Lady Gaga, the 38-year-old pop icon and 14-time Grammy winner, is not backing down from making pop music, even as she enters her late thirties.
During her acceptance speech for the 2025 iHeartRadio Innovator Award on Monday, Gaga addressed the issue of ageism in the pop music industry. Reflecting on her career, she said, “Winning an award that honors my entire career at 38 is hard to wrap my head around.”
She continued, “On one hand, I feel like I’ve been doing this forever, but on the other, I know I’m just getting started. Even though the world may consider a woman in her late thirties to be old for a pop star, which is crazy, I promise I’m just getting warmed up.”
Gaga also shared her thoughts on innovation in music. She explained, “Innovation isn’t about breaking rules. It’s about creating your own and convincing the world that they were always meant to be that way.” She reflected on past moments, like attending the Grammys in an egg or creating a controversial anthem that later became undeniable. “If I’ve learned anything in the three decades I’ve been at this, it’s that the most powerful innovation is your authenticity,” she added.
The singer went on to discuss what keeps her motivated to make music true to herself. “Tonight, I think of my grandmothers, fiercely brilliant Italian-American women who reinvented their destinies with nothing but strength, dreams, and determination,” Gaga said. “They didn’t invent technology or art, but they invented possibility, shaping the future with nothing more than their minds. And those women, my ancestors, are the greatest women I’ve ever known.”
As her speech came to a close, Gaga honored her inspirations, including David Bowie, Grace Jones, Carole King, Elton John, Lady Starlight, Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Cher, and her late friend Tony Bennett.
In addition to receiving the Innovator Award, Gaga was nominated for Best Collaboration and Best Music Video for her Grammy-winning song with Bruno Mars, “Die with a Smile.” She was also nominated for Favorite On-Screen Performance for the Gaga: Chromatica Ball film.
Meanwhile, Gaga’s latest album Mayhem, released on March 7, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
Related Topics
