Lady Gaga on Her Song 'Til It Happens to You': 'I Wanted It To Be Empowering'

In an appearance at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills tonight, Lady Gaga performed the song “Til It Happens to You,” which she co-wrote for the feature documentary The Hunting Ground, Kirby Dick’s film about sexual assaults on American college campuses.

Recently, Lady Gaga opened up about being a rape survivor, saying she channeled her personal experience into the song. At a TimesTalks panel Dec. 10 to promote the film, she elaborated, saying, “Because of the way that I dress, and the way that I’m provocative as a person, I thought that I had brought it on myself in some way, that it was my fault.”

The Hunting Ground focuses on the epidemic of sexual assaults and the growing network of student activists who are working to combat the violence. Directed by Dick and produced by Amy Zeiring, it is one of fifteen documentaries shortlisted for an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.
“Til It Happens to You” also is in Oscar contention, having already been nominated for a Grammy. Gaga co-wrote the song with Diane Warren, a seven-time Oscar nominee for songs that have been featured in films Pearl Harbor, Armageddon and Beyond the Lights.

“I always tell this story about how Diane had to convince me that it was okay to sing about this and reveal this thing about myself,” Gaga said before she performed during a reception following a screening of the film.

As she began to tear up, Gaga thanked the filmmakers, saying, “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of something truly authentic.”

In the corner of the intimate gathering, she sat down at the keyboard with Warren to belt out the melody for the party-goers, who included the filmmakers and several of the rape survivors and activists from the documentary.

After her performance, Gaga made a plea to attendees, saying, “If you are taking care of young people in the industry, make sure you ask them lots of thing about their sexuality and well-being.”