Lady Gaga covers the October issue of Vogue to promote Joker: Folie à Deux. The real driving force of the article, though, is about Gaga’s engagement to boyfriend of nearly five years, Michael Polansky. Up until now Gaga hasn’t really discussed Michael publicly. That is not the case here. Gaga clearly decided to make this a sort of debut for them as a couple, fittingly timed to their walking their first red carpet together in Venice last week. The writer takes note of the “Wilma Flintstone-size” diamond that Michael gave her when they got engaged in April “after a day of rock climbing.” Gaga goes into how they were introduced — her mother actually met Michael first, and then told her daughter, “I think I just met your husband.” And significantly, Michael himself is quoted a lot throughout. A few highlights:
Their meet-cute in December 2019 at Sean Parker’s 40th bday bash: “I got invited and I said, ‘I wonder if Michael is going to be there,’ and my mom said yes, and so I went to the party and I kept asking for him and he finally came over to me and we talked for three hours. We had the most amazing conversation.” Polansky tells me that he didn’t make it three steps into the party before someone told him that Lady Gaga was looking for him. “I didn’t know much about her and honestly wasn’t sure what to expect,” he says. “I was struck immediately by her warmth and openness — she was so genuinely curious about what my life was like growing up in Minnesota.”
Michael moved in during the pandemic: They talked on the phone for weeks, “and then we went on our first date,” says Gaga, “and just fell in love. And then COVID hit.” Polansky had been living in San Francisco, but during the pandemic they shacked up together at her Malibu house for well over a year. … “I’d been so focused on my career since I was a teenager. And the gift of that time was that I got to completely focus on my relationship.”
A chance to slow down: “We had this amazing chapter of a weird kind of normalcy,” says Polansky, “that’s essential for any relationship to develop in a real way — taking walks, making coffee, hanging out with the dogs, reading books together…” He adds, “The pandemic was easier on her than you might think. She’s used to being isolated because of her fame and was able to take so much of it in stride. I think she loved the chance to slow down. She’s been operating at an unfathomable level of intensity for years and it’s no secret it had caught up to her.”
She is so in love: “I had never met anyone like Michael. He’s so smart and so kind. And his life and my life are very different. He’s a very private guy and he’s not with me for any other reason than that we are right for each other.” … “I kind of thought I was going to have to do this all by myself — forever. And that was really scary. Because it’s a big life. And I don’t think anyone really knows what it feels like unless you’re in it.” Her voice drops into a softer tone. “And I don’t have to do this alone anymore.”
Making sweet music together: “She’s someone who is happiest when she’s creating. It’s one of the qualities I love most about her,” Polansky says. … “Like anyone would do for the person they love, I encouraged her to lean in to the joy of it. On the Chromatica tour, I saw a fire in her; I wanted to help her keep that alive all the time and just start making music that made her happy.” … “Michael and I did that tour together,” she says. “I did it pain-free! I haven’t smoked pot in years. I’ve, like, changed.” She laughs. “…And now, Michael and I are really excited to organize our lives — and our marriage — around our creative output as a couple.”
The Lady is in love! I mean, she’s really in love. It’s all so beautiful and delicate (and yes of course mushy and over-the-top) that the only thing making me cringe is a superstitious worry about it all being so public now. I also hope she isn’t giving Michael too much credit for the work she does. Support is great, but she described it as Michael’s idea for her to record LG7 — which the article says comes out in February with a single dropping next month!! — but, she’s a singer-songwriter, how far-fetched was it that she’d make another album? Ok, I’ll stop quibbling there. I highly recommend reading the piece in full as there’s so much more. The writer has been interviewing Gaga since 2010, and the sense of growth and joy he encountered in this meeting was palpable and, to me, encouraging.
Also, a note to the future Mr. Kismet: a “Wilma Flintstone-size” diamond is exactly the right kind of ring for me as well. And one more note: please, no rock climbing.
photos credit: Aissaoui Nacer/Backgrid and Vogue via Instagram