Former Boyfriend-Producer Suing Lady Gaga

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Mar 19th 2010 06:30AM

A songwriter and music producer who claims he helped launch pop star Lady Gaga says she squeezed him out of her lucrative career after he co-wrote some of her songs, came up with her stage name and helped get her record deal.

Rob Fusari filed a $30.5 million lawsuit against the Grammy Award-winning performer, saying his protege and former girlfriend ditched him as her career soared.

"All business is personal," said the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a Manhattan state court.

Lady Gaga's spokesman, Dave Tomberlin, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail sent Thursday by The Associated Press.

Fusari had credits on such hits as Will Smith's 'Wild, Wild West' and Destiny's Child's 'Bootylicious' when a friend steered the piano-playing singer -- then known by her real name, Stefani Germanotta -- to him in March 2006, according to his lawsuit.

Though he initially dismissed her, he realized she had star potential after hearing her play in his Parsippany, N.J., studio, the suit said. He spent the next several months working with her every day and "radically reshaping her approach," persuading her to drop rock riffs for dance beats, it said.

As they co-wrote songs such as 'Paparazzi' and 'Beautiful, Dirty, Rich,' which would appear on her debut album, 'The Fame,' he transformed Germanotta into Lady Gaga, a name adapted from Queen's 'Radio Ga Ga,' the lawsuit said.

In a 2009 interview with the AP, Lady Gaga said her "realization of Gaga was five years ago, but Gaga's always been who I am."

"I was Gaga from the time that I was 19 through my first record deal," the 23-year-old said of her over-the-top, avant-garde style, which has captured the imaginations of millions of fans. "I always dressed like that before people knew me as Lady Gaga. I was always that way ... I stuck out like a sore thumb."

According to the lawsuit, Lady Gaga and Fusari's relationship turned romantic and then became a business partnership in May 2006, when they created a joint venture called Team Love Child LLC to promote her career. Fusari's share was 20 percent, it said.

Fusari -- whose account of his role in the multiplatinum-selling artist's early career has been told in interviews -- says he introduced Lady Gaga to a record executive who ultimately shepherded her to Universal Music Group's Interscope Records, which released 'The Fame' in 2008. The album has sold more than 3 million copies in the United States; Fusari has a producing credit.

But the lawsuit says their personal and business relationship had soured by then and he has been denied a 20 percent share of song royalties, 15 percent of merchandising revenue and other money he's owed. He acknowledges getting checks for about $611,000, but says that isn't his full share.

Lady Gaga won two Grammys in January: best dance recording, for 'Poker Face,' and best electronic/dance album, for 'The Fame.'

2010 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Tags: Lady Gaga

Comments

(47)

Friday 19 March

By Dave

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

This woman is worse than Aniston...just wont go away.

By BTDT

He better get his cash now. Flashes in the pan are usually broke within ten years.

By Sandy

This Lady GAGA is just a Madonna want to be I think she has tried to copied Madonna by tring to be so outrageous. But will never in a million years be THE GREAT MADONNA who is still going great even at her age.

By Tom

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Sorry Sandy but Gaga is this generation's Madonna...and probably more talented. Gaga has a moral sense of conviction that Madonna never had. Madonna went for shock value and Gaga goes for artistic taste. Granted, her taste doesn't always get everyone's approval...but have to say.....she's def original! I didn't like her music at first but she's getting better and better. I have always liked Madonna's early music but Gaga is so much better.

Saturday 20 March

By TL

Tom, artistic taste not shock value? Apparently you haven't seen her new video with Beyonce. Its all about shock value. Try to keep up.

By Drexel

I don't like either Madonna or Lady Gaga, but I will give Lady Gaga higher musical talent points as well as creative costume points. As far as shock value, they are both trying way too hard for attention, and in that way she is copying Madonna, who started this type persona. Lady Gaga doesn't have to though because her music could probably stand on it's own......... not on my ipod though!

