Lady Gaga fluently sang in French when she opened the Paris Olympic Games on Friday, July 26. But this wasn’t the first time that the multi-talented singer and actress has spoken the language. So, how did the pop star learn how to speak French?
Is Lady Gaga French?
Gaga — real name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta — is American and was born into an Italian-American family in New York City.
Did Lady Gaga Study French?
In high school, Gaga was accepted into New York University’s music school Collaborative Arts Project 21, where she studied music. She also focused on topics such as politics, social issues and religion while honing her songwriting skills. After one semester, Gaga withdrew to focus on her pop career.
Although she did not study French in college, Gaga has sung multiple songs in the language. In A Star Is Born, The New York City native sang “La Vie en Rose” at the beginning of the film, where Bradley Cooper‘s character first meets her.
While she attended high school at the all-girls Convent of the Scared Heart in New York City, Gaga learned French, she previously told Stephen Colbert.
The “Love Game” artist also took to X following her Olympic performance, writing, “Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music—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.”
I feel so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris @Olympics 2024 this year. I am also 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… pic.twitter.com/FMNyiosHUR
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) July 26, 2024
“I feel so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris @Olympics 2024 this year,” Gaga continued. “I am also 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.”
What Was Lady Gaga Singing at the Olympics?
Performing alongside multiple backup dancers, Gaga sang “Mon Truc en Plumes” in front of the world while opening the 2024 summer Olympic Games on the Seine.