Lady Gaga’s 2024 Olympics performance was nearly canceled due to rain

• Lady Gaga’s performance at the Summer Olympics opening ceremony was almost canceled due to rainy weather, according to her choreographer.
• The star’s performance was pre-recorded for safety reasons, though she continued to sing and dance live.
• Gaga’s performance was the first at the opening of this year’s Olympic Games.

Lady Gaga’s performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics appears to have been a very “dangerous” act.

The 38-year-old wowed fans at the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26, when she danced down a golden staircase along the River Seine in Paris while singing a sultry version of Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes.” Although the energetic performance went off without any major hitches, choreographer Maud Le Bladec — who worked with Gaga for months preparing for the Olympics’ opening number — Tell diverse It was almost cancelled due to rainy weather.

“Unfortunately, this was the only solution.” [performance] “For safety reasons, we had to pre-register late in the afternoon, once we knew for sure it was going to rain,” Bladick told me in a recent interview, adding that the group was issuing “minute-by-minute updates.”

“We had never watched the weather forecast so closely in our lives,” she continued. “We estimated that the weather would be extremely dangerous for the performers, even with a few drops of rain. [Gaga] We wanted to do just that, so we preferred to pre-register it rather than cancel it.

Even with the safety plan in place, Gaga, accompanied by a troupe of dancers, continued to sing and dance — and play the piano — live on Friday, all while wearing a Dior Haute Couture look complete with sky-high heels featuring a black feathered jacket over a satin bodice and matching lingerie.

However, Bladeck revealed to me several reasons why the show might have been ruined by the rain. “The ground was slippery. She was wearing high heels, she was very close to the water, and there were stairs. We had to be very careful,” she said of Gaga.

Fortunately, Gaga’s performance will go down in Olympic history as the first to open the 2024 Summer Games. And The first ever opening ceremony to be held outside a stadium. The icon reflected on the epic moment shortly after in a long speech. Posted on social mediaHe described it as “a gift I will never forget.”

“I am so grateful to have been asked to open the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this year,” she began. “I am also humbled that the Olympic Organizing Committee has asked me to sing such a special French song – a song to honor the French people and their immense history in art, music and theater.”

“Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with the French people and French music – I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth – Paris,” Gaga continued.

The Grammy winner went on to talk about how she “studying French dance” and “training tirelessly” to deliver a stunning performance, concluding: “I hope you love this performance as much as I do. And to everyone in France, thank you so much for welcoming me to your country to perform in your honor – it’s a gift I’ll never forget!”

Gaga capped off her festive weekend by revealing her engagement to longtime boyfriend Michael Polanski to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal at the Paris Olympics. TikTok video In a video posted by Attal on Sunday, July 28, the “LoveGame” singer can be heard introducing Polanski as “my fiancé” while the trio watches a swimming event together.

Gaga’s representatives did not immediately respond to People’s request for comment.

Shortly after news of her engagement broke, Gaga took to her Instagram Stories to thank her French fans who supported her in Paris last week and offered them a special treat. “I was so touched by my French fans this week outside the hotel. Going out and saying goodbye tonight with a few seconds of #LG7,” she wrote about her upcoming studio album before heading out to play new music. Fan quotes posted on social media.

After joking that it is Back to the studio While working on her next project, a source tells PEOPLE that Gaga has “never been happier,” adding, “She feels like she’s the most creative she’s ever been.”