Lady GaGa struggled to cope with life in the spotlight when she first found fame, comparing the constant attention to "being bullied by music lovers".
The eccentric singer shot to stardom in 2008 following the release of her debut single Just Dance, and has since sold more than 15 million albums and amassed a loyal fan following - but Gaga hated being the centre of attention.
She tells Rolling Stone magazine, "Being myself in public was very difficult. I was being poked and probed and people would actually touch me and touch my clothes and be like, 'What the f**k is that?' Just so awful.
"It was like I was being bullied by music lovers, because they couldn't possibly believe that I was genuine."
However, after three years in the public eye, Gaga has learned to love her fame - and admits she would be lost without her fans.
She adds, "We have this umbilical cord that I don't want to cut, ever. I don't feel that they suck me dry. It would be so mean, wouldn't it, to say, 'For the next month, I'm going to cut myself off from my fans so I can be a person.' What does that mean? They are part of my person, they are so much of my person. They're at least 50 per cent, if not more."