On the night of arguably music’s biggest night, the MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga came to stun, perform, win and advocate. Lady Gaga was never seen without a mask, made plenty of statements about wearing one, and even performed in one. Gaga stole the show by not only winning the most awards of the night, but making a strong statement on the ongoing pandemic. Aug. 30 was a day that many Little Monsters, as the fans of Lady Gaga are called, had waited for eagerly.
Gaga also won the “Tricon” award, an award specifically created to honor her achievements in music, film, fashion and philanthropy. After accepting her award and giving a speech, Gaga said, “stay safe, speak your mind and I may sound like a broken record, but wear a mask. It’s a sign of respect.” Gaga’s quote hit hard for the whole show as she was never seen without a face covering. Gaga had eight different masks she wore throughout the night to match each of her outfit changes.
For the red carpet, Gaga stunned in a futuristic silver look, rocking a modified face shield. To accept her first award, she wore a straight-off-the-runway rainbow spiked look and a mask resembling that of a war gas mask, but in hot pink. Her second award came with a horned mask that channeled the feel of her last role on “American Horror Story” and a bright green gown that made her silver hair POP. While taking home Artist of the Year and receiving the “Tricon” award, Gaga’s face was covered by a shiny silver mask which Gaga wore with both a large fluffy white faux fur coat that drug behind her and an alien-esq chrome silver jacket. For her performance on stage, which was the first to feature tracks from her new record “Chromatica,” Gaga wore a technological inspired mask that lit up and made different movements as it reacted to her voice.
Lady Gaga performed her Tik Tok-famous transition “Chromatica II” to fan-favorite track “911.” Popstar Ariana Grande joined Gaga (also masked) to perform their hit “Rain on Me,” and Gaga wrapped it up with a mixed version of “Stupid Love” that went from an acoustic feel to an upbeat dance feel.
The performance represented what Gaga said this record was all about: transporting the viewers from home, taking you to a new world and dancing all your pain and worries away. Gaga kicked off the performance “at home” on the stage, was then taken to her world of “Chromatica,” giving us a great show and then heading back home to quarantine on her couch!
Through the whole night, Gaga’s message was clear: wear a mask. While many artists didn’t mask up for their performances, Lady Gaga gave no excuses and showed that wearing a mask doesn’t have to be a chore, and it can even be fashionable.
If 18-time VMA winner, “Tricon” and fashion star Lady Gaga can wear a mask during a 10-minute performance, in her everyday life and while accepting some of music’s biggest awards, MU can mask up too.
_Edited by Sophie Stephens | sstephens@themaneater.com_
