Lady Gaga pre-recorded her Olympics opening ceremony performance to avoid the heavy rain (original) (raw)

Lady Gaga’s opening number at the 2024 Olympics may have given the impression of a bumpy live performance — but it was actually pre-recorded.

The Oscar- and Grammy-winning pop star dazzled viewers worldwide by kicking off the Summer Olympics Friday in Paris with an elaborate performance of French star Zizi Jeanmaire's "Mon Truc En Plumes,” that was recorded hours before the ceremony actually began.

Olympic and Paralympic opening ceremony choreographer Maud le Pladec told Variety that Gaga’s surprise performance was filmed ahead of time “for safety reasons” once the team learned that it was scheduled to air during a forecasted downpour.

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Lady Gaga.

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“Unfortunately, it was the only [performance] that, for safety reasons, we had to pre-record late in the afternoon,” Le Pladec said. “Once we knew for sure that it was going to rain — we had minute-by-minute updates, we had never watched the weather forecast so closely in our lives — we assessed that it was going to be too dangerous for performers, even with a few drops of rain.”

She added, “[Gaga] wanted to do it absolutely so we preferred to pre-record it rather than cancel it.”

As for the specific safety concerns, Le Pladec pointed out that some of the choreography saw Gaga descending stairs along the Seine river. “The soil would have been slippery. She was wearing heels, very near the water, there were stairs… We had to be extremely cautious,” she said.

Representatives for Lady Gaga did not immediately respond to _Entertainment Weekly_’s request for comment.

Lady Gaga.

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Despite the precautions, the Rain on Me singer still faced a series of hiccups throughout the performance. Along with technical difficulties affecting her vocals, one of Gaga’s backup dancers slipped mid-performance. The dancer in question took a tumble and laid on the stage for a few seconds before getting up to continue the routine.

The Joker: Folie à Deux star’s performance was still celebrated and later that day, Gaga took to X to gush about how privileged she feels to have participated in the ceremony.

“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,” she wrote. “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 added, “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! 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!”