“The wrath of pop culture will inspire you and the rage of art will empower you as it responds to hardship with its generosity.”
Lady Gaga topped off her stellar evening at Sunday’s MTV VMAs by winning the first-ever Tricon Award.
Accepting the trophy for her achievements as a musician, actress and philanthropist at the unprecedented virtual extravaganza, the triple-threat gave an inspiring speech after being introduced by supermodel Bella Hadid.
“This means a lot to me,” began the 34-year-old icon. “I’ve been making music since I was a little girl and even though I had really, really big dreams I truly never could have imagined that someday I would be given an award like this that honored me for so many of my passions.”
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“I want you to know that I failed over and over again as an actress and as a musician when I was young,” she confessed. “And though I gave back to the local community through services as a young woman in New York, philanthropy became a much bigger part of my life as a star and I started the Born This Way Foundation with my mother. Cynthia, once my record broke.”
Dressed in a metallic silver ensemble with matching face mask, the “Bad Romance” singer asked those at home who consider themselves tricons to “take a moment” to reward themselves for their bravery.
“This has not been an easy year for a lot of people but what I see in the world is a massive triumph of courage.”
Gaga went on to say she hopes to inspire people to follow their dreams by accepting the award.
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“I want you to know you can do this too,” she continued. “Just because we are separated right now and the culture may feel less alive in some ways, I know a renaissance is coming. And the wrath of pop culture will inspire you and the rage of art will empower you as it responds to hardship with its generosity and love. This is what I believe.”
She ended the moving message by saying, “I want nothing more than to be your artist in 2020. It’s a total privilege. I love you, stay safe, speak your mind and I know I might sound like a broken record, but wear a mask — it’s a sign of respect.”
The Tricon Award added to her growing Moon Person collection, as she won for Song of the Year, Artist of the Year and Best Collaboration with Ariana Grande on “Rain On Me” earlier in the evening. Gaga led the nominations with a total of nine nods.
This year’s musical extravaganza — hosted by Keke Palmer — was scheduled to take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, but pivoted to virtual segments and outdoor performances due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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