffy pubs where there is beer and whiskey. Where there’s a jukebox in the corner and it always smells like there’s a little pee somewhere. Here I feel good!”

And even if Lady Gaga is “a gypsy with a bag full of couture clothes” - New York remains her home. “When I visit my parents, I sleep on an air mattress.”
Outside the loft the yellow cabs honk, people buzzing about, a constant hum. City noise? No. To Lady Gaga it is a sound-concert.
“The city is my musical dictionary. The humming of the cars, the subway squealing, the clicking of my heels when I walk down the street - these sounds are magical.”

And New York’s people?
“The great thing here is, people are very respectful to each other. New Yorkers don’t say: ‘Look who’s there!’, but: ‘Hey, great to see you back at home!’”

Lady Gaga’s heart beats for New York. That’s why she will never forget the day that stopped the city’s heartbeat.
“September 11th 2001. I was sitting in history class in school. The towers collapsed and the black smoke drifted towards us. This attack has left a deep scar. But New York has only gotten stronger.”

New York - a unique city. For visitors, for Gagas, for ALL.
“Everyone thinks New York is dangerous, fast-paced and chaotic,” Lady Gaga says. “But the truth is that the people here are all connected through an invisible bond. You’ll grow up fast in this city. And you have to.”