Paris Olympics: Lady Gaga breaks silence post-backlash for 'horrible' performance
What's the story
Lady Gaga was a key performer at the Olympic Opening Ceremony in Paris on Friday evening. She delivered a French Cabaret-inspired performance on a specially built stage along the River Seine. However, her rendition of Mon Truc en Plume—a well-known French circus song—was plagued by sound problems as she began to play her piano. Fans even critiqued Gaga's accent during the performance as being "French-adjacent." Now, Gaga has shared her side of the story.
Stage mishap
Background: Dancer's fall added to challenges during Gaga's performance
The evening's difficulties were exacerbated when one of Gaga's dancers fell off the stage, which was reportedly wet and slippery due to heavy rain earlier. BBC footage captured the dancer falling backward and landing flat on his back behind a speaker. After lying still for a few seconds, he managed to recover and continue with the routine, demonstrating commendable professionalism amid adversity.
Post-Performance reflections
Gaga shared insights and feelings post-performance
Following the eventful performance, Gaga took to social media to share her thoughts on participating in the ceremony. She expressed feeling humbled to have been asked by the Olympics organizing committee to sing a special French song that honors "the French people and their tremendous history of art, music, and theatre." She also revealed some behind-the-scenes details about her performance, including that the pompoms used were rented from Le Lido archive, a real French cabaret theatre.
Behind-the-Scenes
Gaga revealed performance details and early career anecdote
Further, the actor-singer also shared that the costumes for her performance were custom-made by Dior using naturally molted feathers. She also mentioned studying French choreography that added a modern twist to a French classic and rehearsing tirelessly for a joyful French dance. In an interesting revelation about her early career, she stated: "I bet you didn't know I used to dance at a '60s French party on the Lower East Side when I was first starting out!"
Twitter Post
Take a look at her post here
I feel so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris @Olympics 2024 this year. I am also humbled to be asked by the Olympics organizing committee to sing such a special French song—a song to honor the French people and their tremendous history of art, music, and… pic.twitter.com/FMNyiosHUR
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) July 26, 2024
Criticism
'Gaga's Olympics performance is the worst I've seen': Netizens
Despite the surprise appearance of Gaga at the Olympics, her performance did not assuage the furious netizens, who called it "the equivalent of defecating on the French flag." Her black costume and vivid makeup contrasted with the big pink feather fans that adorned the winding staircase. One user commented, "Gaga's Olympics performance is the worst I've seen since Britney's MTV show in 2007." Another added, "She insulted America, insulted France, and has no shame whatsoever."