As industry titans go, they don’t come much bigger or more respected than Troy Carter. It’s a fact largely attributable to his moulding of superstar Lady GaGa.
Yet, despite steering the singer’s career to dizzying heights over seven years, the 41-year-old was relieved of his managerial duties on the eve of the release of the star’s latest album ‘ARTPOP’ back in November.
At the time, “creative differences” was the stock explanation offered. What’s more, in the period since, both have remained relatively mum on the cause of the rift.
However, that ended (somewhat) this week when a new interview with Carter was published on FastCompany.com.
Check out an interesting excerpt below…
Via FastCompany.com:
“Carter is supposed to head into another meeting at Capitol after that, but instead he spots an abandoned conference room. It seems he’s finally willing to stop moving, to talk about what’s at his core now that Gaga no longer is. “It’s like you wake up and you work with somebody every day, and then all of a sudden they’re not there anymore,” he says, his eyes wandering down a white marble table that’s as long as a runway. When he first learned the news, he kept it inside. He needed to process it. Being an artist’s manager is like being their CEO, but it’s more personal than that. The job is about believing when no one else does. It’s living on the road together more days than you’re home with your kids. It’s fighting for a person’s art. He did this with Gaga for nearly seven years. “I don’t think you’re ever prepared to sever that deep of a relationship,” he concedes.
He won’t divulge details. The split was rumored to have been brewing for months, and ended with that least illuminating of phrases–creative differences. Carter isn’t one to look back. He says he’s never “hoarded memories.” While he traveled the world with Gaga, he rarely took a photograph. This is the very thing that made him a great manager: his ability to stay present, to make rational decisions just as things are going off the rails. To handle moments like this.
That’s a skill he learned early. He watched his father pick up the pieces of his own life after getting out of prison for murdering his brother-in-law after a fight. And Carter’s seen other lows himself: When he was in his early thirties, his first big client–the rapper Eve, whom he had spent eight years building–walked into his office one day and cut him loose. He had nothing to fall back on. The loss put him close to bankruptcy. His house was foreclosed upon, cars were repossessed, and he barely had enough cash to fill his one remaining ride with gas. The global phenomenon that became Lady Gaga? That was actually just Troy Carter standing back up.
That same year, he met Stefani Germanotta. An old friend of Carter’s brought her by his *office. “She walked in with these huge sunglasses on, fishnet stockings, and basically told me how she was going to change the game,” says Carter. She was a performance artist calling herself Lady Gaga, who had a European dance-club sound and pop-star aspirations–elements that historically haven’t mixed. Def Jam Records had just dropped her. Carter had never heard of her. Yet, he says, “I believed her.”
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A fascinating read!
The woman’s worst enemy is in her own head, time has proven that I was right, i wasn’t wrong about her, folks.
And now both Eve and Gaga are complete flops with Eve waiting for Gaga in the flop retirement home. Karma truly is a b****.
So he basically said nothing about Lady Gaga LOL
If anything he says that she changed his life the moment she appeared in that difficult time of his. Nice read though. Seems like he should learn to save some money though.
You are all desperate 🙂
@s******
What´s in this text to form such an opinion? lol Sad that you became so desperate about Gaga. Sad cos you are great for all the other things.
@common sense
You should have showed your ass yesterday to teach people about the Bible and all that. You are the best when it comes to that topic. I wish you could use your common sense when it comes to Gaga too.
Beyoncé rockets 17 places with Drunk In Love to achieve her 17th Top 10 hit. The collaboration with hubby Jay Z is at Number 10.
Ishhhhh Bey also jumped 1 place #2 with BEYONCE SO FAR SOLD OVER 300k in the UK alone
@John
I tell you what is sad, it’s sad that you refuse to see the truth just because she is a talented person which i never deny it, no f**** has been given since she f***** up her career and she did it all by herself.
Hi, Blondie!!!!
Anyways, Lady Gaga will be alright. She is just going threw a bump in her career.
She will comeback stronger than ever.
Right?
John Vidal, you are my favorite on this site.
You are so mature & cool.
Everything you write is wonderful. Well everything I see..
Interesting,
I hope he finds success again.
@Stephy
Morning Stephy!
@Blondie!!!
Dont call that number its a fake number to some person in Virginia.
Im sorry for catfishing you. I was just joking around. I would never give my real number out…
I dont even know who you are… LOL
Pop Royalty got cursed out the other day & we are no longer in speaking terms. So F**** Him
Also, we are married again… Ok!
@Blondie
Morning Blonde! Im sorry for trying to catfish you. It was a prank I wanted to see how dumb you were. Also, please dont call that number, its a number to some old person house in Virginia.
I would never give my info out to you. I dont even know who you are & vise versa. I guess thats just my playful/Crazy side.
Also, im never talking to that Pop Royalty assholee ever again. He read my for filth & hurt my feeling. I hate that ARAB B******!!!
Anyways, im marrying you again just to let you know…
Bye Boo…
@Stephy
Ok haha.
Why tha f*** did I post 2 different versions of the same comment.
