The opening ceremony of the Olympics was headlined by none other than Lady Gaga; however, it did not receive much acclaim online.
The Joker: Folie à Deux star graced the stage along the River Seine in Paris, France, for the 2024 Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony last night (26 July).
Unfortunately, despite Lady Gaga’s undeniable talent and legendary status—her real name being Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta—viewers took to social media to express disappointment, as her voice was not heard properly. Many speculated that there might have been an issue with the audio equipment.
One Twitter user commented: “Great performance from Lady Gaga. Shame the French forgot to do a sound check beforehand.”
Another viewer remarked: “#OpeningCeremony So far I’m looking at the TV and wondering if any of the choreographers/designers even considered that there would be a worldwide TV audience cos this is pretty brutal. Poor sound, dancers out of time, and an underwhelming barge procession. Lady Gaga was cringe.”
A third user wrote: “Lady Gaga performing to no large audience in a stadium but on a platform next to the river. The sound is awful, sound just getting lost in the vast open space rather than being reverberated around a stadium. The river is proving a poor choice of venue so far.”
Lady Gaga has since spoken out about her performance.
In a Twitter post yesterday, Gaga expressed her feelings, saying she is ‘so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris Olympics 2024 this year’ and felt ‘humbled to be asked by the Olympics organizing committee to sing such a special French song—a song to honor the French people and their tremendous history of art, music, and theatre’.
She continued: “This song was sung by Zizi Jeanmaire, born in Paris a French ballerina, she famously sang “Mon Truc en Plumes” in 1961.
“The title means ‘My Thing with Feathers.’ And this is not the first time we’ve crossed paths. Zizi starred in Cole Porter’s musical ‘Anything Goes’ which was my first jazz release.”
The musician mentioned that although she is not ‘a French artist’, she has ‘always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music’.
She remarked: “I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth—Paris.
“We rented pom poms from Le Lido archive—a real French cabaret theater.
“We collaborated with Dior to create custom costumes, using naturally molted feathers. I studied French choreography that put a modern twist on a French classic.
“I rehearsed tirelessly to study a joyful French dance, brushing up on some old skills—I bet you didn’t know I used to dance at a 60’s French party on the lower east side when I was first starting out!”
Gaga concluded: “I hope you love this performance as much as I do. And to everyone in France, thank you so much for welcoming me to your country to sing in honor of you—it’s a gift I’ll never forget!
“Congratulations to all the athletes who are competing in this year’s Olympic Games! It is my supreme honor to sing for you and cheer you on!! Watching the Olympic Games always makes me cry!
“Your talent is unimaginable. Let the games begin!”