Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault, self-harm, and suicide. If you or someone you know is affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
In a new interview, Lady Gaga opened up about the trauma she experienced after being sexually assaulted by a producer when she was 19.
In a new interview, Lady Gaga has opened up about the trauma she experienced after being sexually assaulted by a producer. Gaga talked about the incident in her appearance on the Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry-led series The Me You Can’t See. The assault, which happened when she was 19, left her with prolonged psychological effects, she said.
“I was 19 years old and I was working in the business and a producer said to me, ‘Take your clothes off’. I said no and I left, and they told me they were going to burn all my music. And they didn’t stop… they didn’t stop asking me and I just froze, and I just… I don’t even remember,” she recalled.
Gaga also opened up about the trauma resurfacing after a recent psychiatrist visit, describing feeling sick for ‘weeks and weeks after’: “I realized that it was the same pain that I felt when the person who raped me dropped me off pregnant on a corner, at my parent’s house, ’cause I was vomiting and sick, ’cause I had been being abused. I was locked away in a studio for months.”
She also confessed that the devastating effects of the assault had a prolonged impact on her career, leading to a series of cancellations for a number of concerts and a ‘total psychotic break’ during the press tour for A Star Is Born. “For a couple years, I was not the same girl,” she said.
Due to the continued psychological stress, Gaga also turned to self-harm, describing how certain triggers might still affect her adversely: “When I say feel bad, I mean want to cut, think about dying, wondering if I’m ever gonna do it.”
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Despite this, she has no intentions of identifying the producer as a means to distance herself from the trauma: “I understand this #MeToo movement; I understand that some people feel really comfortable with this, and I do not. I do not ever want to face that person again.”
In the episode, Gaga — who first opened up about her assault in 2014 — also asked people to actively seek help and surround themselves with a strong support system. “That means somebody that believes you, that cares about you and tells you that your pain matters and that it’s real,” she said.
You can read more about topic over at the Pop Observer.
