Lady Gaga - Hold My Hand Live From The Oscars 2023

Lady Gaga delighted fans and the Academy Awards with an unexpected performance of her Oscar-nominated song, "Hold My Hand," at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Sitting front row, Gaga made an unforgettable impression!

Variety reports that she was originally supposed to miss the show due to scheduling conflicts, but is back in the spotlight for a special performance. Along with Rihanna ("Lift Me Up"), Sofia Carson and Diane Warren (Tell It Like a Woman's "Applause"), Stephanie Hsu, David Byrne and Son Lux (Everything Everywhere All at Once's "This Is Life") and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava from RRR's "Naatu Naatu", Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava (RRR's "Naatu Naatu Naatu") will join them onstage in this special performance.

The Performance

Lady Gaga has earned herself a plethora of accolades and she's no stranger to the stage. She's featured in and written songs for films like "The Hunting Ground" and "A Star Is Born," winning three Oscars for Best Original Song - two of which she performed live at the Academy Awards.

At Sunday night's Oscars, pop singer Beyonce surprised viewers by performing her hit song, "Hold My Hand," which is nominated for best original song. Although originally not scheduled to perform at the event, a last-minute change of plans allowed her to step out for an incredible performance that left everyone stunned.

The singer wore a casual ensemble consisting of a black T-shirt, distressed jeans and sneakers. She didn't wear any makeup and tied her hair into a French braid for added style.

She performed the song with an intense stage presence and powerful vocals, referring to it as a "deeply personal song." Her performance sounded just as genuine, honest, and heartfelt as her words suggested.

This year's Best Original Song nominees include Rihanna with "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Sofia Carson and Diane Warren with "Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman; Stephanie Hsu, David Byrne and Son Lux with "This Is Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once; Rahul Sipligunj with Kaala Bhairava singing "Naatu Naatu" for RRR.

In addition to her song, the Oscars will also feature performances by musical artists Lenny Kravitz and Judith Hill who will be hosting this year's In Memoriam segment. Additionally, Hill will perform her song, "Reflections."

Gaga had initially been reported not to perform at the Oscars this weekend due to her busy filming schedule on Joker: Folie a Deux, however it seems she has changed her mind about skipping the awards show and appeared onstage Sunday and sang her Oscar-nominated song, "Hold My Hand," from Top Gun: Maverick.

She's a four-time Oscar nominee and one-time winner in this category, so Gaga certainly deserves to be on stage this weekend. In 2019, her song "Shallow" from A Star Is Born earned her an Oscar win; other nominations include "Til It Happens to You," which she co-wrote with Diane Warren, and "Hold My Hand," marking Gaga's third time performing on Oscars stage.

The Audience

Lady Gaga shocked everyone by shocking everyone by singing her award-nominated song, "Hold My Hand," during the opening act of the 2023 Oscars show. It was an intense rendition that left all in attendance feeling blessed and delighted.

Gaga performed her Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack without wearing makeup, accompanied by an emcee dressed in a red tuxedo. This performance marked a dramatic departure from her Donatella Versace gown on the red carpet and served as an incredible way to commemorate an emotional moment in her career.

The performance also paid homage to Tony Scott, the original director of Top Gun. Although he passed away in 2012, his name still graced the title card at the end of the show.

Gaga completed her look with a black graphic tee, distressed jeans and Chucks. For her hairstyle, Gaga chose an easy French braid and finished off the ensemble with some gold earrings.

Gaga made her third live performance at the Academy Awards, singing "Til It Happens to You" from The Hunting Ground in 2016 and "Shallow" from A Star Is Born in 2019. For these songs, Gaga earned nominations in both categories - Best Original Song in 2016 and A Star Is Born in 2019.

The Music

Gaga's touching performance of Top Gun: Maverick was one of the most heartwarming moments during the 2023 Oscars. Initially expected to miss out due to filming on her upcoming sequel Joker: Folie a Deux, Gaga was actually able to perform.

The multihyphenate, who previously performed "Til It Happens to You" and "Shallow" from her 2018 Oscar-winning hit "A Star Is Born," took to the stage wearing a black T-shirt, jeans, platform Converse sneakers and her face covered in makeup - creating an absolutely captivating performance.

She sang the song with great passion and emotion, paying homage to late director Tony Scott who directed the original 1987 movie that featured this tune.

Rihanna, who won two Oscars this year for her work on the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, gave a powerful performance of her original song "Lift Me Up." Her sultry vocals accompanied the song as it played through images from the movie in a montage sequence.

Rihanna is not alone in being nominated for Best Original Song; other nominees include Sofia Carson and Diane Warren for "Applause" from Tell It Like a Woman; "Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick (Lady Gaga and BloodPop); "Naatu Naatu" by RRR (M.M. Keeravaani and Chandrabose); and "This Is A Life" from Everything Everywhere All at Once (David Byrne, Ryan Lott, and Mitski).

Other nominees were also in attendance for their own performances, including Stephanie Hsu for her collaboration with David Byrne on "This Is a Life" and Son Lux for his contribution to both the film's original score as well as its soundtrack.

Other GRAMMY winners have tackled this genre before, such as Billie Eilish for her haunting James Bond theme in 2016, FinNEAS for "Fight for You" from Judas and the Black Messiah soundtrack, and Adele for Selma movie song in 2018.

As a last-minute addition to her Oscars performance, Gaga paid homage to Scott, the director of the original Top Gun. She then sang her song co-written with collaborator BloodPop without wearing any makeup and baring her face - creating an ethereal moment that captured everyone's attention.

The Video

On Sunday night, Lady Gaga stunned the world when she performed her Best Original Song-nominated "Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick live at the Oscars 2023. Initially it was reported that she would withdraw due to filming obligations for Joker: Folie a Deux, but later announced she would still take part.

For her live performance of the song, the 36-year-old singer stripped away all makeup and tied her hair up in a French braid. She wore jeans and a black T-shirt - quite the contrast from the glamorous looks she donned earlier that evening on the red carpet.

Her performance of the song paid homage to her hometown of Nebraska, where she grew up and is returning on tour for The Chromatica Ball that started in 2020. The music video opens with Gaga walking through a field in Nebraska as she has flashbacks of events from there - such as having a wedding, being tortured inside a barn and even getting stuck in a water tank.

While in Nebraska, she had an intense love affair with a man and they eventually got engaged. Later they wed and she became the mother of two children. Later she relocated to Los Angeles and enjoyed success on the music scene there with hits after hits.

On Monday, Gaga appeared on Jimmy Kimmel and shared her memories of her Super Bowl LI halftime show. She expressed that it had been an incredible experience, recalling all the wonderful memories. Additionally, she paid homage to Black Panthers, Malcolm X and more while talking about her "silly decision" during the performance.

She then mentioned how her songs conveyed her message of unity between people from various backgrounds, giving people hope and making everyone feel good about themselves.