Shine People & Places

By Alessandra Alonso. Last week at the Brits Awards 2010, pop singer Lady Gaga won three of the highest music accolades, for best solo female artist, best breakthrough artist and best album. Whether you share her fans' passion or not, you have to admit that her rise to fame has been absolutely phenomenal since her international debut two short years ago, in 2008.

So how did she do it? There is no doubt that talent, a good manager, contacts, personality, ambition and perhaps a touch of luck all play a part. But that talent has been nurtured so that the artist could believe in herself, feel inspired, show her true nature and make the most of her potential. And whose job was this? If you watched Lady Gaga accepting her awards, you will have heard her thanking a list of people, for 'mentoring me all those years' as she put it.

According to a follow up interview in a national paper, one mentor was DJ and New York party fixture Lady Starlight. She is 11 years older than Gaga and helped and encouraged her friend to pursue a stage career. It's interesting to see how Lady Starlight acted as a mentor to Gaga:

Lady Starlight inspired Gaga - Finding a mentor your trust, look up to and actually feel inspired by, can deliver a very successful partnership as the mentee feels valued and supported by somebody who has already made it and is prepared to share her success. When the mentor is doing the job well and the mentee is eager to learn, the pupil is likely to succeed over and above the mentor/teacher.

Lady Starlight showed the rope to Lady Gaga - Lady Starlight had been in show-biz for a while longer than Gaga. She taught the artist how to create her over the top outfit, dance movements, how to perform on stage. The mentor transferred precious knowledge to her mentee without ever feeling she was in competition. The mentor was generous with her knowldge.

Lady Starlight empowered Lady Gaga - The mentor clearly saw through her mentee's personality, understood the potential and nurtured her to the best of her ability. She helped Gaga blossom so that she could aim high and make it to the top "She was already working on her album and a lot of what's on The Fame were songs that we've performed.' says Lady Starlight.

Lady Starlight had no other agenda but her mentee's - Starlight's support was genuine. When Gaga hit the big times she was left behind, but she says 'This is not important because ...My style, performance art and DJing inspired her persona. Now she's gone on to become a global phenomenon and I'm so proud.'

...And proud she should be. As a mentor, Lady Starlight has done a sterling job and seen her effort more than rewarded. Her mentee has openly thanked her for the role she played in enabling her success. Soon it will be Lady Gaga's turn to mentor young unknown artists and help to spread a mentoring culture in what can be a very 'selfish and self-centred' music industry. We can only hope she will be just as talented in supporting somebody else's potential as she has been at making the most of her own.