With only three albums under her belt, Lady Gaga is already a household name. But unless you’re working in the businesses of music or social media, you might not be as familiar with Troy Carter, Gaga’s manager and the genius behind her media presence. V sat down to talk shop with the guy who helped Mother Monster get massive.

How did you originally meet and come to work with Lady Gaga?
Troy Carter: We were introduced by Vincent Herbert, who was her executive producer at her record label. You saw the energy when she walked in the room. She was very specific about her vision, all of the music was there, and all she needed was someone to help her translate it to the rest of the world, which is where I came in.

When did you first realize the potential social media had to affect Gaga’s career?
TC: I think it developed because we were forced into it. We couldn’t get her record played on the radio and we couldn’t get the video on TV. YouTube and blogs were our platforms in the very beginning because the Internet was the only platform!

Is it true that Lady Gaga’s next record, ArtPop, will be released as an app?
TC: The album is going to be an app. It will also exist in CD and digital form, but the primary experience will be as an application. It will be built around the tablet, but will have a mobile version as well.

How do you think the business of pop music will evolve?
TC: This is the best time to be in the music industry. As sub-Saharan Africa and China go completely mobile, you have people who’ve never had access to the music we offer all of a sudden able to access it. I think we can reach a lot more people now. You’re going to see a lot more friction points for independent artists disappear, but there will be more artists than ever. You’ll have to look at making money through a different lens. Artists are going to be giving away music in exchange for different things, like data or purchasing a ticket or a piece of merchandise. There will be new ways to monetize music, but it may not be the music itself.

What is your most memorable experience of working with Gaga? Does anything particularly surreal stand out?
TC: I think—and I can say this because it just happened recently—it was seeing her have a casual conversation with the President about gay rights issues. When you think back to six years ago, this girl from New York walking in with ripped-up stockings, and now she’s having conversations with the President about serious issues-—it’s a bit surreal.

What is next for the Troy/Gaga think tank?
TC: I have no idea! We could have never predicted we’d be where we are right now, so I have no clue what the next five years are going to look like, but I hope it gets even better.

Get ready for V82, on stands February 28!

HOLD ON. BEFORE YOU READ, THIS YOU MUST BE AWARE THAT MANICURES ARE EXTREMELY UNDERRATED! YOU MAY ALREADY BE ROLLING YOUR EYES, BUT PLEASE LET ME GET A WORD IN ABOUT THIS!

I find that any woman—no matter how stylishly she is dressed—is instantly above the rest if well-manicured. I know this may sound harsh, but perhaps if I beat it into you, you will CUT THOSE CUTICLES. TAKE the time for yourself, do it more frequently, just to stay in a nice self-compassionate habit. Grab a coffee and a magazine, this moment is just for you. Also, if you d on’t have the money, doing it at home by yourself is an excellent hobby (spring for fun nail products to make this more enjoyable), and tell your friends that manicure-related products make good gifts! If you are not pressed for cash, find and kidnap the best nail technician in your city and make her your best friend (when you’re trying to close that deal with Coca-Cola, your shiny talons will come in handy, I promise).

SIX REASONS YOU SHOULD DO THIS:
1) HAVING A PERFECT MANICURE INSTANTLY MAKES YOU FEEL BEAUTIFUL AND CLEAN.
2) YOU’LL BE READY FOR SEX OR TO PUT A PENIS IN YOUR HAND.
3) IT’S A WAY FOR YOU TO EXPRESS YOURSELF (CAREFUL HOW YOU DO THAT).
4) IT FORCES YOU TO SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING TIME FOR YOURSELF.
5) IT BOOSTS YOUR SELF-ESTEEM EVERYDAY.
6) IT PROJECTS AN IMAGE OF SUCCESS, WHICH IS GOOD FOR BIZ.

So, for my dear veteran salon goers, I’m including some more adventurous options and tips on how I like to do my nails. Thank you to my amazing manicurists, Aya, Emma, Marian, and Deborah, for always taking care of my prims. And to Freddie for gluing on my nails, Brandon for telling me when I need a manicure, and Tara for telling me I don’t. LADY GAGA

P.S. Ladies in lights, in the magazines, and on red carpets—know that I am judging your cuticles…but that’s about it.

PHOTOGRAPHY SPENCER HIGGINS
NAILS AND MANICURE AYA FUKUDA
USING SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS
LADY GAGA ARTWORK RUBEN TER-SARKISSIAN
HAND MODEL CHRISTINA AMBERS (PARTS MODELS LLC)
PHOTO ASSISTANT JASON FALCHOOK
RETOUCHING VIEW IMAGING
HAND ILLUSTRATION ELI ROSENBLOOM
SPECIAL THANKS LANE BENTLEY

During her sold out Born This Way Ball in Asia this past May, VOGUE Magazine’s dream girl sat down with Jonathan Van Meter to discuss the simple things in life; like releasing game changing fragrances, angering protestors on a sold out world tour, releasing electronic music in a world where it’s seen as “low-brow” and where Adele rules the charts. Check out our five favorite VOGUE quotes below!

On the upcoming advertising campaign for FAME: “We thought, Let’s just make the most epic fragrance campaign of all time and let’s not care at all about whether they can even print it or show it on TV. Let’s just do everything we ever dreamed of. We basically did this purely for the pleasure of working together. We were just sort of sitting in the corner going, ‘I can’t believe they are letting us do this!’”

On the Jakarta controversy: ““Everyone’s telling me we may not be able to go, and that’s making me very upset. Because for me, that’s precisely why we need to go: because there are extremist groups there that are violent, and that’s where the message of Born This Way is most needed.It has nothing to do with the way that I dress or how I sound; it has everything to do with the power of the message and the mobilization of youth.”

On the Born This Way Ball: “It was intentional for this show to be more sophisticated and more elegant—a little cleaner. Sometimes I think that there’s a fine line between impressionistic and messy. So we tried to make this more French Impressionistic and less like a child’s finger painting. “I really wanted to break the mold of what modern touring is right now. The most important thing to me was that there be no video screens. What if we just really simplified all of that so that you just have to watch me and the dancers the whole time?”

On why EDM is looked down upon in favor of more organic music: “Well, I think we both know that acoustic music isn’t better than electronic music. Electronic music requires a tremendous amount of technical expertise—really knowing the mathematics and beauty of music. At the risk of sounding like a snob, if you don’t really understand how to make electronic music, it might be much easier for you to write it off as low-brow.”

On the future: “I will continue to become whatever it is they [the fans] would like for me to be. I’m not the beginning anymore. I don’t really see myself anymore as the center. They’re the center. I’m the atmosphere around it.”

The September issue hits newsstands nationwide on August 21st. Stay tuned to VOGUE.com for the full article, and don’t forget check out the behind the scenes video of the shoot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott here.

It’s finally here! Check out Gaga covering VOGUE Magazine’s September issue, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. Gaga is styled by Grace Coddington, and wears a gown by Marc Jacobs. The 2012 September issue, on shelves August 14, is set to be the magazine’s largest ever — with over 900 pages.

Head on over to VOGUE.com for a preview of the cover story.

Fashionista.com – According to a spokesperson, this September’s Lady Gaga-covered Vogue will have 658 ad pages, which marks a nearly 14% growth from last year–that’s double digit growth on top of double digit growth for the last two years.

Are you excited for the September issue? Leave a comment!