TOPSHOT – US’ singer Lady Gaga sings a song at the Sully bridge area before the opening ceremony of … [+]
Lady Gaga kicked off the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony and will reportedly retake the stage with Céline Dion later in the broadcast. Viewers might be curious whether Lady Gaga speaks French after she opened the event singing in the country’s native language.
The 13-time Grammy-winning artist made her 2024 Paris Olympics debut at the Opening Ceremony, which commenced on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET (the broadcast will re-air on NBC and Peacock at 7:30 p.m. ET). Led by artistic director Thomas Jolly, the ceremony is the first to be held on a river rather than in a traditional stadium.
Surrounded by fluffy pink feathers, Lady Gaga sang Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc En Plumes” — which translates to “My Thing with Feathers” — on a set of stairs along the Seine River. NBC News says that the rendition appeared to pay tribute to Jeanmaire’s performance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
French media reported that Lady Gaga will perform again with Canadian icon Céline Dion sometime later in the ceremony. The artists will reportedly sing the beloved French classic “La Vie en Rose” from iconic French singer Édith Piaf.
Is Lady Gaga of French descent, and does she speak the language fluently? Here’s what to know about her “special connection” to the host country.
Is Lady Gaga French?
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 24: Lady Gaga is seen signing autographs for on July 24, 2024 in Paris, France. … [+]
No, Lady Gaga is not French. The singer, whose full name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is Italian-American. She was born and raised in New York City.
According to Grammy.com, Gaga’s mother, Cynthia Louise, is a philanthropist and businesswoman, and her father, Joseph Germanotta, is an internet entrepreneur. She also has a younger sister named Natali Germanotta.
After her debut performance at the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Gaga shared her appreciation for France and the nation’s people with a heartfelt post on X.
“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,” she explained.
Check out the full post below.
Does Lady Gaga Speak French?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 12: Lady Gaga attends Netflix’s “Maestro” Los Angeles photo call … [+]
Lady Gaga does not speak French fluently. She told Stephen Colbert on his talk show in October 2018 that she took French when she attended the all-girls school Convent of the Sacred Heart on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, but her fluency was not very good.
The singer expressed a similar sentiment in 2009 when she was asked if she spoke French by French radio station Fun Radio. “No, my French is sh*t,” she replied.
It’s clear that Gaga has a fascination for the language, as she’s included French lines in a few of her songs over the years, including “Love Game,” “Eh, Eh, Nothing Else I Can Say,” “Bloody Mary,” and “Fashion.” For example, in her 2009 hit “Bad Romance,” she sings, “J’veux ton amour, et je veux ta revanche //J’veux ton amour, I don’t wanna be friends.”
Gaga also previously sang “La Vie en Rose” — the duet she’ll reportedly sing today— for her 2018 Oscar-winning film, A Star Is Born.
To prepare for her “Mon Truc En Plumes” performance, Gaga added on X that she studied French choreography “that put a modern twist on a French classic.” She continued, 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!”
The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony is currently airing on NBC and Peacock.
