Her international empire is built on a foundation of dance music and crazy costumes, and has grown to include movie roles, a perfume and its own social network. But now Lady Gaga, mother monster and meat dress auteur, has a new addition to her oeuvre – an official documentary film.
After months of speculation, Gaga has announced that she and photographer Terry Richardson are collaborating on a documentary, ensuring another whirlwind year for the 26-year-old performer.
She tweeted: "Merry Christmas little monsters! Terry Richardson @Terry_World is making a #LadyGagaMOVIE documenting my life, the creation of ARTPOP + you!"
Rumors about a possible documentary began circulating in the summer, but the Christmas Day tweet is the first confirmation of a film that focuses on the artist and her forthcoming album Artpop, set for a 2013 release.
Gaga's fourth record is one of the many additions to her ever-expanding multimedia empire. The album is expected to include a mobile and computer app, along with the physical and digital copies of the music. Her manager has promised that the app will include interactive games, video and interviews with the singer in attempt to further connect to her hordes of fans; fans that she refers to as "monsters".
Richardson first worked with Gaga when he took behind-the-scenes photos from her performances in 2010 and 2011 for a book published in November last year. "i love you @Terry_World thank you for believing in me and my fans, I have looked up to you and your work for so long, its a dream come true!", Gaga tweeted.
But Richardson gained notoriety long before that. He has taken photos of the world's biggest celebrities, including Barack Obama, but has also courted controversy for taking provocative photos and reportedly creating a sexualized atmosphere on set. His work has been called "pornography passed off as high fashion", and has been accused in the past of sexually exploiting models.
Richardson insists that the allegations are false. He continues to shoot for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and small but respected fashion magazines such as The Gentlewoman, for whom he shot a cover photo of Angela Lansbury.
His film will be the first documentary about Gaga, though a concert film shot during her the Madison Square Garden leg of her Monster Ball tour was nominated for five primetime Emmys.
Gaga is also following in the footsteps of Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. Bieber's 2011 Never Say Never combined a mixed critical reception with enormous commercial success. Perry's 3D film Part of Me was a commercial flop, and was perceived by many to be .
There is no release date for the Richardson documentary, but Gaga will be appearing on the big screen in 2013 anyway with her feature-film acting debut in Robert Rodriguez's Machete Kills. Gaga is also working on a jazz album with Tony Bennett.
