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How a 2011 meeting with Lady Gaga was made even more memorable by a furore over unauthorised lyric changes

The Straits Times

|

May 15, 2025

In a few days, Lady Gaga will be back for her first concert in Singapore in more than a decade.

- Eddino Abdul Hadi

How a 2011 meeting with Lady Gaga was made even more memorable by a furore over unauthorised lyric changes

High-energy dance party Do not expect fan chants or rituals in the vein of American pop star Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour concerts. But you should come ready for a non-stop dance party – one that will include skeletons, which Gaga and some of her dancers use as their "partners" for the campy disco track Zombieboy from Mayhem.

But Gaga will occasionally urge her Little Monsters – the name of her fan base – to scream, cheer and put their hands, or "paws", up.

She is also likely to descend onto the floor section to walk among and interact with fans during Vanish Into You, also from Mayhem.

Speaking of the floor section, those seated there might catch a glimpse of Gaga's fiancé Michael Polansky, an American entrepreneur whom some fans have dubbed "Papa Monster". He is credited as a co-writer on selected Mayhem tracks.

While you are people-spotting, look out for dancer Ian McKenzie onstage. He has been a part of Gaga's dance crew since 2008, when she was still an unknown singer performing in carparks.

And for me, her imminent arrival has unearthed a distinct memory from her visit here over a decade ago.

As a music journalist, I have done hundreds of interviews with international stars, from American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift to British rock band Coldplay.

But my 10-minute face-to-face with Lady Gaga in a spacious Marina Bay Sands (MBS) suite in July 2011 still ranks as one of the most memorable in my 17-year career.

It was also the same year a domestic controversy swirled over her 2009 hit song Bad Romance being improperly used as part of the 2011 National Day Parade (NDP).

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