The 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards were a night of festivities, yet it also provided an opportunity to speak on a critical issue of ageism in the music industry. Lady Gaga received the coveted Innovator Award on March 17 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and delivered a robust speech challenging the norms of the business and establishing the importance of being true to oneself.
Lady Gaga, 38, grappled with the irony of being awarded an award honoring her entire career at an “old” age as a pop artist.
“Winning an award honoring my entire career at 38 years old is something I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around,” she said. “Part of me is thinking I’ve been doing it forever, and the other is thinking I’m just starting.”
While the rest of the world might view a female in her late 30s as being old to be a pop artist, which is ridiculous, I assure you I’m just starting.”
Gaga’s words resonated, shedding light on the deep-rooted biases women suffer in the music industry, where youth is preferred over talent and experience. She asked performers to be authentic and said, “Innovation isn’t about breaking rules, it’s about writing your own and convincing the world they were theirs all along.”
During her speech, Gaga acknowledged many of the legends whose music influenced her. She paid tribute to legends David Bowie, Madonna, Grace Jones, Carole King, Lady Starlight, Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Cher, and her longtime colleague and friend, the late Tony Bennett. She also thanked her loyal fanbase, her “Little Monsters,” and the LGBTQ+ community. “Because you saw me, I learned to see myself,” she said. “You taught me courage before the world was ready to listen. You’ve made the world a better place, and your courage inspires mine every single day.”
She also acknowledged her grandmothers, whom she called “fiercely brilliant Italian-American women who reinvented their own fates with determination, dreams, and courage.” Gaga credited them with instilling in her a vision of resilience and ingenuity.
Gaga’s iHeartRadio Award came on the heels of her latest album, Mayhem, which brought her back to her pop roots and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Things got even better when she took home the award for Best Collaboration on her No. 1 single Die With A Smile, featuring Bruno Mars.
The event hosted a lineup of other music legends. Mariah Carey was awarded the Icon Award, and Taylor Swift set yet another record when winning Artist of the Year and Pop Album of the Year for The Tortured Poets Department. Irish artist Hozier took home Alternative Song of the Year for Too Sweet, and Sabrina Carpenter took Pop Artist of the Year and Song of the Year home for Espresso. British artist Charli XCX also made waves, winning Dance Album of the Year for Brat and Dance Song of the Year for 360.
