Lady Gaga delivered a superb performance of the national anthem at President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
Typically extravagantly, the pop star dressed in a breathtaking Schiaparelli Haute Couture navy blue and red dress, adorned with a golden dove symbolizing peace. She completed the look with braids and a coordinating gold microphone, winning comparisons to Royalty and “The Hunger Games” on social media.
Her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was theatrical and catchy, with her arms raised as she smiled and gazed at the masked crowd surrounding her outside the US Capitol. Compared to his more measured and emotional performance of the 2016 Super Bowl anthem, his inaugural rendition of the song was dynamic and uplifting, showcasing his signature vibrato and impressive range.
Inauguration of Biden:Lady Gaga prays for ‘peace for all Americans’ on US Capitol ahead of inauguration
Gaga joins a list of women including Jackie Evancho (2017), Beyoncé (2013), Marilyn Horne (1993), Juanita Booker (1981) and Ethel Ennis (1973) who sang the national anthem during presidential inaugurations.
She has long been one of Biden’s best-known celebrities and friends. In 2016, the then-vice president introduced Gaga to the Oscars telecast, where she performed her Oscar-nominated song “Til It Happens to You” from the documentary “The Hunting Ground.” They then teamed up for the It’s On Us campaign, which fights to raise awareness about sexual assault on college campuses.
The singer also joined Biden on the campaign trail last November, appearing with him in Pennsylvania the day before the election and performing at a drive-through rally, where she sang his hits “Shallow” and “You and I.”
“If you’re here, you probably believe in Joe Biden already. I know I believe in Joe Biden,” Gaga said outside Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. “You probably already think he’s the right choice over Donald Trump. You don’t need me to tell you why. Because, like me, you’ve been through the past four years and have all the evidence that you need to consider that choice and know in your heart, without a doubt, that Joe Biden is the right choice. “
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Gaga has been highly critical of Trump throughout his four-year tenure, recently denouncing his rhetoric following the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of the former president earlier this month.
“I hope we focus on impeaching Trump so that Congress has the constitutional authority to possibly disqualify him from future elections,” she wrote on Twitter. “Amendment 25 does not disqualify him. It has instigated domestic terror – how much more violence has yet to occur? It is terrorism.”
