25 Celebrities Reveal How They Chose Their Stage Names

Crafting the perfect stage name is a crucial process for any artist, and it's a difficult decision to make. It represents you as an artist, as a personality, and as a public figure. It's the name credited on any and all of your work––forever.

The perfect stage name is snappy, unique and memorable; a bad one can (and will) be forgotten immediately. Some artists find a moniker that sticks from the jump, and others' identities evolve over time, but one thing is the same for all of them: each one comes with a unique story behind it.

From Lizzo to Lady Gaga, check out how 25 celebrities' stage names came to be below: