The Fame is the debut studio album by American recording artist Lady Gaga. Released on August 19, 2008 through Interscope Records, the album sold over 15 million copies worldwide and brougt Lady Gaga to prominence. After joining Kon Live Distribution and Cherrytree Records in 2008, Gaga began working on the album with different producers, primarily RedOne, Martin Kierszenbaum and Rob Fusari. Musically, The Fame is a synthpop and dance-pop album that has influences of pop music from the 1980s. Lyrically, the album visualizes Gaga's love of fame in general while also dealing with subjects such as love, sex, money, drugs and sexual identity. Promotion was primarily through The Fame Ball Tour and multiple television appearances. The Fame was included as a bonus disc on the deluxe edition of the extended play, The Fame Monster (2009).

The album received generally favorable reviews and was a commercial success, topping the charts in different countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Switzerland. In the United States, it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, while topping the Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 106 non-consecutive weeks. The first two singles from The Fame, "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", gained international success, topping the charts in several countries worldwide.