UGhh… I hate this fuckking PHONE!!!
@s******
What´s your favorite song on Artpop? Knowing your taste I´m sure you love Sexx Dreams for example 🙂
@Stephy
Oh thanks. But don´t be so hard on each other. I´m sure you two will get on well again. For example @s****** got so mad that he announced he was leaving and dissapeared for a few months. But he´s here again. Time helps you to heal 🙂
Hope he save those checks…
@john
I don’t have a fav. song on ArtPop, i think there are some good songs in it such as Aura, ArtPop, Swine, Manicure and Venus, the rest is just bad or okay, remember when you said that Madonna sounded atrocious in Live to Tell, it’s funny cuz i think Gaga never sounded worse than in Dope’, i bet you think she sounds good, i think she was drunk while recording the song or drugs are starting to damage her vocals 🙂
“who had a European dance-club sound and pop-star aspirations”
Madonna ? ( confession on a dance floor) Kylie minogue.?……LOL whatever .
I must say that I totally agree with Blondie! Gaga’s music was so generic starting out and she came across as this arrogant savior of music. I honestly never heard an artist talk about their greatness (album of the decade, etc) the way she has (not even smug ass Madonna or cocky Rih goes there). Everyone just knows their worth and has loads of confidence.
That being said, I have say that Jon’s first comment is very fair. Gaga changed this man’s life and he should be grateful for their partnership. Nothing last forever! Btw, Artpop is a fantastic album. Believe me when I tell you that I’m no fan. From day one I predicted that Gaga would have a 5 year career, but the album is impressive. It help me gain a little more respect for her.
Once she acts normal,humble and less controversial (see RAY OF LIGHT) B****** will support her again.She’ll be fine.her talent is one advantage she will always have over her untalented peers.oh blondie,remember that porno mess that almost ruined madge 🙂
Yet, Beyoncé can’t sell out tours in her own country… Per Billboard, 59 shows, sold out 40 in 2013.
TBH besides the antics, the album is just horrible. Sure there are only two songs I like, the rest is garbage.
Gaga couldn’t handle the fact that she released a mediocre album, so she fired everyone. She can only go downhill from there.
As he learned from Eve no partnership will last forever , Him and Lady Gaga didn’t last forever , him and Miguel won’t last forever either
@Dossome
What Madonna was doing with ‘Erotica’ was ahead of its time, was something bold, she was defending s**, LGBT people, A***, she was crucified for that, but thanks to that album, any music lover can look back and say, it’s a crucial point in her career and in the Pop music world, it’s where her art begins, it’s Madonna as we know it now, her career wouldn’t been the same without that inspirational album, see ‘Janet'(1993), Gaga is not doing anything controversial, it’s her music that is not exciting anymore, she is f***** up in the head, Madonna was always smart, she knew what she was doing, Gaga, not so much + talent does not always equals longevity and relevance, the man in your avi, which i adore, is the biggest example of that.
Talent doesn’t equal good music too. Someone can be talented and have a disgustingly bad album like Artpop.
and yet their more relevant than you will ever be.
I meant to say she can’t sell out concerts in her own country.
@royalkev
You don´t agree with @s****** on anything then. What he says is that Gaga´s last album is terrible and she was better at the start of her career (but I agree with you, it was generic at the start to the point I ignored her for an entire year cos I thought she was one more talentless pop-radio-friendly girl and then she showed her talent and evolution, both Born This Way and Artpop are great).
@s******
Either you want to act stupid all of a sudden or you just don´t know anything about vocals. I love Dope as a song, the way she uses her voice on that song is made on purpose, it´s not that her voice is damaged, are you serious? You may not like it, I do, but Gaga´s voice is the same as it was 3 years ago when you loved her. You can see it in any live performance from this year or on the other songs on Artpop.You are really trying it.
Did you know that @pop royalty also loves Artpop? 🙂
Janet (1993) was her ORGANIC (and not overly contrived) FULL transformation into a liberated, sexually expressive being.
That’s not the origin of her sexuality. See Funny How Time Flies (1987). You can total see the ‘Janet’ album coming with Jan’s orgasm at the end of the song.
I think Gaga along with many artists all experiences a bump in their careers…. these artists put their all into everything for their fans and record labels but we ( both the fans and record labels) don’t think it is enough and demand more so what the artist do? Use their last ounce of enegry to put something out their and once we recieved it we still don’t think it is good enough… I’m starting to think they is so unbalance in the Music Industry towards females cause a lot more female artists have more bumps then men….
I mean male artists don’t really have to put out much, they can have 11 kids and being obese but let it be a female she has to lose weight, if she is preggo it is like a death sentence to her, if she is overly s*** she is label a w****, if she is under s*** she is label a prune… the public and the industry don’t seem to get that these are regular human being with desires and feeling too… hopefully more females artists will start winning again instead of one being at the top I would love to see all of them at the top….if men can do it females can do it too
People get bored fast these days, and people are extremely bored with her attention seeking gimmicks. The public (especially pop fans) will chew you up and spit you out. They haven’t spit Gaga out yet, but they’re on the last chew….
