'Lady Gaga changed my life - I don't know who I'd be without her'

A Lady Gaga superfan who has spent £6,000 on tickets says the artist has changed her life. The singer-songwriter is bringing her critically acclaimed tour, The Mayhem Ball, to the UK next week.

Lady Gaga will perform the first of her four nights at the O2 Arena in London on Monday before playing two shows at Co-op Live in Manchester in early October. The shows will be attended by thousands of fans, including Brooke, 28, from Hertfordshire, who didn't wish to share her surname.

Over the years, the superfan has travelled over 5,000 miles to watch Lady Gaga, attending shows in London, Paris, Las Vegas, and California and spending a total of around £6,000 on tickets. Brooke also posts about her idol on TikTok as @bigpinkenergy, where her videos have gained over five million likes.

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The creative manager and Gaga-content creator says the singer has changed her life. Brooke told the Mirror: "Lady Gaga debuted at a really crucial time in my life because I was at the age where I felt a bit different at school, I didn't feel like I really fit in, and I didn't have any friends who really liked the same things as me."

She added: "As she got bigger and bigger, more and more people were becoming fans of hers, just like me. I found a home online in Lady Gaga fan forums and chatrooms, and for years, I had friends who knew me better online than my schoolfriends."

For Brooke, Lady Gaga's music offered an escape, but it also enabled her to be part of a fan community. "When I was younger, I think the shows were a form of escapism for me; if I was feeling lonely or misunderstood, I'd just immerse into the music. Having a show to look forward to meant I could spend hours planning my outfits and makeup, and that I was going to meet even more people who liked the same things as me," she said.

"I know lots of people at school thought I was quite strange for liking Lady Gaga so much. If I ever felt sad about it. I'd just turn to all my friends online who were going through similar things. And Gaga herself always spoke about being bullied in school, and she was a megastar, so that really inspired me just to keep going."

Brooke says the singer inspired her to pursue her creativity, and now she loves talking about all things Lady Gaga with her 79,000 followers, showcasing how she makes her tour outfits and reacting to the latest songs with her community, who inspire her in turn.

"I think LGBT spaces already have such a strong sense of community that if you add that kind of Gaga creativity into the mix, what you end up with is a really imaginative, artistic fan base," she commented.

"She is like a magnet for creative people. So if anybody is even a bit creative and is interested in artistic pursuits, or maybe feels a bit like an outsider, or feels like they're not super understood, like they just haven't found their tribe, something about Lady Gaga just attracts people like that."

The superfan says she wouldn't be the same person without Lady Gaga's music. Brooke explained: "I don't know who I'd be without her. Not just because of her music and her shows, but also because of all the people I've met."

It's a common sentiment that fans can't wait to celebrate when Lady Gaga's tour arrives in the UK, with many fans excitedly preparing their concert looks. Brooke, who has dedicated an entire room of her house to Gaga-inspired costumes, is helping launch a new concept store designed to help fans channel similar looks: Born To Rotate.

Ticket marketplace viagogo is teaming up with fashion rental app By Rotation to launch Born To Rotate. They say it is "the world’s first concept store dedicated to offering the pop star’s fans the opportunity to get glam ready - all at a discount price."

The edit will also be available to rent via the By Rotation app and website whilst the Lady Gaga Mayhem Tour is in London. To visit the Born To Rotate pop-up, head to The House of By Rotation Store, 31 Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HF on 25 - 26th September, from 10am - 6pm each day.