Lady Gaga will perform a song for the athletes at the Opening Ceremony of the first-ever European Games, in Baku Azerbaijan.
Seated at the piano, Lady Gaga will sing ‘Imagine’. The lyrics of John Lennon’s classic pop song encourage the listener to imagine a world at peace, without the barrier of borders.
These European Games bring together nearly 6,000 athletes from 50 nations under a new flame of international unity through sport – breaking down barriers and fostering new friendships.
Lady Gaga rose to international prominence with her debut album, The Fame (2008), which produced the chart-topping singles ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Poker Face’. She went on to release a succession of global hits, including ‘Bad Romance’, ‘Telephone’, ‘Born This Way’, ‘Applause’ and ‘Do What U Want’.
In addition to impressive sales of 28 million albums and 140 million singles, Lady Gaga is also a touring force, selling more than three million tickets for her first three concert tours. Other achievements include six Grammy Awards, 13 MTV Video Music Awards, 13 Guinness World Records and the first-ever Contemporary Icon Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She regularly features on Forbes’ list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women and was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine. She is the only female artist ever to have received the RIAA’s prestigious Digital Diamond Award, celebrating over 10 million sales of her hit song ‘Bad Romance’ which has now sold over 11 million copies in the USA alone.
Lady Gaga is known for her diverse contributions to the music industry via her self-empowering messages, fashion and live performances. Outside of music, she’s noted for her philanthropic work and social activism, including LGBT rights and HIV/AIDS prevention. In 2012, she established the Born This Way Foundation which focuses on youth empowerment.
‘I’m extremely honoured to be playing at the Opening Ceremony in Baku, and to be celebrating all of the amazing athletes who will compete in the European Games in this beautiful city.’ Lady Gaga
‘We’re delighted that Lady Gaga is performing at the Opening Ceremony of the first-ever European Games. Her choice of song, John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, with its theme of peace and unity, is the perfect message to be sending to the athletes from the 50 Olympic nations of Europe’.
Catherine Ugwu, Director of Ceremonies Baku 2015
