Adding to the list of nine Grammys and twenty-four nominations, Lady Gaga can now call herself an Oscar winner. The talented artist received the Academy Award for Best Original Song during the 91st Academy Awards this past Sunday.
Lady Gaga’s song "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born" earned Gaga her first-ever Oscar and won the title over other nominated original songs from "Black Panther," "Mary Poppins Returns," "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" and the documentary "RBG." This is Gaga’s first Academy Award win, and she was also nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in "A Star is Born."
Gaga’s song “Shallow” has also won the Golden Globe, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and the BAFTA for original music. The song first debuted in the film’s trailer last summer, and then rose to the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Gaga’s 15th top-10 hit in the United States.
The award for “Shallow” went to Gaga and co-writers Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Anthony Rossomando. During her acceptance speech, Gaga inspired audiences with her reslience.
"I worked hard for a long time, and it's not about winning, but what's about is not giving up," Gaga said. "If you have a dream, fight for it."
Directly after Gaga’s acceptance speech, her and Bradley Cooper performed “Shallow” in an intimate and emotional performance, that simultaneously hit viewers in the heart and fueled speculation that the two are involved.
Their performance was a highlight of the night for some and showcased Gaga’s emotional reaction to winning and her experiences throughout her career.
Even though the singer/songwriter is very successful, there was a time when Gaga wanted to give up and throw in the towel. In 2014, Lady Gaga bravely revealed that she had been raped at the age of 19 by an unnamed music producer.
This traumatic experience could have been enough for Gaga to quit music entirely and give up on her dreams, but instead, she used it as fuel to keep going.
In 2015, Gaga released "Til It Happens to You," her Oscar-nominated song featured in "The Hunting Ground," a documentary about campus rape. Gaga said she used personal experience to write the song, and performed it live at the 2016 Academy Awards.
We tend to categorize celebrities into their own world. We place them on these pedestals and forget that they are real people. Celebrities, just like us, feel pain and experience loss.
Gaga has used her platform to become an advocate for sexual assault victims and has proven that no matter what you’ve been through you can always achieve your dreams. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, what matters is how many times you stand up, shake it off and move forward.
The 91st Academy Awards were broadcast live from Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC.
By MELANIE RAIBLE
Staff writer
Featured photo: Lady Gaga image.