The Making of: Lady Gaga

After seeing pictures of Lady Gaga from 2005, back when she was simply Stefani Germanotta, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of career Stefani could have had if she hadn't become Lady Gaga.
Firstly, she's shown talent in both singing and playing the piano. However, to be fair, many people can sing and play the piano. You just have to watch enough episodes of American Idol, The Voice or X-Factor to see that. Secondly, underneath the make-up and crazy attire, Stefani is quite beautiful. But, again, looking at all these singing competition shows, you can clearly see 100s of beautiful girls who can sing.
With that said, did she have to become Lady Gaga to become famous? Could Stefani have found some niche as a piano player/singer? There's plenty of somewhat successful singer/songwriters out there. Plus, she received a record deal before she became the somewhat crazy, maybe completely crazy person she is today.
Obviously, her label saw talent. And it's safe to say that with the success of girls like Norah Jones and Alicia Keys, simple girls who sing and play the piano, Stefani could have seen some level of success. But Norah Jones has sort of faded away over the years. Would Stefani have been like that or could she have stayed relevant like Alicia Keys?
If she had gone the pop route, she may have been in trouble. With so many over the top personalities, how would a singer like Stefani stand out? When Norah Jones won all her Grammies and sold all her albums, there was no Ke$ha, Katy Perry or Lady Gaga. The pop world was a different place. Nowadays, people seem to want over-the-top, larger than life characters. Outside of Adele, what woman is having success without being somewhat of a character?
Talent definitely brought Stefani to the dance, but the Gaga character gave her the opportunity to steal the show. I don't think Stefani would have performed songs like Just Dance and Pokerface. From those old pictures, and from what the photographer who took them said, Stefani seemed like a simple girl who sang and played piano.
Therefore, it's safe to say the change from Stefani to Gaga helped her become the multi-platinum recording artist she is today. Of course, Stefani could certainly have written a hit song and maybe even had a successful album. But in today's world, where a singer like Adele is the exception and not the norm, Stefani seemingly made the right choice. Gaga is an international superstar; Stefani may have only lasted a couple years.
In fairness, many of today's biggest stars wouldn't be stars without their over-the-top personalities. Ke$ha needs her glitter (and her $ sign), Katy needs her wacky hair, even Britney Spears and Rihanna need to show some skin. It's all about differentiating yourself, and Gaga may just be the most different of all.