Lady Gaga praises documentary for showing 'psychologically challenging' effects of fame

Lady Gaga has praised the makers of her documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two for showing that fame is "not all it's cracked up to be."

The Edge of Glory singer let director Chris Moukarbel follow her for six months for the documentary, giving him access to her work, such as making her album Joanne and preparing for her tour, as well as her battle with chronic pain condition Fibromyalgia and other personal struggles.

Hours before the film was released on Netflix on Friday (22Sep17), Gaga took to Instagram to write a lengthy post in which she praised Chris for showing her "highest highs" and "lowest lows" and what it's really like to be famous.

"Although surreal, happy, and also hard, I'm most touched that the veil behind the aura of my fame reveals that fame is not all it's cracked up to be," she wrote. "It is lonely, it is isolating, and it is very psychologically challenging because fame changes the way you're viewed by people. For me, it feels very unnatural but complicated because I know it is my destiny to be a performer."

Despite this, she knows her fame has afforded her privileges most people can only dream of and given her a voice to spread messages of empowerment and equality.

She recalled seeing the film for the first time at the Toronto International Film Festival, writing, "I found myself witnessing myself in a way I am unable to see on my own. I felt proud, I felt sadness, I felt empowered, I felt vulnerable," and added that she was glad she trusted Chris.

The 31-year-old concluded by thanking Chris, her manager Bobby Campbell, Live Nation, Netflix and her fans and wrote, "I might not always give the world exactly what they expect of me. But make no mistake, it is always the true me."

The singer recently had to postpone the European leg of her Joanne World Tour, which had been due to begin this week, due to her battle with Fibromyalgia. The shows will now take place in 2018.

According to Billboard, the North American leg of the tour made $52 million in ticket sales.