Lady GaGa says it's always been her ambition to make performance art mainstream.

The 'Edge of Glory' hitmaker is known just as much for her on-stage performances and eccentric outfits as she is for her singing voice, which is something she's proud of because it's always been important to her.

She told The Guardian newspaper: "When I was really young, I was fascinated with performance artists - Leigh Bowery, Klaus Nomi. And when I got older I became fascinated with Yoko Ono and Marina Abramovic. I grew up with them, and sort of naturally became the artist I am today. It wasn't until I started to play out in New York and my friends said, 'Look how much that has influenced you', that I realised it.

"The one thing there wasn't on the Lower East Side was pop music. So as a pop songwriter, I thought that would be an interesting way to make a name for myself in this neighbourhood. I figured I could play the grocery store around the corner as if it was Madison Square Gardens, maybe some day I can assimilate pop music into performance art in a more mainstream way."

Gaga is so keen to put on a good performance for her fans, she recently claimed she "went bankrupt" during her 'Monster Ball' world tour.

She said: "I put everything in the show, and I actually went bankrupt after the first extension of the 'Monster Ball'. And it was funny because I didn't know! And I remember I called everybody and said, 'Why is everyone saying I have no money? This is ridiculous, I have five number one singles' - and they said, 'Well, you're $3 million in debt.' "