Lady Gaga Calls Out Ageism in Music at 2025 iHeartRadio Awards: 'I Don't Know How to Feel About...'

Lady Gaga received the Innovator Award at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, where she spoke about her career, ageism in the music industry, and her deep connection with the LGBTQ+ community.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 18, 2025 | 03:52 AM GMT | 9.4K

Lady Gaga (via Getty Images)

Lady Gaga was honored with the Innovator Award at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 17. The singer gave a powerful speech at the awards night hosted at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles about her career and addressed ageism in the music industry.

Doechii presented the award to Lady Gaga, calling her “an innovator already.” In response, Gaga said she was “deeply touched” and reflected on the milestone as per PEOPLE.

“Winning an award honoring my entire career at 38 years old is a hard thing to get my head around,” she said. “On the one hand, I feel like I’ve been doing this forever, and on the other hand, I know I’m just getting started.”

Gaga shed light on the challenges women face in the music industry as they grow older, saying that while some might consider a woman in her late 30s too old for a pop star, she believed she was just getting started.

She described innovation as more than just breaking the rules, stating that it was about creating one's own and making the world believe they had always existed.

Reflecting on her bold career choices, she mentioned her memorable Grammy entry in an egg and how her hit song Born This Way was initially deemed too controversial. She stated that after three decades in the industry, she had learned that true innovation comes from authenticity.

Gaga honored her inspirations, mentioning artists such as David Bowie, Grace Jones, Carole King, Elton John, Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Cher, and her close friend Tony Bennett. She also spoke about her Italian-American grandmothers, whom she described as her greatest influences, saying they did not invent technology or art but rather the idea of possibility.

Expressing gratitude to her fans, known as the Little Monsters, she also gave a special shoutout to the LGBTQ+ community, acknowledging their bravery and impact. She noted that they had shown her courage long before the world was ready to listen and added that their strength continued to inspire her every day.