Lady Gaga: 'I'm Happier Than I've Ever Been'

Gaga stunned at the premiere screening of 'American Horror Story: Hotel' alongside Taylor Kinney on Oct. 3. Photo: Getty

Lady Gaga's had quite the year. She won a Grammy, wowed the world with a show-stopping Sound of Music medley at the Oscars, got engaged – and next she'll star in Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story: Hotel.

"I'm happier than I've ever been now," Gaga told E! News, "because the people that I work with really, really care that my life is different and really, really work to make sure that I feel as normal as possible — so that I can have a great time and just be a normal girl, and just be a woman for Ryan on film."

The pop star – who's engaged to Chicago Fire star Taylor Kinney – opened up about the pitfalls of fame she's experienced since skyrocketing to superstardom seven years ago. Primarily: loneliness.

"I do know isolation because I'm famous, and it's hard to go be normal all the time," she told the broadcast outlet. "And when you meet people in public, 99 percent of the time, people aren't that interested in really getting to know me. There's sort of a wall between us that they think something of me that I'm not. I'm really just a human being that makes this ... stuff."

In Hotel, Gaga, 29, plays a blood-drinking hospitality honcho, The Countess, opposite a star-studded cast including Matt Bomer, Sarah Paulson and Angela Bassett.

The crossover star – who Murphy has already asked to join the season six cast – said she had some jitters before making her major small-screen debut.

"In order to build strength, you have to usually come from a lot of weakness," Gaga added. "I was not actually that fearless when I first came to this set. I was very nervous."

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Jeff Nelson writes for People.com