On February 10, 2019, the 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by singer/songwriter, Alicia Keys. The award ceremony recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the year. With no surprise at all, Lady Gaga took home her third Grammy of the night as “Shallow” from the movie, A Star is Born, won Best Pop Duo / Group Performance. Lady Gaga used the platform of her acceptance speech as an opportunity to talk about mental health and put an emphasis on reaching out for support.
Opening her speech, Lady Gaga thanked the producer’s of A Star if Born for shedding light on mental health. In the movie, a couple, Ally and Jackson, fall deeply in love. However Ally, who was struggling artist is now rising to fame, causing the relationship to diminish and Jackson’s character slips into a dark space, resulting in him taking his own life. In her speech, Lady Gaga addresses that “If I don’t get another chance to say this, I just want to say I’m so proud to be a part of a movie that addresses mental health issues. They’re so important,” she said at the mic. “A lot of artists deal with that. And we gotta take care of each other. So if you see somebody that’s hurting, don’t look away. And if you’re hurting, even though it might be hard, try to find that bravery within yourself to dive deep and go tell somebody and take them up in your head with you.”
Immediately following Lady Gaga’s powerful mental health speech, fans began praising her on various social media platforms. For quite some time now, Lady Gaga has used her fame to try to end the stigma around mental health issues. She too has been open about her struggles with mental health and encourages her fans to speak up and seek the help they need. So many people are fighting demons inside their head and it is important to open up about how you are feeling. Tragedies can be prevented, but it all starts with taking a step and talking about it.