Lady Gaga Talks David Bowie's Influence on Her Music in New Interview

Since his death on Sunday (Jan. 10), everyone from Arcade Fire to Madonna to Spoon have spoken out about the inspiration that they gained from David Bowie, and now Lady Gaga has shared thoughts about the Blackstar singer. There are some obvious comparisons stylistically between Gaga and Bowie, which came to light in the interview amongst commentary on her new song with Diane Warren.

Gaga was being interviewed on The Hollywood Reporter podcast to explain some of the history behind the song she recently wrote with Diane Warren, "Til It Happens To You" when she cited Bowie's influence.

"When I fell in love with David Bowie, when I was living on the Lower East Side, I always felt that his glamour was something he was using to express a message to people that was very healing for their souls," she said. "He is a true, true artist and I don't know if I ever went 'Oh, I'm going to be that way like this,' or if I arrived upon it slowly, realizing it was my calling and that's what drew me to him."

Gaga also made comparisons to Bowie's career and her own time in the industry in the interview, saying, "I just know that you can use the theater of your imagination to entertain people beyond their wildest dreams and then you can put something inside of that that changes the world, and that to me is when you make something truly great as an artist."

"You don't nail it every time. I definitely don't, with all my songs, always hit that note. You try. And every once in a while, the world lights on fire with the music," she said.

Despite her artistry, Gaga has gone through struggles with depression in the past, which is one of the reasons that she was involved with The Hunting Ground in the first place. The documentary film showcased the rape culture that is so prevalent in our society and on college campuses. The singer has also opened up about her own rape at 19 and how it drastically effected her life. Since then, she has been a stalwart advocate for struggling teens and even started her own non-profit called Born This Way, which investigates the connection between cell phone use and unhappiness.