Madonna

Madonna is one of the most successful singers ever. She exploded onto the music scene in 1983 and has rarely been out of the headlines since. She looks like she’ll continue to wow the world with her songs and performances. This is good news for her millions of fans.

Madonna is in fact her real name. She was born in the US state of Michigan in 1958 and moved to New York City as a teenager to seek her fame and fortune. She began her career in entertainment singing with various New York groups. This opened doors for her to follow her solo career.

She never looked back following the spectacular success of her debut album. Hundreds of songs have followed. Her hit singles include rock and dance classics and timeless love songs. She is also famous for her sexy dance routines in her music videos.

Madonna has had a sparkling and varied career. She has acted in hit Hollywood movies and won a Golden Globe award for her role in Evita. She has also appeared on stage in London’s West End and published a children’s book.

Madonna has been married twice. First to actor Sean Penn. The couple had a child, Lourdes Maria Leon, in 1996. She married again in 2000, to British film director Guy Ritchie. In October 2006 she adopted a baby boy from Malawi. She now lives with her family in a British castle.




1. How did she start her career?
2. What do you think about her way of "openning doors" to herself?
3. Do you agree or disagree on the idea of doing other things despite  singing? why, why not?

Lady Gaga

Of course, Lady Gaga isn’t her real name. She was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March the 28th, 1986. Lady Gaga is her stage name. She is an American singer-songwriter who has become one of the biggest names in music – for her songs, performances, fashion and politics. She became famous in 2008 and just two years later was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Lady Gaga had a musical upbringing. She learned to play piano from the age of four and was singing in public by the time she was 14. She also loved acting in musicals at school. She went to a New York art college at the age of 17 where she wrote a research paper that focused on "music, art, sex and celebrity”. She concentrated on songwriting and singing in New York clubs. She got her name from the Queen song “Radio Gaga”.

Now that you have got a general idea of who Lady Gaga is, you will watch a video in which she is being interview and you will answer the questions below.

1. Describe Lady Gaga’s style. Do you like it or not? Why or why not?

2. What are the name and the main message of her new album?

3. Summarize the general topics of what they talked about. Remember to use connectors. 

NewYork

If you were able to recognize both artist started their careers at the city of New York. New York is considered to be one of the best cities to launch a career, and this was the case of Madonna and Lady Gaga. Also, this city is considered to be one of the best cities to live and work, since its fashionable lifestyle and rich sense of art, music and culture.

Now watch and listen to the song "Empire State of Mind" by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, and answer the questions below.

1. Describe how is New York city according to the song

2. Identify and write down the sentences that talk about launch a career or becoming famous.

3. Which famous people’s names or icons of the US culture con you identify?

4. Do you agree or disagree with the singers’ concept about New York? Why, why not?

5. “New York city is a good place to raise a family and work in the entertainment business at the same time” Do you agree or disagree? Why, why not?

6. Would you like to live in New York city or in any city similar to this one? Why, why not?