HER new album Mayhem, out tomorrow, has already spawned three Top Ten hits and is a surefire chart-topper next week. But despite her phenomenal success, Lady Gaga feels like she’s only now cracked the industry. She said: “I’m feeling really confident as myself, as a musician, as a producer and as an artist. “I know that might sound silly, but it actually took me two decades to become the boss, in a way. “Being a woman in music, I was almost the only woman in the room all the time — and I had to work really hard to maintain my sense of stability and my purpose. “I always stuck to my guns when it came to my music and my artistry, but it was a real challenge and I made it through that mayhem.” And despite calling her new record Mayhem, life for Gaga is now anything but. Artistically, she’s more confident than ever — and away from her music, she is madly in love with her fiancé, Michael Polansky. ‘Smart and kind’ A source told us: “Gaga has definitely relaxed into her artistry and business, and it’s made her a happier person. “She still gives 100 per cent into everything she does, but is able to stay grounded in her life and family.” As well as crediting Michael with encouraging her to go back to her pop roots, Gaga wrote a song called Blade Of Grass about the moment he popped the question. It came after the businessman asked what kind of proposal she would like, to which Gaga said: “Grab a blade of grass from our backyard and make me a ring.” When the big moment arrived last year, Michael gave her both — a beautiful custom-made, oval-cut diamond and a ring made of grass. Gaga previously said of her man: “He’s so smart and so kind. And his life and my life are very different. “He’s a very private guy and he’s not with me for any other reason than that we are right for each other.” Confirming her hubby-to-be inspired the whole album, as well as the emotional track, Gaga said: “Mayhem came to be as one time Michael said to me, ‘You need to make a pop record’ — and he was right. I did. But I did not realize how afraid I was to make this record. “I thought I didn’t have it in me. Or the kind of music I started making earlier in my career was something that I’d left behind. “But I realised all of that is still in me and will never not be. Music made me who I am. “And that was part of Mayhem, the fear of going into this and ‘I don’t want to do this’, but I am going in.” So proud was she of Mayhem, Gaga leaked a snippet of the song Perfect Celebrity from her laptop while outside her hotel in Paris during last summer’s Olympics. The track is a nod to the concept of stardom — a full circle moment from her record-breaking debut album The Fame. Our insider added: “When Gaga was younger and starting out in the music industry, she had a mission to be heard, whereas, today, her mission is focused on hearing others. “The concept of fame has evolved so much for her and now it’s about making others happy. Perfect Celebrity is her way of acknowledging her public and personal persona. ‘Driven by her art’ “Like the lyrics, ‘I’ve become a notorious being, find my clone, she’s asleep on the ceiling’, Gaga’s public self is always with her. “It just depends on whether she wants to wake her up.” Another track, The Beast, sees Gaga singing to a werewolf that she says represents herself. She sings: “You can’t hide who you are, 11:59, your heart’s racing, you’re growling, and we both know why”. In her typically kooky style, Gaga — who performed with Bruno Mars at last month’s Grammys — said of the track: “Somehow that gothic dream is not just about me in a relationship with this person that’s about to turn, but what if I was to just sing it to myself and the beast is Gaga?” Our source explained: “Gaga has never hidden her real self from the world. But she’s more comfortable now in her ability to associate herself as the creator instead of the product. The person she wakes up as is the same person who hits the stage.” Gaga’s favourite track is the emotional love song Vanish Into You — inspired by Queen and David Bowie. She explained: “It was the very first song we wrote for the album. “It’s hard-hitting beats and big sweeping Queen vocals and some Bowie guitars. “I guess in a way that’s kind of me. You pull from things that you love.” On the track, Gaga sings: “Saw your face and mine, in a picture by our bedside, it was cold in the summertime, we were happy just to be alive.” She later adds: “Goodbye, I’ll see you in my dreams.” As Gaga now prepares for more chart success with Mayhem, sources say she’s not driven by sales but by her art. Our insider added: “Gaga’s always been hardwired to follow the charts since she was a teen, but she doesn’t think about it when it comes to crafting the music. “It’s never been exciting artistically for her to follow trends or charts. “Gaga and her fans represent uniqueness and celebrating each other’s differences, and her music has always reflected that commitment. “With Mayhem, she’s been able to fully embrace and find pride in what makes her different.” Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.