Good luck to Troy & Miguel! Miguel deserves to at least have a gold album by now. He makes great music.
@Jon
Nah, I don’t agree with Blondie when it comes to his preference for The Fame (over some of Gaga’s other stuff). I just think Gaga truly was her worst enemy in some ways. She just always seemed to be puffing herself up with every release. This era probably has humbled her though. Artpop has some moments of pure genius! I hate when hype surrounds lesser projects (that become successful) and those that are more deserving fail if the timing is bad. If Artpop came out in ’08 everything would have worked & Applause would have been huge!
I believer they are each others worst enemy. Troy seems like he’s the type of manager that once you have set him up for life, he drops you like a bad habit. Eve didn’t just fal off like that just like Gaga didn’y just wake up one day and everybody was tired of her. Troy is a queen and seems like he uses people until they’re expendable then he moves on to the next best thing.
Gaga needs to tone it down. It should be about the music, not her costumes.
@Cam, 40/50 is pretty impressive considering its a tour for an album that’s been out since 2011, and which compared to her other albums underwhelmed commercially. You can try to dismiss Bey’s achievement all you want, but no one in the game right now exudes the star power that she has, even industry experts have confirmed it. She is second only to MJ in that regard.#factsonly. Your faves can perform all the gimmicks that they want in the name of art, release an album every month, sell out all the arenas and even sell a billion singles and they will still fade in comparison to Beyonce. That’s why you guys got her name on ya mouth like liquor, even talking bout Bey on a gaga post.The only people that Bey cannot touch right now are the legends, Mariah C, Madonna, MJ, Whitney H etc, and even those ones stil accord her a lot of respect. Madonna recently called her queen. Haha, we all know who is taking over that throne once Madonna retires, lol.
Lady gaga is on her way to platinum she has sold over 1.5 mil her album is out less than 2 months 1 single with a video and 1 single without video is carrying this album she didn’t have a HUGE promo campaign like BTW how she a flop? Same was said bout beyonce 4 smh artist like rihanna selling less than 300k yet they not flops? Oh
Lady Gaga needed this to happen to her. She was becoming too big headed with her art B*******. She hyped herself up to the Gods and her work turned out to very UNDERWHELMING. Beyonce made a cohesive body of work and put it out there for it to speak for itself and the critics agree. Not Gaga’s hype with a disappointing album.
I gained a lot of respect for this man, he seems to have a strong work ethic.
As for Gaga I think she’s blaming everyone else for her plans not being successful. If thy don’t agree with her and support every single thing she says then they’re the enemy and need to be cut loose. Sometimes when folks get big their ego gets the best of them and they assume they’re flawless – look at the mess that is now Eve from where she once was.
Gaga’s real popularity came from the Fame, The Fame Monster (a continuation on the same theme) had just a taste of the direction she wanted to go with the sound that made people like her in the first place. She just went too hard, fast and obnoxious. Her choreography never evolved, she went too 80’s with the synth-pop and every appearance had to be so over the top it became tedious to even hear Gaga was on an award’s show let alone performing. Add in the preachy ego-filled comments/interviews and I can see why she seemingly peaked so much faster than she should have.
@John
You are the one with a problem, Gaga sounds horrible on that song but when it comes to her, the excuses are everywhere, it’s on purpose.
@Royalkev
I don’t like the Fame, i only liked from her the fame monster and Born this Way, ArtPop is irritating, the lyrics are so arrogance, there are good songs in it but i just can’t listen to it.
I think people don´t get this or can´t read: Gaga has said nothing now, and this man has said nothing bad about Lady Gaga either, he´s talking about his life as a manager and nothing else lol
@tinaminaj
Yet that´s your opinion. I know several critics I trust that prefer “Artpop” to “Beyoncé”. I do too. And I prefer Gaga´s artistry over Beyonce´s. No problem cos both are talented. But you all let yourselves be carried by the hype and bad-mouthing. Beyonce was in a similar place just a year or two ago commercially.
@sleazy
I know! It´s hilarious. Artpop has even outsold Mylie Cyrus album in less time, even though Milye had all the attention this year and had two hit singles. They truly think these other girls sales are memorable lol and they dare calling Beyonce or Gaga flops the moment they underperform a little bit.
@musicstan
Totally!
@JohnVidal sorry but that’s YOUR opinion. I was stating FACTS. Beyonce’s album has a metacritic score of 86. Please do your homework next time. Thanks.
What’s Up With The High Standard Here When It’s Come To Gaga? Lady G Shitting On Your Favs Like Brit, Ciara, Miley… Yet She’s A HassBeenFlop! So What Are You Faves?
threw? Threw a bump? You’re retarded. Love you though. Pick up a dictionary sometime? Yes?
FLOPGA should quit. She sucks and her album is terrible. She could not stay original, she just copied Madonna and thats why nobody takes her serious.. Nobody even remembers her VMA performance. She’S very boring and she sould leave the industry. What a huge fail..