In 2009, Lady Gaga delivered one of the biggest explosions onto the pop music scene we had seen in a very long time.
Her debut album The Fame produced several hits and she immediately established herself as one of the biggest forces in pop music.
Gaga was nominated for a whopping nine MTV Video Music Awards at the 2009 ceremony, and hers was one of the most-anticipated performances of the night.
By the time the VMAs rolled around, Gaga had three smash hits under her belt in the previous 12 months: “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” and “LoveGame.”
But she chose instead to perform her brand-new single, “Paparazzi,” one of the best tracks from The Fame.
That performance would become iconic.
The Live Performance of ‘Paparazzi’
The performance opens with Gaga lying down, singing a line from “PokerFace.” Then the music from “Paparazzi” begins playing, and she raised her head, revealing an ornate masquerade-style white mask.
As two of her dancers help her to her feet, Gaga joins in a choreographed dance routine. Her vocals were clear and at the forefront of the mix, making it clear that she was singing live.
She removed the mask and continued with her dance moves, along with her backup dancers. At that point, though the staging was impressive, this didn’t appear to be anything other than a typical award show performance.
Then, Gaga strode over to a white grand piano, as the camera panned to an unfortunate cut of Diddy. Gaga performed a brief piano solo while headbanging, something you don’t see very often.
As she grabbed the mic and returned to center stage, a red liquid started leaking from her outfit, giving the illusion of blood running down her chest. Finally, she was hoisted up on a dangling wire, appearing to hang lifeless, as the sound of photographer clicks were heard.
The presentation was clearly in line with the lyrics of the song itself, which noted the struggles of being famous. The performance implied that the paparazzi only care about getting their pictures, no matter what kind of turmoil the celebrity may be experiencing.
Gaga’s Night at the VMAs
Lady Gaga ended up winning three of the nine VMAs for which she was nominated at the 2009 VMAs.
Gaga didn’t win Video of the Year (Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”) or Best Female Video (Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”). Remember, this was the year Kanye West infamously interrupted Swift’s speech, and Beyonce gave Swift time later to finish her acceptance.
But Gaga did take home the Best New Artist VMA award, while “Paparazzi” won Best Special Effects and Best Art Direction.
This was one year before the infamous “meat dress,” an outfit made up of raw beef that Gaga wore at the 2010 VMAs. Gaga would win eight VMAs in 2010 for “Bad Romance” and “Telephone.” She now has 18 VMAs in her career.
In 2024, the VMAs created a special category called “VMAs Most Iconic Performance.” Gaga’s “Paparazzi” was nominated but lost (somehow) to Katy Perry’s “Roar.”
It’s interesting that the VMAs were ground zero for many of the best live performances in pop music history. See also our story on Sinead O’Connor’s 1990 VMA performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Last Updated on March 3, 2025