Find out the reason why the weird singer topped the "usually elite" list.

Usually, Forbes uses a celebrity's comprehensive earnings during the course of 12 months in order to make their "Most Powerful" list. These earnings are usually culled from walking the runway, playing basketball, hosting daytime TV, etc. but this year, a very important factor was also added to the criteria-mastery of social media.

In this case, eccentric performer extraordinaire Lady Gaga certainly tops the list.

"These days that means mastering social media. Lady Gaga topples Oprah Winfrey from her No.1 spot on our list, which she's given up for only the third time in seven years. Gaga is there not just because of the $90 million she earned with a monster tour, but also because of her 32 million Facebook fans and 10 million Twitter followers--aka Little Monsters--who helped move 1 million digital downloads of her recent single 'Born This Way' in only five days. They're also happy to buy the MAC makeup, Monster headphones and Virgin Mobile phones she features in her videos," Dorothy Pomerantz elaborates on Forbes' web site.

For the 3 years that Gaga has been in the public eye, her meteoric rise to fame has certainly been one to watch. The singer's eclectic and downright bizarre fashion, risqué performances and tireless work with the LGBT community make for a fascinating and highly quotable life.

Born Stefani Germanotta in 1986, Gaga has fluidly transformed herself from hit maker to fashion vanguard to all around creative force. The last category is most especially relevant with her collection of artists, stylists, designers and the like at Haus of Gaga-a collective not unlike Andy Warhol's Factory.

Perhaps to prove that as much as she is avante garde, she can also do mainstream; Gaga recently starred in and directed the ABC special "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving." The special offered a look into the performer's life before the fame and featured performances from her new album, "Born This Way," as well as Christmas standards and a duet with Tony Bennett.

With all her achievements, I think everyone is in agreement that the mother monster will stay 1 of the most powerful celebrities for a long time.

Must Read

Opening of Gaga's Workshop a Success