The singer earns her first nomination for Best Original Song.
Less than a week after winning her first Golden Globe, Lady
Gaga picked up her first Oscar nomination.
While Gaga’s surprise Golden Globe win was for her major
acting debut on American Horror Story: Hotel, the Oscar recognition is
for music. On Thursday, the singer, along with songwriter Diane Warren, was
nominated for Best Original song for “Til It Happens to You.”
The track was written for The Hunting Ground, a
documentary about sexual assault and rape crimes on college campuses around the
U.S.
MORE: Lady Gaga Confronts Campus Rape in Powerful Music Video
Gaga, who is a victim of rape, dedicated the nomination to fellow
survivors. “This nomination lends a voice to so many victims and their families
around the world,” she said in a statement. “Thank you to The Academy for
recognizing the movement of people who have come together around The Hunting Ground and “Til It Happens to
You” in the name of sexual assault. Diane Warren and I are simply honored to
represent the voices of so many survivors.”
Warren shared a similar sentiment. “It means a lot to Lady
Gaga and me that the song has been recognized by the Academy and has also
resonated so deeply with survivors of sexual assault, giving a voice to this
movement as well as comfort and empowerment to those who have experienced any
difficult situation in their lives,” she said in a statement. Warren herself
has been nominated for seven Oscars in this category.
Prior to the nomination, Gaga opened up about her own
experiences in the aftermath of being raped at 19, speaking candidly about the
song in conversation with TimesTalk. "The only person in
this scenario that can heal you is yourself, and that is the complicated
process,” she remarked.
MORE: Lady Gaga Gets Candid About Being Raped: 'It Changed Who I Was Completely'
“I didn't tell anyone for I think seven years," she
shared. "I didn't know how to even think about it, I didn't know how to
accept it, I didn't know how to not blame myself or think it was my fault. It
was something that really changed my life. It changed who I was completely. It
changed my body, it changed thoughts.”
While the nomination itself carries a heavy weight, the 2016
Academy Awards promise to be more of a celebratory affair thanks to an
impending reunion between Gaga and fellow nominee, Leonardo DiCaprio.
MORE: Leonardo DiCaprio Explains His Hilarious Reaction to Lady Gaga's Win
The two broke the Internet during the Golden Globes when
DiCaprio made a funny face as Gaga walked by him to accept her award for Best
Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.
“I just didn’t know what was passing me -- that’s all!” the Revenant star
explained to ET following the ceremony.
The two have since shared a laugh over the incident at CAA’s
after party. “They were talking for a while. Lots of laughs going on," a
source told ET. "It was all in good fun.”
Audiences will surely be on the lookout for another candid
moment between the two as they both wait to find out if they take home Oscars
on Sunday, Feb. 28 when the Oscars are handed out live on ABC.