When Lady Gaga made headlines at MTV Video Music Awards it was not for what she wore - an understated, black Prabal Gurung gown - but for what she did not wear, namely no egg, no face mask and no meat dress.

The 27-year-old Grammy-award winner known for her provocative stage presence says those outrageous costumes, worn as she skyrocketed to fame with hits like "Just Dance" and her 2011 album "Born This Way," were all to hide her insecurities.

PHOTOS: The Many Faces, and Moments, of Lady Gaga

"I was actually going through a hard time during 'Born This Way,'" Gaga said today after a live performance of her latest hit, "Applause," on " Good Morning America." "I was kind of insecure."

"I became a star really quickly and I didn't have time to really put my feet in the ground and have a sense of myself through it all because it's like a machine and you just keep going and there's TVs and pictures and lovely fans everywhere that I wanted to hug and sign autographs for," she said. "So there was a lot of me putting things on to hide that sadness and the record reflected that."

Gaga, born Stefani Germanotta, is back in the spotlight after being sidelined by a right hip injury that forced her into surgery in February and required her to cancel 22 shows on her "Born This Way Tour."

Read More About Gaga's Hip Injury

She's announced her latest album, "ARTPOP," will be released on Nov. 11. The much-anticipated album will be a change for "little monsters," as Gaga's fans are known, according to the singer.

"I'm feeling so positive and healed in a lot of ways and I feel really overjoyed and full of love and I'm obsessed with making things colorful and happy," Gaga said. "I think it's because I'm in a happy place so when I'm in a happy place the music is."

"ARTPOP" includes the hit single "Applause," which Gaga performed live on "GMA" to a "Wizard of Oz" theme that saw her dancing and changing into multiple personas and costumes on stage.

"I think it really is an explanation in a way for my entire career so far," Gaga said of her "GMA" performance. "It's like my way of saying all of these outfits and all of these wigs that I've been changing over the years, this is my way of assimilating and this is my way of surviving. This is my way of getting to Oz to have all my dreams come true."

When Gaga announced the release of "ARTPOP" post on her official Facebook page, she also announced the album will come out alongside an app that will combine music, art, fashion and technology, and help users "share in the adrenaline of fame" as they build and share their own projects.

Gaga, who had her fans dress as poppy flowers for her "GMA" performance, says "ARTPOP" is a way for her to give back to her fans, who "appreciate my point of view."

"I want them to know, to appreciate their points of view and when they're harnessing their talents, whatever your talents may be, I want you to know that your talents are important and just because you want to be an artist and maybe not a doctor or a nurse or a teacher, it doesn't mean it's less than that," she said. "It doesn't mean that you still can't survive."

"It's much more lucrative for you in the future actually so please express your talents," Gaga said, speaking to her fans. "Show who you are and express it through whatever way you want."