Lady Gaga was born this way: as a music innovator.
On Monday night, the “Abracadabra” singer, 38, was recognized with the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles. In her acceptance speech, Gaga reflected on the irony of receiving the career achievement honor in her late 30s, despite her nearly two-decade run in the pop spotlight.
“Winning an award honoring my entire career at 38 years old is a hard thing to get my head around,” said Gaga, who wore a vibrant red dress to the ceremony. “On the one hand, I feel like I’ve been doing this forever, and on the other hand, I know I’m just getting started. So even though the world might consider a woman in her late 30s old for a pop star, which is insane, I promise that I’m just getting warmed up.”
iHeartRadio said the singer would be honored with the award because “few artists in modern history have taken creative risks with the level of success” of Gaga, who is “the true definition of a modern-day artist innovator.” Previous recipients of the Innovator Award include Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys.
“Innovation isn’t about breaking rules,” Gaga said. “It’s about writing your own and convincing the world they were theirs all along.”
The award for Gaga comes less than two weeks after the release of her latest album “Mayhem,” a return to the Grammy winner’s pop roots. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. According to Billboard, “Mayhem” also earned Gaga the largest streaming week of her career.
The final song on “Mayhem” is “Die with a Smile,” Gaga’s collaboration with Bruno Mars. The song earned Gaga and Mars a Grammy for best pop duo/group performance. The track was also nominated for song of the year at the 2025 Grammys.
Lady Gaga pays tribute to family, LGBTQ community in iHeartRadio Music Awards speech
Gaga added in her speech that “the most powerful innovation is your authenticity” and credited her grandmothers as leading examples in her life.
“Every time I was the only woman in the room, the loudest voice was inside my own head telling me not to compromise,” Gaga said. “Listening to that voice always showed me exactly where I belonged. And tonight, I think of my grandmothers, fiercely brilliant Italian American women who reinvented their destinies with nothing but strength and dreams and determination.
“They didn’t invent technology or art, they invented possibility, shaping the future with nothing more than their minds. And those women, my ancestors, they’re the greatest innovators that I’ve ever known.”
The trailblazing pop star also gave a heartfelt shoutout to the LGBTQ community, who she said “taught me bravery before the world was ready to listen.” At the Grammy Awards last month, Gaga gave an impassioned speech on solidarity with the transgender community while accepting the award for best pop duo.
“You have changed the world for the better, and your courage fuels mine every single day,” Gaga continued.
Lady Gaga calls fiancé Michael Polansky her ‘greatest strength’
Of all of Gaga’s A-list collaborators, fiancé Michael Polansky is the true MVP.
“Your love, your creativity, your willingness to innovate alongside me is my greatest strength,” Gaga said of Polansky during her acceptance speech.
Speaking with USA TODAY, Gaga opened up about co-writing songs with Polansky on “Mayhem,” including the emotional ballad “Blade of Grass.”
Lady Gaga interview: Pop icon reveals how her fiancé changed her life, music
“We started working on that song after we got engaged,” Gaga said. “A long time ago, we were in the backyard and he said, ‘If I ever propose to you, what should I do?’ I said, ‘You can just wrap a blade of grass around my finger and I’ll say yes.’”
She added: “It’s a love song between the two of us, but sometimes when we find love in our lives, it can also help us reflect on what it took to get there. Standing in my backyard, looking out at the ocean, I was thinking about all the people I’ve left behind or lost along the way. It was this incredibly happy moment and also bittersweet, which is why that record is haunting and beautiful.”
Contributing: Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY
