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H.E.R.
Shocking, we know, but the “Slide” singer’s real name is not actually H.E.R.; it’s Gabriella Wilson. The acronym stands for Having Everything Revealed.
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The Weeknd
During a Q&A session on Reddit, the “Blinding Lights” crooner revealed that he hated his real name, Abel Tesfaye, at the start of his career, so he went with The Weeknd instead.
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Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, has her friends to thank for her moniker. “My friends on the Lower East Side called me Gaga after I decided I like the name Lady Gaga, after the Queen song [‘Radio Ga Ga’],” she told Vogue.com. “I thought it accurately depicted both sides of me.”
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Maluma
Although the Latin artist’s real name is Juan Luis Londoño Arias, his stage name is actually a tribute to his family. To form it, he put together the first syllable from the first names of his mom, dad, and sister.
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SZA
SZA’s real name is Solána Imani Rowe, and like her middle name (which means faith), her stage name has a religious meaning.
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Lizzo
Originally, Lizzo went by “Lissa,” a shortened version of her real name, Melissa Viviane Jefferson. However, she later found inspiration in Jay-Z’s song “Izzo” and changed her stage name accordingly.
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Halsey
The “Without Me” singer’s birth name is Ashley Frangipane, but she decided to get creative with her pseudonym. Not only is Halsey an anagram of her real name, but it was inspired by Brooklyn’s Halsey Street station.
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Jay-Z
By now, everyone knows the name Jay-Z, which was inspired by the rapper’s mentor, Jaz-O. However, his real name is Shawn Carter.
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Lorde
Lorde’s birth name couldn’t be more different from her stage name. The “Royals” singer was born Ella Yelich-O'Connor, which is a far cry from what we know her as today.
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King Princess
King Princess’ real name is Mikaela Straus, but in an interview with MTV News, she revealed that her pseudonym “encompasses the complexity of [her] gender.”
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Katy Perry
The “Daisies” singer decided to go by a pseudonym because her real name, Katy Hudson, was too similar to actor Kate Hudson.
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Ludacris
The rapper explained the meaning behind his moniker in a Reddit AMA. “My first name is Chris, and if you look in the dictionary under the term ‘ludicrous,’ then it means crazy, wild, ridiculous,” he explained. His real name is Christopher Brian Bridges.
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Miley Cyrus
Although the “Prisoner” singer kept her last name, her birth name is actually Destiny Hope Cyrus. She rose to fame as Miley (a shortened form of “Smiley,” her family’s nickname for her) and made it her legal name at 15 years old.
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Charli XCX
Charli XCX, real name Charlotte Emma Aitchison, chose her pseudonym based on a screen name she used as a teenager.
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Calvin Harris
According to Digital Spy, the producer chose his stage name because it “sounded a bit more racially ambiguous” than his real name, which is Adam Richard Wiles.
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Snoop Dogg
The rapper’s stage name was actually given to him by his mother because she thought he looked like Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoon. His real name, however, is Calvin Cordozar Broadus.
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Pink
Pink, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore, opened up about the meaning behind her pseudonym on Good Morning America. The singer said that there were “lots and lots and lots” of reasons she chose it, some of which were “inappropriate.”
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Lana Del Rey
The Born to Die artist’s stage name was half inspired by a movie star and half inspired by an automobile. However, her real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant.
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Shania Twain
In 1993, the country star (real name Eilleen Regina Edwards) decided on “Shania” as her stage name, which means “on my way” in Ojibwe.
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Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez is the “That’s What I Like” crooner’s real name, but his stage name was actually inspired by a nickname that was given to him by his father.