Ever wonder why some of your favorite pop stars have the names that they do? Some names seem obvious and others make you say ‘WTF?’ So much goes into some of our favorite artists’ names. Their names are what make them who they are. If they use something lame to represent themselves, who is going to want to listen to them?
As Global Grind uncovered the secrets behind some famous rap names, it’s only right we do the same for famous pop star and R&B names. Because really, why do Lady Gaga and Pink go by those names, anyway?
Birth name: Stefani Germanotta
Music producer, Rob Fusari who helped Gaga write some of her earliest songs created the name “Gaga” after the Queen song, “Radio Ga Ga.”
“Every day, when Stef came to the studio, instead of saying hello, I would start singing ‘Radio Ga Ga,’’ Fusari stated in an interview. ‘That was her entrance song. [Lady Gaga] was actually a glitch; I typed ‘Radio Ga Ga’ in a text and it did an autocorrect so somehow ‘Radio’ got changed to ‘Lady’. She texted me back, ‘That’s it.’ After that day, she was Lady Gaga. She’s like, ‘Don’t ever call me Stefani again.’”
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Shania Twain
Birth name: Eileen Edwards
In 1991, country singer, Shania Twain legally changed her name from Eileen Edwards to Shania Twain. Twain was the last name of the man her mother remarried who also eventually adopted Shania as his own child. When she was 22 her parents were killed in an accident and she legally changed her name Shania meaning, ‘I’m on my way’ in Ojibwa, her stepfather’s ethnicity.
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J. Holiday
Birth name: Nahum Grymes
For this R&B singer, the “J” in his name stands for his Uncle James, the main father figure in his life growing up. The “Holiday” comes from a nickname producers gave him, when they would record with him in the studio, it was like a holiday for producers because his takes came so easy.
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Birth name: Alicia Cook
Incase you didn’t figure it out for yourself, Alicia has built her career around her amazing vocals and of course, her amazing skills as a pianist. What better way to represent herself than with a name that showcas
