Lady Gaga has responded to speculation that she’ll use her Super Bowl Half-Time Performance over the weekend to make a political statement.
On Sunday night (5 February), Gaga will be appearing as the entertainment for what is always one of America’s most-watched TV moments of the year year, when she puts on a show a the Super Bowl.
But as well as wondering what she’ll be wearing - and how tracks like ‘Million Reasons’ and ‘Come To Mama’ will gel with ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Poker Face’ - many have been speculating about whether she’ll use the platform to voice her concerns for the current political situation in the US.
She told reporters at a pre-Super Bowl press conference: “The only statements that I’ll be making during the halftime show are the ones that I’ve been consistently making throughout my career.
“I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality, and that the spirit of this country is one of love and compassion and kindness. My performance will uphold those philosophies.”
Gaga has long been an ally for the LGBT+ community, as far back as 2010, when she delivered an impassioned speech at a rally to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in the US military.
Her infamous “meat dress” at the VMAs that year was intended to be a statement related to this law, and she attended the awards ceremony with four former members of the US military who had been unable to serve due to it.
More recently, she’s turned her attention to the US election, publicly backing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton for POTUS, and protesting outside Trump Tower when it was revealed that Donald Trump would succeed Barack Obama in the White House.
Last year, Beyoncé used her appearance during Coldplay’s Super Bowl show to make a bold statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, performing her song ‘Formation’ while dressed as one of the Black Panthers, while the performance also contained several nods to civil rights activist Malcolm X, which sparked plenty of debate in the media.
Lady Gaga will be performing at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday night, while country singer Luke Bryan will perform the National Anthem.
