Lady Gaga, whose 2019 duet with Bradley Cooper of the Oscar-winning “Shallow” has gone down as one of the most memorable moments in Academy Awards history, returned to the stage tonight to deliver another emotional performance, this time of her Oscar-nominated song “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick.
“I think we all need each other, we need a lot of love to walk through this life, and we all need a hero sometimes,” she said in her introduction. “There are heroes all around us in unassuming places but you might find that you can be your own hero, even if you feel broken inside.”
Lady Gaga then segued into the song, which she wrote with BloodPop, in a stripped-down performance, wearing jeans, a T-shirt and no makeup. There was an additional emotional punch at the end when a dedication to Tony Scott was projected onto the screen behind the musicians.
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British filmmaker Scott, who tragically died by suicide in 2012, directed the original Top Gun movie. The tribute featured a photo of Scott and Top Gun star Tom Cruise on the set of the 1986 film.
Thirty six years later, the Top Gun: Maverick sequel, directed by Joseph Kosinski, with Cruise reprising his role as Maverick, became a massive blockbuster, grossing 1.5B worldwide.
Lady Gaga was not expected to perform at the Oscars because of scheduling issues with the Joker sequel, in which she stars. Her appearance on stage was a last-minute surprise. You can watch it below:
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