Lady Gaga has been branded as the new “Queen of Pop Music” and a music phenomenon of her generation with a string of hits: “just dance” , “bad romance”, “poker face “and more recently “Judas”. Since 2005 she has sold more than 6 million albums worldwide.
However, underneath the surface gloss, glamour and eccentricity, there beats the heart of a true philanthropist who has contributed to various charities and humanitarian works as well as campaigning for gay rights in America and the fight against HIV. The last year, Lady Gaga held a benefit concert to aid in the reconstruction of Haiti after the devastating earthquake claimed an estimated quarter of a million lives.
More recently, Lady Gaga has expressed a desire to learn sign language so she can communicate with her deaf fans. A source told The Sun newspaper :
“Now she wants to make sure her deaf fans feel included too. Once she’s mastered sign language she’ll be able to respond to the videos that are online, and include signing in future live tours.”
According to the WinnipegFreePress she has previously performed with a sign language expert interpreting lyrics for her deaf fans. Gaga already sings in German and Spanish on her number one album “Born This Way”. She said:
“I wish I spoke your language. That’s really beautiful. Everybody speaks the language of love and it’s so beautiful that music brings everyone together.” She added: “I’m really quite traditional, actually, contrary to what some people might think about me. I’m quite traditional in the family sense. My dad was just trying to breathe normally. He’s still trying to breathe normally.”
In 1997 and to wide public acclaim, the famous french singer Florent Pagny also made a version of his video “Savoir Aimer” using sign language.
It’s very important celebrities use their influence and public image to positively promote the use of sign language. Pop stars like Lady Gaga communicate with millions of people across the world through their music which can only serve to enhance the development and understanding of sign language and deaf recognition.