By Dean

I hardly thing Gaga is attempting to immitate Madonna or anyone else...if you were born and were a teen/20's in the 70's, we had Bette Midler...then in the mid 80's and 90's we had Madonna. Now in the new Millemium we have Gaga...every decade or generation has their "it" entertainer who has a specific gimmick sometimes tailored on those celeb of past. To claim that any of them are trying to copy any of them is lame.

By jazflwr

are you kidding me Sandy..?? Madonna does not have the powerful voice that GaGa has..Furthermore GaGa is NOT trying to be like Madonna,be for there was Madonna,there was Patti LaBelle..She dressed outrageous..Everyone said LaBelle and Madonna won't last,and look at them now..GaGa has the talent to continue on after she decides to morph away from crazy outfits..but that's part of her schtick.. You Go Lady GaGa ..!!

By Jane

And before Madonna, the was Grace Jones,Wendy Williams, and Siouxie... Go way back, and you hit Josephine Baker. There is nothing new under the sun.

Tuesday 11 May

By YOur right

Vote down Vote up Report this

your right sandy. Lady gag has only sold 10million records while Madonna has sold OVER 200 MILLION! Madonna will always be the queen.

By Susan

I think Lady Gaga is an unbelievable talent and she's only going to get bigger. I agree with poster Tom about here artistic direction.

She is indeed the next Madonna - and probably better. She clearly knows what she likes, knows what she's good at and knows where she wants to go - and she's only 23!!! Her voice has traces of Annie Lennox, and even Gwen Stefani at times, but mostly she's just her own talent.

AND her video for Bad Romance is honestly the best thing I've seen since Thriller.

And just for the record, I'm not a teeny-bopper writing this. I'm 55 and this woman just blows me away with her talent.

By anashairworld

DID YOU SEE HER LAST PERFORMANCE SHE LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS ON DRUGS
COULDN'T EVEN STAND UP OR SING SO I THINK SHE WILL BE GONE SOON
MAYBE SHE WILL DO PORN MAGAZINES AND END UP ON YOUR HUSBANDS CLOSET
LOL

By EDDIE FINGER

Ms. Germanotta is a 80's knock off of Maddonna... taking from the past doesn't make you talented...she damn near copy the whole sound and style. originality is talent. creativity is talent. taking from the past just to recycle it to a less aware generation is a cheap way of squeezing all you can from something thats proven to be sale-able. So to Ms. Boo Boo I'm mean Ga Ga... talent, get you some.

By kenny50

nasty-looking skank with an average voice.

By Michele

Lady Gaga is todays Madonna(the singer Madonna).Nothing more and Nothing less.

By LOU ROMANO

HTIS GAGA BETTER SAY GAGA SHE IS THE MOST UGLY PERSON AS SHE DRESSES LIKE A SLOB AND HER HAIR LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING FROM STAR WARS......ANY ONE WHO WOULD PAY MONEY TO SEE HER MSUT LIKE TRASH.AND THATS HER,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

By Mary Ann

Love Lady Gaga!

By cecil

they both suck ,madona , gaga .

By diane

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

If you look at her early performances at the Bitter End, she is just an average limited range singer who can play an instrument. Someone saw something they could promote in her and that made her famous. Her voice only sounds good when they alter it on a recording. Live, she is outrageous but really just an average singer and entertainer. Today, they alter voices on recordings, it is hard to know if they really sing like that; ie. Katy Perry, Brittany etc>

By Marti Mia

Probably no one here ever saw/heard "Lady Gaga", when she was still "Stefani Germanotta". She was a young skinny girl, with shoulderlength dark brown hair-- very "mousy" to look at until she played. She plays piano beautifully. Her unaltered voice is gorgeous. I really HATE the Techno (ie "Dance beat) that now permeates her music. I think Rob Fusari should receive NOTHING for the sheer freakiness he brought to the whole endeavor.

Page 1 of 3