On Friday, the thirty-third Summer Olympic Games kicked off in the French capital, Paris. As per tradition, the event featured performances by global stars, one of whom was Lady Gaga. Her appearance on a golden staircase in a striking black Dior bodysuit and pink feathers was expected to be a triumph. However, the show by the Seine unexpectedly had a different effect. On social media, the artist faced criticism—she was blamed for poor sound quality, her American-French accent, and her performance was labeled as the worst of her career.
“Magnificent performance by Lady Gaga. It’s a shame the French forgot to do a soundcheck beforehand.”
“Lady Gaga isn’t performing in front of a large stadium audience but on a platform next to the river. The sound is terrible, it just gets lost in the vast open space and doesn’t carry across the stadium.”
“A very famous French artist… um… Lady Gaga. … Hmm… I don’t know what kind of performance that was, but it must have been the worst of her life.”
“Lady Gaga isn’t even French. It’s like if Bad Bunny sang during the Olympics in Colombia,” social media users complained.
Lady Gaga did not remain silent and dedicated an entire post to her performance at the Opening Ceremony, in which she of course thanked everyone involved in this important event for her and also explained her choice of song.
“I am immensely grateful to have been invited to open the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this year. I am also honored that the Olympic organizing committee asked me to sing such a special French song—a song in honor of the French people and their amazing history of art, music, and theater. It was sung by Zizi Jeanmaire, a French ballerina born in Paris. She performed ‘Mon Truc en Plumes’ in 1961. The title means ‘My Thing with Feathers.’
And this isn’t our first intersection. Zizi appeared in Cole Porter’s musical ‘Anything Goes,’ which was my first jazz release. Even though I’m not a French artist, I’ve always felt a special connection with the French and singing French music. I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and, on this significant occasion, remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth—Paris.
We rented pom-poms from the Lido archive—a true French cabaret theater. We collaborated with Dior to create custom costumes using natural feathers. I studied French choreography, which gave a modern twist to classic French dance. I tirelessly rehearsed to learn the joyful French dance, perfecting some old skills. I bet you didn’t know that I danced at a French party in the ’60s on the Lower East Side when I was just starting out! I hope you enjoyed this performance as much as I did. Thank you for welcoming me to your country and allowing me to sing for you. It’s a gift I will never forget.”
