On March 12th, the 95th Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. This time, two world stars compete against each other in the “Best Movie Song” category. Lady Gaga (36) is nominated for her title “Hold My Hand” from the film “Top Gun: Maverick”. Rihanna (35) can hope for a golden boy thanks to “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”. The two superstars have a lot in common, but also some differences.
Lady Gaga, real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from New York and made her big breakthrough in 2008 with her debut album “The Fame”. She began playing the piano and writing her first songs at a young age. After seven albums, two of them with jazz legend Tony Bennett (96), she has 13 Grammys and more than 180 million records sold. She has also won a BAFTA Award, three Brit Awards and 18 MTV Video Music Awards. In 2020 her last album “Chromatica” was released.
Rihanna can also look back on a successful career. Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Barbados and has sold more than 250 million records to date. Like Lady Gaga, she is one of the most successful singers in the world. With her estimated fortune of around 1.7 billion US dollars, she was named the richest musician in 2021. She has won nine Grammys so far. Rihanna released her debut album Music of the Sun in 2005, which would mark the beginning of her career. She set several records in Germany, for example, about eight titles of her album “Good Girl Gone Bad” were in the Hot 100 charts at the same time – previously only Shania Twain (57) managed that. However, fans have been waiting for the singer’s new music for a long time, her last album “Anti” was released in 2016.
Both also try their hand at acting. Lady Gaga’s performance has also won awards. She won a 2016 Golden Globe for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie for her role in American Horror Story. For her performance in “A Star is Born” (2018) alongside Bradley Cooper (48), she received an Oscar nomination for “Best Actress”. In 2021 she was seen in “House of Gucci” as Patrizia Reggiani (74), who had her husband Maurizio Gucci (1948-1995), played by Adam Driver (39), killed. Another film with Lady Gaga is already in the making: alongside Joaquin Phoenix (48), she will play a leading role in the “Joker” sequel, which is scheduled to hit theaters in 2024.
Rihanna’s forays into the film world have been less award-winning. In 2018 she was seen alongside Sandra Bullock (58) in “Ocean’s 8”. In the movie “Valerian – The City of a Thousand Planets” she had a small role alongside Cara Delevingne (30).
Both Lady Gaga and Rihanna have made their names as entrepreneurs. Rihanna founded the cosmetics company Fenty Beauty in 2017. A major concern of the musician: to offer make-up for as many different skin tones as possible. Lady Gaga followed in 2019 with her vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics brand Haus Labs by Lady Gaga.
Both artists also regularly make statements when it comes to fashion. Lady Gaga caused a stir with her looks, especially in her early years. Her raw meat dress, which she wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, will be remembered forever. Today, the singer likes to wear elegant robes at award ceremonies and the like.
Rihanna even goes one step further. Not only does she have good taste in fashion, she is also the owner of the fashion brand “Fenty” and the lingerie line “Savage X Fenty”. Here, too, she makes sure that lingerie, underwear and nightwear are available for all body types. Superstars can regularly be seen at the fashion shows – including Cara Delevingne, Cindy Crawford (57) and Johnny Depp (59).
What Rihanna and Lady Gaga also have in common: Both were already allowed to fill the Super Bowl halftime show. In 2017 it was Lady Gaga’s turn and caused a stir with fireworks, glitter, dancers and floating interludes. In 2016 she sang the national anthem. It was Rihanna’s turn in 2023 and she was also able to wow the crowds – in a red jumpsuit and with floating glass floors. But she was not alone on stage: the musician proudly presented her baby bump on stage. She is currently expecting her second child with partner and rapper A$AP Rocky (34).
Rihanna has already started a family of her own. The Barbadian artist has been dating A$AP Rocky since 2020. In May 2022 the birth of her first son was announced, her second child is on the way. Rihanna previously dated Chris Brown (33). The relationship ended in 2009 after about two years after he hit the singer. After that came a longer on-off relationship with rapper Drake (36). From 2017 to 2020 she was in a relationship with entrepreneur Hassan Jameel (34).
Lady Gaga was with actor Taylor Kinney (41) from 2011 to 2016, even engaged from 2015. But the relationship did not last, she has been in a relationship with investor Michael Polansky since 2019. Little is known about the personal life of the famous New Yorker. Rihanna is also usually covered in this regard.
While Rihanna may yet join the illustrious circle of Oscar winners, Lady Gaga already has a golden boy at home. Because the singer was awarded the trophy in 2019 for the track “Shallow” from “A Star is Born”. She also won a Golden Globe for it. Lady Gaga also set a record in 2019, when she became the first woman to receive an Oscar, a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy and a BAFTA Award in one year. Whether Lady Gaga will soon receive her second Academy Award or whether Rihanna will triumph will be revealed on the night of March 13th. But maybe they both go away empty-handed.
