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“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,” said Gaga in a powerful speech also paying tribute to her Little Monsters, the queer community and her loved ones.
Lady Gaga is a true innovator — and has the trophy to prove it!
At the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday night, the “Abracadabra” singer was given one of the night’s special awards — the iHeartRadio Innovator Award.
Per iHeart, the trophy is given to “an artist who has impacted both music and global culture throughout their career,” with the company saying in a statement that “few artists in modern history have taken creative risks with the level of success” she’s had. They also called attention to her advocacy and philanthropy for “mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, HIV/AIDS awareness and body image issues.”
Presenting the award was Doechii, who told the crowd, “Growing up, I was nothing like most of the people I was around and everything about me represented a community of alternative kids that were under-represented in my environment. I was considered weird, but it’s okay because things worked out.”
Lady Gaga’s full ‘Innovator Award’ acceptance speech at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. pic.twitter.com/cz3otpxWjk
— GⱯGⱯ THROWBⱯCKS (@ThrowbacksGaga) March 18, 2025
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“As a kid that Identified as an artist, as queer and as a little Monster, Lady Gaga wasn’t just a pop star, she was a lifeline,” added Doechii, as Gaga looked emotional in the audience. “Gaga taught us it was okay to be our real selves … Gaga was and always is new, fresh and different. Not only is that okay, but it’s ideal.”
After a package highlighting her career, Gaga then took the stage to collect her trophy.
“I don’t know totally how to think about this because winning an award honoring my entire career at 38 years old is a hard thing to get my head around,” she began. “One 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,” she vowed.
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After bringing up some of her own innovative moments — like showing up to the Grammys in an egg and “creating an anthem everyone told us was too controversial until be became undeniable,” referring to “Born This Way” — she told fans that the “most powerful innovation is your authenticity.”
She then thanked her grandmothers for instilling that sense of strength and determination in her, calling them the “greatest innovators that I’ve ever known.” Gaga then mentioned her many inspirations, including David Bowie, Grace Jones, Madonna, Stevie Wonder and the late great Tony Bennett, before turning her attention to her fans, her Little Monsters.
“Thank you for always seeing me so clearly from The Fame to Mayhem. Because you saw me, I learned to see myself,” she continued. “To the LGBTQ+ community, you taught me bravery before the world was ready to listen. You have changed the world for the better and your courage fuels mine every single day.”
Gaga ended her speech by thanking her fiancé Michael Plansky, before signing off with this: “Every artist whose ever been told they’re different, complicated or too much, please, never change. Break the mold. The world doesn’t need another copy, it desperately needs another original.”
The win comes shortly after the release of her most recent album, Mayhem, streaming now.
