Lady Gaga performed a stripped down version of her song “Hold My Hand,” which was nominated in the Best Original Song category for the film “Top Gun: Maverick” going into Sunday’s Academy Awards.
The “House of Gucci” actress’ performance was not confirmed until the day of the ceremony after reports that she would not be attending or performing.
Gaga graced the red carpet in a full face of makeup — including red lipstick — and a black gown, but she changed into a black T-shirt and jeans with holes in the knees and removed her makeup to belt the power ballad.
Gaga is currently filming for “Joker 2: Folie à Deux,” in which she is starring opposite Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix as Harley Quinn. The “Joker” sequel will also call upon her vocal chops: It is set to be a musical and release Oct. 4, 2024.
“Hold My Hand” was nominated at the 95th annual ceremony alongside Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther Wakanda Forever”; “This Is a Life” by Son Lux, Mitski and David Byrne for “Everything Everywhere All At Once”; Sofia Carson’s “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Women”; and “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” by Rahul Sipligunj, Kaala Bhairava and M.M. Keeravani.
“I wrote this song with my friend BloodPop for the film ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ in my studio basement. It’s deeply personal for me. And I think that we all need each other,” she said. “We need a lot of love to walk through this life, and we all need a hero sometimes. There’s heroes all around us in unassuming places, but you might find that you can be your own hero even if you feel broken inside.”
The singer and actress, who won the Oscar for Best Original Song “Shallow” for “A Star Is Born” in 2019, has previously stated that she went full method to put herself in the headspace of Patrizia Reggiani for “House of Gucci,” based on the book by Sarah Gay Forden.
Watch the performance in the video above.
