Lady Gaga Delivers Emotional Oscar Performance Only to Get Robbed of Best Original Song
The Oscar nominee delivered a powerful live version of "Til It Happens to You."
Lady Gaga and her powerhouse vocals brought down the house when she took the stage at the Academy Awards on Sunday to perform her Oscar-nominated song, "Til It Happens to You." The performance was especially emotional given that Gaga was joined by survivors of sexual assault, an act that paid homage to the song's lyrical content. The song was included in the documentary The Hunting Ground, which examines sexual assaults on American college and university campuses.
Lady Gaga at the famed Vanity Fair Oscars after party after taking the stage at the Oscars on Feb. 28.
Stars applauded Gaga for her powerful statement, including Kesha, who has been vocal about her own experience with sexual assault.
Prior to her performance, Gaga shared a message with Kesha about how she would be thinking of her while on stage at the Academy Awards. The Oscar nominee has been supportive of the "Warrior" singer in her legal battle against music producer Dr. Luke, who she alleges sexually assaulted and emotionally abused her during their working relationship.
After stealing the show, Gaga opened up about her own experiences with sexual assault and how her fiance, Taylor Kinney, changed her thoughts on love. "I never thought anyone would ever love me because I felt like my body was ruined by my abuser," she wrote on Instagram. "But he loves the survivor in me. He's stood by me all night proud and unashamedly. THAT'S a real man."
Despite the strong reaction from the crowd and those at home, Gaga and co-writer Diane Warren lost the Best Original Song award to Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes' "Writing's on the Wall" from 2015 Bond film Spectre. But judging by the response, Gaga's impact did not go unnoticed.