Lady Gaga appeared on stage at the 95th Academy Awards tonight (March 12). She performed a simplified interpretation of her Top Gun: Maverick song “Hold My Hand” while opting for a black T-shirt and ripped jeans. She was backed by musicians on guitar, bass, and drums. Watch it happen below.
Before launching into the song, Gaga gave a short speech about how important it is to her: “I wrote this song with my friend BloodPop for the movie. Top Gun: Maverick in the basement of my studio. It’s deeply personal to me and I think we all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life and we all need a hero sometime. There are heroes all around us in unassuming places, but you may find that you can be your own hero even if you feel broken inside.”
“Hold My Hand” is nominated for Best Original Song this year; is competing with Rihanna’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever track “Lift Me Up”, by Son Lux, Mitski and David Byrne Everything everywhere at once collaboration “This Is a Life”, “Applause” by Sofia Carson from say it like a womanand the RRR “Naatu Naatu” cutting by Rahul Sipligunj, Kaala Bhairava, MM Keeravani.
Lady Gaga produced “Hold My Hand” alongside BloodPop® and Benjamin Rice. She teased the song before officially releasing it, writing, “I’ve been working on it for years.” Gaga shared a music video for the single soon after; visual includes clips from 1986 top gun and the 2022 sequel, as well as footage of Gaga singing and playing the piano on a runway.
Lady Gaga last performed at the Oscars in 2019, the same year she won Best Original Song for her A star has been born ballad “Shallow”.
Follow all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the Oscars 2023.