Lady Gaga’s fans know: The amazing outfits and general outlandishness are just icing on the top of a voice for the ages. Seeing that it’s 2020, we assume there’s no one left on Earth who questions Mother Monster’s greatness, but as she gears up for the Chromatica Ball tour, we figured it’s a good time to revisit the moments that best showcase her raw talent.
2009: “Speechless,” on Royal Variety Performance
With the Queen of England looking on, Gaga performed one of her earliest emotion-drenched piano ballads — “Speechless,” written for her father — accompanied by a small string section. The setup was equal parts high class and high art, in both literal and figurative senses, as she sat atop a piano elevated on Dali-esque legs, and wore a Queen of Hearts-like gown with a tail that touched the floor.
2011: “The Edge of Glory,” on The Howard Stern Show
For this intimate performance, Gaga pared down a Born This Way single drastically, from a rip-roaring electro-rock banger to a piece for just voice and piano. And yet, the version she recorded for Howard Stern somehow sounds bigger than the original — a fittingly heartfelt tribute to her grandfather, whose passing inspired “The Edge of Glory” in the first place.
2013: “Do What U Want” with Christina Aguilera on The Voice
Gaga pulled the original recording of this song from streaming services because R. Kelly is on it, but in this version recorded for The Voice, Christina Aguilera sings the second part and completely owns the moment. In the hands of these two powerhouse vocalists, a song about submission is transformed into an act of utter female empowerment, and the audience feels the electricity.
2014: “Anything Goes” with Tony Bennett in Brussels
Backed by a highly capable jazz band, Gaga and the great Tony Bennett swayed, snapped and swapped playful lyrics in Brussels’ Grand Place square framed by ornate architecture dating back to the Middle Ages. Their swanky remake of this 1934 Cole Porter song echoed through the night rivaled only by the sound of the crowd giving it up for the monumental duet.
2015: The Sound of Music medley at the Oscars
https://youtu.be/JxcFcKvjZCk
Gaga was able to indulge her theatrical side, honoring one of the greatest musicals of all time while also showing the world that her fans adore her for so much more than her iconoclastic ways. Her voice was front and center for this, which had to be one of the gutsiest moves of her career: paying tribute to Julie Andrews while the beloved actress watched from the wings.
2015: “New York, New York” at Sinatra 100
Though Gaga had long lived on the West Coast by this point, you get the feeling she tapped right into a deep love for her native New York when she put her (sometimes literal) spin on this Frank Sinatra classic at the GRAMMY®️-backed Las Vegas concert in his honor. Her voice feels as true to the part as her tux — ’Ol Blue Eyes himself might’ve been jealous of the fit.
2016: “’Til It Happens to You” at the Oscars
The stark white piano and minimal backdrop make this Oscars moment all about the power of performance: Gaga’s soaring vocals, piano prowess and ability to pack so much feeling into each word and note. She wrote the song for The Hunting Ground, a film about sexual assault on college campuses, and for the moving finale, Gaga played surrounded by 50 survivors.
2016: “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl 50
Gaga had the crowd awestruck and the athletes singing along as she rang in the big game with this no-frills (unless you count the glittery red eyeshadow) delivery of the national anthem. The performance was remarkable, and her singing was exactly what was called for: elegant yet epic, and brimming with passion all the way to the end.
2016: “Million Reasons” at Nashville’s The 5 Spot
For her country-influenced fifth album, Joanne, Gaga threw a series of shows at dive bars around the country. This clip captures her in Nashville at a tiny music joint called The 5 Spot, accompanied by guitars, bass and drums. But no matter how you dress her up — and the rhinestones are nice — Gaga’s massive vocals and emotional depth shine through.
2019: “Shallow” with Bradley Cooper at the GRAMMY®️ awards
Anytime Gaga and Bradley Cooper come together to perform this song, the result is nothing short of magical, but their GRAMMY®️ rendition was especially powerful. As they sang their A Star Is Born hit, the rest of the room seemed to disappear — the celebrities, the stage, the ceremony. Time stopped and, for a moment, they were the only two people on earth.