Lady Gaga's meteoric rise to superstardom can be attributed to her catchy songs, shocking costumes, and wild media antics.
But her perseverance is arguably the personality trait that has benefitted her career the most.
This week, L.A. Reid, "X Factor" judge and former president of Island Def Jam, confirmed reports that he stalled Lady Gaga's music pursuits early in her career. Reid signed the "Born This Way" singer to IDJ but released her from her contract within a few months.
Reid explained his dealings with Gaga during an interview with Access Hollywood. "One day this artist came to my office. She played piano. She had white gogo boots all the way up to here, thigh high boots. She sat down at that piano and she played and she sang and when she was done I said, 'You are an amazing artist, and you will change music.' And I signed her. Her name was Lady Gaga," Reid said.
But when Reid heard Gaga's demos three months later, he had a change of heart. "It was a work in progress, and I was having a bad day," Reid said. "I said, ‘You know, I really don't like it. You know, let her have her freedom. Let her have her career. Let her go find it.' It was the worst thing I've ever done."
Lady Gaga cried for an entire day after receiving the news, the artist said during an interview for the MTV special, "Lady Gaga: Inside The Outside."
But she got over it, ultimately landing a record deal with Interscope Records, a company that supported her artistic vision and helped her become one of pop music's biggest stars.
Lady Gaga is one of many of today's household names that were also rejected by major labels before landing big breaks. 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, and Beyoncé were also met with similar setbacks.
Alicia Keys had been signed to Columbia Records for two years before her recording contract was terminated and she pursued other options.