Lady Gaga Challenges Ageism in Pop Music at iHeartRadio Awards

Lady Gaga addressed ageism in the music industry while accepting the Innovator Award at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards. She discussed her career, the perception of women's age in pop music, and emphasized authenticity as key to innovation. Gaga also honored her grandmothers' influence and celebrated her Grammy win.

At the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, held at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre, Lady Gaga used her platform to address ageism in the music industry. Accepting the Innovator Award, the 38-year-old pop icon voiced concerns about the age-related stigma women face in pop music, particularly as they approach their late thirties.

"Winning an award honoring my entire career at 38 is hard to fathom," Gaga admitted during her speech. "Though I've been in this business for decades, I feel my journey has just begun. It's unreasonable to label women as 'too old' for pop at my age, and I'm just warming up," she declared.

Gaga defined innovation as authenticity and rewriting the norms. Highlighting her family's legacy of resilience, she celebrated her grandmothers, whom she described as "fiercely brilliant Italian-American women" who reinvented their own destinies. Gaga was also recognized at the event for her Grammy-winning collaboration with Bruno Mars and her Chromatica Ball concert film. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)