"Lady Gaga, The Prayer", Markus Klinko, 2009
Kitty White was born on November 1, 1974, when she first appeared on a vinyl coin purse that quickly helped her became a national sensation in Japan.
By the end of the 1980s, Kitty White was well on her way to becoming the international face of kawaii, the Japanese concept of cuteness that has since become a global trend.
Pop stars from Lady Gaga to Bruno Mars have embraced this movement, as well as Kitty herself.
In 2009, the stylish and eccentric Lady Gaga was captured in a London photo shoot for Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary. The images were shot by celebrity photographer Markus Klinko, who has worked with the likes of Beyoncé, David Bowie, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kim Kardashian, Naomi Campbell and Iman. Just to name a few!
“To have the very sexy, the very ‘R rated’ Lady Gaga be the spokesperson for the very ‘G rated’ Hello Kitty is bizarre, it’s ridiculous. It’s the perfect shoot” ~Markus Klinko
The images from Lady Gaga’s ‘Hello Kitty’ photoshoot were featured in the special, limited edition reissue of Gaga’s hit album, The Fame Monster.
"Lady Gaga, Hello Kitty", Markus Klinko, 2009
“This is going to be my new favourite shot of all time. I love the way the sun is just exploding behind her, the red ribbon as a symbol of innocence and the cat eyes. I mean, this is such a great overlap of different elements that work together.” ~ Markus Klinko
[Source: Behind the Scenes: Hello Kitty Photoshoot, Bravo: Double Exposure]
"Lady Gaga, The Throne", Markus Klinko, 2009
“Lady Gaga is one of the most interesting stars in the world right now. I was fascinated with her intelligence, the level of artistry and knowledge that she has, not just in her domain as a singer but also photography, fashion and general art. She is very, very educated and really smart.
“Lady Gaga is one of those women, who, like Madonna, have these super glamorous careers, but they are very intelligent and very much in charge of their own careers. Despite the fact that she has a large entourage of people that work for her, she is completely in charge and she dictates exactly how she works. It’s extremely clear after working with her that nobody tells Gaga what to do, she tells people what to do. She was a great collaborator when we worked with her, we had a wonderful exchange of ideas, but she doesn’t have handlers that tell her what to do. A lot of artists have an entourage of people that handle everything for them, do everything for them, tell them what to do, what to wear, how to look, how to smile, how to talk, but definitely not Gaga. She is not contrived. Everything with Gaga comes naturally — that’s just who she is. She is not fake. She is super cool, fun, and is very, very passionate about what she does.” ~ Markus Klinko
[Source: “An Interview with Markus Klinko: Icons, Exhibits, Skinny Models, Model Mayhem” by AvivaH, ModelMayhem, 2012]
"Lady Gaga" Markus Klinko, 2009
“Just when you thought she couldn’t get any stranger, Lady Gaga ups the ante. In the first [shoot], Gaga donned a jewel-encrusted bra with a matching eye-piece, Marilyn Monroe-style locks, fishnet tights and a Hello Pussy purse strung around her waist. In the second [shoot] she posed against a gold backdrop, with Hello Kitty’s signature red bow in her hair, and manga cartoon eyes drawn over her lids. She also donned a dress made entirely from Hello Kitty cuddly toys, and a sleeveless black leather biker jacket teamed with vertiginous Hello Kitty heels.” ~ Markus Klinko
[Source: Feline Fine: Lady Gaga Poses For Wacky Hello Kitty Shoot, Daily Mail Online, 2009]
"Lady Gaga, The Mask", Markus Klinko, 2009
“To have the very sexy, the very ‘R rated’ Lady Gaga be the spokesperson for the very ‘G rated’ Hello Kitty is bizarre, it’s ridiculous. It’s the perfect shoot.” ~ Markus Klinko
[Source: Behind the Scenes: Hello Kitty Photoshoot, Bravo: Double Exposure]
"Lady Gaga, The Shoes", Markus Klinko, 2009
“In 2009, Hello Kitty contacted my agent about shooting an image for their 35th anniversary campaign.
“They wanted to do a symbolic image but I thought it was very boring and had the spontaneous idea: Why don’t we do this with Lady Gaga? We found this Masonic temple in London and shot it there. We thought it would be really cool to have that golden star behind her head, a mix of the occult and the pop star: the high priestess of pop.” ~ Markus Klinko
[Source: Behind the Scenes: Hello Kitty Photoshoot, Bravo: Double Exposure]
Behind The Scenes | Lady Gaga "Hello Kitty" Photoshoot | Markus Klinko
Click HERE to learn more about Lady Gaga's photoshoot with Markus Klinko.