A lot of singers changed their names to break into the music industry. But you may not always be familiar with how these celebrities ended up with their famous monikers. We are here to feed your curiosity. Behind most singers and rappers, there is an intriguing stage name: these singers and rappers have looked within themselves to draw inspiration for their monikers. Once you find the meaning of their names, you cannot resist learning more. Lady Gaga — Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta Lady Gaga was born on 28th March 1986 with the name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on her birth certificate. Her friends gave her the moniker Gaga - after the lyric from the Queen song 'Radio Gaga' - which happens to be one of her strongest influences. In 2013, the singer told Elle Magazine that she had changed her name because Stefani is "a perpetually tortured artist", and she didn't want to be that in public. .Cardi B. — Belcalis Almanzar While the singer was growing up, she was called Bacardi. In 2017, she told Jimmy Fallon that her Instagram name was Bacardi B, but for some reason, her account kept getting deleted. That's when she realized it probably had something to do with Bacardi and decided to shorten it to Cardi B. Halsey — Ashley Nicolette Frangipane The singer never liked being Ashley Nicolette Frangipane because she thought it made her seem sad, silly, and weak. Halsey is an anagram of Ashley, her first name. She decided to go for Halsey after seeing a subway stop for Halsey Street in Brooklyn. The Weeknd — Abel Makkonen Tesfaye Makkonen happens to be The Weeknd's father's name, who had left when the singer was just a year old. The artist always disliked his name, and after dropping out of school and leaving home one weekend, he tried out the moniker. He said it sounded cool, but he eliminated the 'I because there was already a Canadian band named the weekend, and he wanted to avoid copyright issues. Drake — Aubrey Drake Graham When he played Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian TV show "Degrassi," the actor was known by his birth name Aubrey Graham. But after switching his career to focus on rapping in 2009, Toronto native signed a recording contract with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment and started using just his middle name, Drake. It is crazy how you could be listening to Drake every day and not know who Aubrey Graham is.
