Lady Gaga Broke Her Hip, But ‘Nobody Knew’

Lady Gaga has been lying relatively low for the past six months following a hip injury that halted her Born This Way World Tour in February. While the hip injury was public knowledge (her camp issued a statement that she was suffering from a labral tear for which she underwent surgery), most people didn't know just how bad the injury really was.

Now the pop star has revealed it was much worse than she initially let on. "My injury was actually a lot worse than just a labral tear,” she says. “I had broken my hip. Nobody knew, and I haven’t even told the fans yet. But when we got all the MRIs finished before I went to surgery there were giant craters, a hole in my hip the size of a quarter, and the cartilage was just hanging out the other side of my hip. I had a tear on the inside of my joint and a huge breakage. The surgeon told me that if I had done another show I might have needed a full hip replacement. I would have been out at least a year, maybe longer.”

In an interview with Women's Wear Daily, the singer (born Stefani Germanotta) said that the recovery process was very difficult for her because she had to stop performing – and she hadn't gone two weeks without performing since she was 14 years old. It also meant she had to be wheeled around in a wheelchair that was more than just a fashion accessory. But it wasn't all bad.

"I had six months to beef up my brain and my body," Gaga says. "I got to put a giant white or black sheet of paint over my whole canvas and I got to review ARTPOP again. I was given the time to really be creative because it’s a gazing process, it really is. I have to gaze into the work for long periods of time for it to be good."

The time off the road allowed her to rehabilitate and gave her the space to work with her creative team, known as Haus of Gaga, to brainstorm ideas for her forthcoming ARTPOP album and multimedia art project. The album, which is due out November 11, will be preceded by the single, "Applause," on August 19 – the date of the album's presale. Gaga has revealed the cover artwork for the single, which features the 27-year-old singer in smeared, colorful clown-like face paint with her hair hidden underneath a dramatic black wrap.

The "Poker Face" singer said that she chose the cover image from the "Applause" video shoot, which took place recently in Los Angeles. "When I look at it I see that there is a longing for the applause," she says. "I see that there is a void that is leaking onstage, that the performer is leaking, that the art is sort of becoming something else in front of your eyes. Something more human, something more honest."

As for the sound of her new music, Gaga remains very tightlipped. But Little Monsters only need to be patient a little while longer, as the pop star is scheduled to return to her high heels for a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards on August 25, where it's rumored she'll sing "Applause," and she's sure to get plenty of it!