When Dinas Powys Lady Gaga act met the superstar herself
SINGER Donna Marie Trego has just scooped the title of best Lady Gaga tribute act in the UK at the National Tribute Music Awards.
But the 40-year-old from Dinas Powys said the proudest moment of her career was meeting the superstar herself backstage in Paris.
Donna said: “When I walked into the room, she started screaming with excitement and said, ‘Oh my God, you look just like me – you look amazing!’
“She was very impressed with my costume and seemed really kind.”
The impersonator had tried to meet her hero many times before but finally got the chance to spend 30 minutes with her backstage at the show in Paris. “My first impression was that she is very small,” said Donna. “I think she’s about the same size as my 11-year-old daughter.
“With all her costumes and her image, you expect her to be crazy, but she seemed really lovely and very normal. We had a good giggle; I was so lucky to meet her.”
Donna, who used to sing in pubs and clubs across South Wales, first saw Lady Gaga perform in Cardiff in 2010.
Soon afterwards, a friend asked her to perform some Lady Gaga covers at his pub. She didn’t have time to learn the set so he booked a tribute act.
As she watched the act, Donna decided she wanted to become an impersonator and her husband Nigel had exactly the same idea.
She has since performed all over the world, including a New Year’s Eve gig in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.
“As I got off the plane, I saw a massive billboard – bigger than my house – with my face on it,” she laughed.
“I was greeted by the mayor and the army, it was pretty spectacular.”
Donna was also once flown into a private party in Monte Carlo by helicopter for a show.
Later this month she will perform at Pride Barcelona, before jetting off to play in Ibiza, and then a wedding at a castle in Latvia.
The performer has invested more than £70,000 in costumes, including a £2,500 bra that emits sparks.