You're probably thinking..."Gaga? 'Overlooked?' No way...everyone knows she's talented." I disagree with that statement.

After seeing "A Star is Born," starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, I found myself interested in the side of Gaga that the music industry and media has never exposed before. I wanted to learn about Gaga stripped down to her core. I could tell she held something deeper than her crazy outfits and performances.

I think most people recognize that Lady Gaga is talented—she sings, she acts, she dances, she writes music, and she's an excellent performer. On the same note, I think people overlook the work she puts in to achieve that. Her work ethic is most definitely part of her talent. Having a mindset like hers is hard to come by. She's all passion.

After seeing the recent documentary released by Netflix titled "Gaga: Five Foot Two," I was finally opened up to Gaga's life behind the scenes, that is, her life in music, family, fans, and her personal health (just like I wanted to see). From watching, I can tell you that her life isn't always luxurious as many may think. She's real, like you and me.

In the documentary, Gaga reveals the most intimate parts of her life in both her career and her more personal moments. The rawness of the documentary eloquently shows Gaga's emotional successes and traumas. This openness made me feel like I could relate to her, she seemed more tangible to me. I was fascinated by the side of her behind all the "lights, camera, action" moments.

Watching her in a rare form made me think about the version of her that I knew before-- her outrageous outfits, performances, and pop songs that seemed to be made strictly for dancing the night away. When seeing her in the documentary, I pondered over why she may have chosen to portray herself as she did earlier in her career. Was it a mask? Or, was it just simply her own choice of self-expression, independent of how she felt at that time? As complex individuals, we often wear masks to hide our true selves and shield our emotions from the harsh realities and judgmental tendencies of today's society. We wear different masks for different situations. We have the power to make ourselves whoever we need to be in order to "fit in" to a certain moment in our lives. Was this what Gaga was struggling with then? Or is it just part of who she is? I guess there's no right answer.

Sometimes, we fall over the idea of what it would be like to be famous. We imagine the clothes, the cars, the houses, the success, and all the attention we would receive. However, what we too often fail to recognize are the stressors that come with being a public figure and the hardship of having to expose so much of yourself to the world (voluntarily or not). I found peace in this documentary that fame most certainly is not as easy as many celebrities make it look—it's a rollercoaster of highs and lows.

I hope that amongst the recent media coverage of Gaga in "A Star is Born," that people find interest in this newly exposed side of her. I hope people see her for something more than a pop star. She is compassionate, dedicated, strong, talented beyond belief, and independent. She is Lady Gaga.