'I had a boyfriend who told me I'd never succeed,' she says in the April issue of Cosmopolitan.

While Lady Gaga might seem like an overnight success, she's faced roadblocks along the way. The pop star has had quite a few people, including an ex-boyfriend who probably regrets letting her go, tell her that she couldn't make it. In the April issue of Cosmopolitan, Gaga talks about beating the odds.

"I had a boyfriend who told me I'd never succeed, never be nominated for a Grammy, never have a hit song and that he hoped I'd fail," said Gaga, whose issue hits newsstands March 9. "I said to him, 'Someday, when we're not together, you won't be able to order a cup of coffee at the f---ing deli without hearing or seeing me."

It wasn't just ex-lovers who didn't think that Gaga could go all the way, but Gaga didn't let the criticism get to her. "I ate sh-- for so long," she explained. "Being told I didn't fit the mold and that I was 'too pop' or 'too theater' ... I've always been delusionally ambitious to the point where people don't understand me."

While she has faced detractors, her friends are supporting her all the way now — and they have a very interesting theory about the pop star. "My friends joke that I'm dead until I get onstage," she said. "I'm dead right now as you're speaking to me."

In photos for the magazine, Gaga is seen in lots of sexy lingerie. The looks are decidedly more conventional than Gaga's typical out-there style. On the cover, she wears a nude bra and underwear, while in another shot, she's seen in a black satin and mesh bustier with black-leopard hot pants. An additional shot of the star shows her in a low-cut black dress.