During an appearance last Wednesday on BET’s The Jason Lee Show, Grammy winner Stephanie Mills revisited an encounter from years ago when her team asked her to surprise Lady Gaga by singing “Home.” Mills said she reluctantly agreed, but the moment didn’t go how she expected.
“I went, and she had her little black dog there and all the other people, and so I sang for her,” Mills said of Gaga. “She didn’t smile. She didn’t do anything. She looked at me like I had two heads.”
Mills said that she wasn’t paid for the appearance in money. Instead, a fashion photographer on site would also stage a shoot for her.
“So, I finished singing ‘Home,’ and we took pictures,” Mills recounted. “Before we left, they said, ‘You’ve got to delete all those pictures.
She said they hey did not let her team leave until they saw every picture being deleted. Mills told lee she feels that Gaga owes her an apology.
“That’s why I say she’s a culture vulture,” Mills said, “because she was managed correctly by Black men.”
East St. Louis’ own Akon played a critical role in launching Gaga’s career. He signed her as part of his KonLive label and co-wrote her breakthrough hit “Just Dance.”