The 'Joker: Folie a Deux' star changes into a plain black T-shirt and ripped jeans as she's joined by a band to deliver a rootsy rendition of the ballad from 'Top Gun: Maverick'.
- March 13, 2023
AceShowbiz - Lady GaGa entertained the audience at the 95th annual Academy Awards with her surprise musical performance. After it was reported that she would not be able to perform at the show due to her busy schedule with "Joker: Folie a Deux" filming, the Oscar-nominee eventually took the stage at the Sunday, March 12 ceremony to perform "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick".
The Grammy Award winner, who glammed up on the red carpet, dressed down for the performance, trading her gown for a black T-shirt and ripped jeans with her hair being styled in a braided ponytail. She was joined by a band to deliver a stripped down rendition of the ballad.
"It's deeply personal for me," she said in offering a spoken introduction to her performance. "We all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life. We need heroes sometimes. There's heroes all around us.... You might find that you can be your own hero, even if you feel broken inside."
The "Born This Way" hitmaker started out the performance sitting on a stool, before she stood up as the song reached its climax. She showed off her powerful voice as she perfectly nailed the high notes, captivating the audience who broke into applause. As the crowd gave her a standing ovation at the end of the song, a dedication to original "Top Gun" director Tony Scott appeared on an overhead screen at the Dolby Theatre.
GaGa is up for Best Original Song for "Hold My Hand", which she co-wrote with BloodPop. It's her third Oscar nomination after her first two nominations in the same category for "Til It Happens to You" from "The Hunting Ground" in 2016 and "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born" in 2019. The latter granted her her first Oscar win, alongside co-writers Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Anthony Rossomando.
While GaGa made time to attend the 2023 Oscars and perform despite her busy schedule, Tom Cruise, who stars in "Top Gun: Maverick", skipped the event. He didn't come to the show as he is back on set overseas for "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two" in the U.K..
