Lady Gaga was 'a monster' in her pursuit for fame

The 'Paparazzi' singer, who was recently nominated for five Grammy awards, always dreamt about being a star and was determined to do whatever it took to be successful.

She said: "I was fearless with my ambitions. I had this dream and really wanted to be a star.

"I left my family, school and said I want to do it alone. I got three jobs waitressing. I was good at serving Italian food in heels.

The 23-year-old also claimed Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Judy Garland were among her fashion icons.

She said: "All the kookiness, the blood and the craziness is my way of trying to understand that image.

"I'm part designer love, part fashionista and part handmade garments on my own. I made a lot of my clothes."

The 'Poker Face' star – real name Stefani Germanotta - also spoke about her nickname, explaining that friends had compared her with Freddie Mercury, whose band Queen had a hit called 'Radio Gaga'.

She explained to US TV host Barbara Walters: "My friends started to call me Gaga. They said I was very theatrical and that although I'm in pop music, there was a performance-art element to the show, like Freddie Mercury. So they said, 'You're Gaga'."