When Did Lady Gaga Debut Alter Ego Jo Calderone? Singer Reportedly Retiring Male Drag Persona

Lady Gaga, in a recent interview with Them, delved into her artistic journey, the evolution of her personas (one of them being Jo Calderone), and her unwavering support of the transgender community.

She also revealed how Calderone helped her explore themes of identity, gender, and performance, pushing her artistic boundaries and challenging the societal norms of beauty.

But, who was Jo Calderone?

---

Lady Gaga's Journey With Jo

During an interview for V Magazine's 74th issue in 2011, Lady Gaga said,

Beginning as an invention of my mind, Jo Calderone was created with Nick Knight as a mischievous experiment. After working together tirelessly and passionately for years, eating bovine hearts, throwing up on ourselves, giving birth to an alien nation and an AK-47, Nick and I began to wonder: how much exactly can we get away with? [...] How can we remodel the model? In a culture that attempts to quantify beauty with a visual paradigm and almost mathematical standard, how can we fuck with the malleable minds of onlookers and shift the world’s perspective on what’s beautiful? I asked myself this question. And the answer? Drag

Nick Knight first photographed Jo Calderone for a men's fashion editorial for the Autumn/Winter 2010 issue of Vogue Hommes Japan, where he was depicted in rugged and industrial settings, dressed in classic suits from Armani, Prada and Saint Laurent.

Gaga posed as Jo for her music video 'You & I,' and was photographed by Inez and Vinoodh in Springfield, Nebraska, for its singles cover.

Later, to fully embody the Jo Calderone persona, Lady Gaga started going out in public as Jo and attended Bikram Yoga sessions, while being photographed by Terry Richardson.

---

Jo Calderone's Retirement

In the interview published on March 6, 2025, on Them, Lady Gaga talked about how Jo was a way for her to channel emotions about relationships, self-perception, and what she was looking for in men.

"Jo was an important character for me. It's the way I explored what I was looking for in men, and also what I was maybe lacking in myself."

She further mentioned that Jo Calderone "is no longer with us," indicating that she has retired the character.

---

Lady Gaga On Her New Album 'Mayhem'

Upon being asked about her new album, Lady Gaga said that she was trying to make a home for herself during 'Joanne' (her 4th album), and it was a new her. She just wanted to strip everything away.

"With this album (Mayhem), I just really wanted to put my priorities in the right place once and for all, and put the music in the front and set my fears aside and sort of define for myself who I really am."

'Mayhem' is out now through Streamline and Interscope Records, so what are you all waiting for? Hear the album and let us know in the comments what you think has changed in Lady Gaga's music since 'Joanne'.