Lady Gaga: 'Fame felt like bullying'

WENN, Thursday, May 26, 2011, 4:11am (PDT)

Lady Gaga struggled to cope with life in the spotlight when she first found fame, comparing the constant attention to "being bullied by music lovers".

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The eccentric singer shot to stardom in 2008 following the release of her debut single "Just Dance," and has since sold more than 15 million albums and amassed a loyal fan following - but Gaga hated being the center of attention.

She tells Rolling Stone magazine, "Being myself in public was very difficult. I was being poked and probed and people would actually touch me and touch my clothes and be like, 'What the f--- is that?' Just so awful.

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"It was like I was being bullied by music lovers, because they couldn't possibly believe that I was genuine."

However, after three years in the public eye, Gaga has learned to love her fame - and admits she would be lost without her fans.

She adds, "We have this umbilical cord that I don't want to cut, ever. I don't feel that they suck me dry. It would be so mean, wouldn't it, to say, 'For the next month, 'm going to cut myself off from my fans so I can be a person.' What does that mean? They are part of my person, they are so much of my person. They're at least 50 per cent, if not more."

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