Lady Gaga’s Olympics Performance Was Pre-Recorded Due To Safety Concerns

Over the weekend, Lady Gaga performed for the opening ceremony at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris – however her moment in the spotlight wasn’t taped live as part of the actual event, it’s been confirmed.

Gaga sang a rendition of Zizi Jenmaire’s Mon Truc en Plumes, sharing the stage with other performers like French singer Slimane, prog-metal band Gojira (marking the first time a metal band has graced the stage at an Olympic ceremony), Aya Nakamura, Juliette Aranet and Celine Dion (in the latter’s first public performance since December 2022, when she revealed her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome).

Speaking with Variety, Maud Le Pladec – the ceremony’s choreographer and head of dance – revealed that Gaga’s performance was the only one that didn’t take place as part of the actual in-person event. She said the four-minute sequence was the “most artistically challenging” of the entire show, and had to be taped in the hours leading up to the ceremony due to concerns over Gaga’s safety with the rainy weather.

Le Pladec explained: “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. [Gaga] wanted to do it absolutely so we preferred to pre-record it rather than cancel it.

“The soil would have been slippery. She was wearing heels, very near the water, there were stairs... We had to be extremely cautious.”

Le Pladec went on to note that Gaga spent weeks training for the show in Los Angeles, with dancers she’d flown in from Paris. “She wanted to make a show à la Française,” the creative director said. “She puts so much effort and thought into everything she does and she has a very developed creative process.”

In a post shared on Twitter after the event, Gaga wrote that she “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”.

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

Have a look at Gaga’s performance from the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony below:

And check out some of the reactions to the spectacle:

I'm old enough to remember when Oasis, the Spice Girls, George Michael, and Pet Shop Boys all rocked it LIVE at the London Olympics in 2012...

Lady Gaga's pre-recording in Paris is a total letdown. https://t.co/v9sBLv783Q pic.twitter.com/byo3Wr3uxo

— Russian Market (@runews) July 27, 2024

the Olympics opening ceremony had EVERYTHING. a nonbinary torch bearer in a fencing mask. a beheaded marie antoinette singing opera. lady gaga performing on a golden staircase. a pre-taped menage a trois. the mona lisa floating in the poo river. heavy metal les mis. très bien! pic.twitter.com/S1Dltup6na

— iiegra 𐚁₊⊹ (@spoonreach) July 26, 2024

…Gaga oh la la!

Excuse us as we pick our jaws off of the floor 🤯 @ladygaga just blew us away with a dazzling French cabaret performance at the #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony! pic.twitter.com/oXBtU8wit3

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024

Who else loved Lady Gaga's performance at the Olympics opening ceremony? She looks fabulous and her little show was just right. She was made for this sort of cabaret ooh la la thing.

— Sophie Grenham 🇭🇰🇮🇪 (@sophiegrenham) July 26, 2024

It's amazing how it's a well-known fact that Lady Gaga is very talented, but she still manages to take it to new heights and show the world that she's capable of even more. Her entire performance was breathtaking.

I'm just so proud of her! 😭💖✨️#Paris2024 #Olympics https://t.co/3GOCbathux

— Atenea (@Atenea_Stelios) July 26, 2024

You did it and you did it masterfully, Gaga! I'm so proud to be your Little Monster, truly. Your performance was impeccable, as always, and of infinite significance. Thank you for everything, thank you for being here. The Games have begun and you were the one who started it! ❤️✨ pic.twitter.com/natsMB5nNk

— 𝑳𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒂 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏 ✨🖤 ˡᵍ⁷ (@LoopyReasonsLG) July 26, 2024

This Olympic #OpeningCeremony is a shambles! GaGa’s choreography was awkward and messy. The boat procession just looks like a giant low-budget river regatta. Oh my. I’m going to bed.

— Purple Girl (@purplgrl) July 26, 2024

What an absolute waste of Lady Gaga's talent. 90% of that song had no lead vocals at all, she sat down at a piano she never actually played, and she's unfortunately not a very good dancer. #OlympicOpeningCeremony

— Matt 🍺⚾🇺🇸 (@SoxShark39) July 27, 2024

Olympics Opening Ceremony! The most embarrassing, cringiest and garish thing I ever saw!
Huddling multiple countries on a boat, pink / fuchsia colour, Lady Gaga terrible little show… pic.twitter.com/b36xqgwsm0

— Mari (@MarixLala) July 26, 2024