By Harron Walker
Facing stiff competition from the likes of Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, and Roddy Rich, Lady Gaga has been declared the winner of Song of the Year at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards for “Rain on Me” with Ariana Grande.
“Oh my gosh, everybody, thank you so much!” said Gaga when she accepted the Moonperson for Song of the Year — her second win of the night following Best Collaboration, also for the Chromatica track. “Me and Ariana appreciate this so, so much.”
Wearing a billowing seafoam green gown made by the emerging designer Christopher John Rogers, which she paired with a quarantine-friendly face mask with tusks, the native New Yorker accepted the award live in her hometown. During her acceptance speech, Gaga gave VMA viewers a background look at how the song came together.
“I remember when I rewrote the lyrics to the chorus and I sang them for my producer and collaborator, Bloodpop,” she said. “I remember thinking I had cried so many tears that it felt like an unfathomable downpour from my eyes.”
“But even with that much rain, you don’t have to drown,” she continued, now addressing VMA viewers with some words of inspiration. “Even though it feels like you are [drowning], you can still swim. And if there’s a strong current with a bunch of waves and they keep crashing over you, if you keep swimming you’ll reach the center of the ocean, where it’s calm, still, and peaceful.”
This is Gaga’s 15th VMA total, making her the ceremony’s third most-awarded artist after Beyoncé and Madonna. It’s also her first time winning Song of the Year after receiving a nomination for A Star Is Born hit “Shallow” at the 2019 VMAs. The win holds special resonance for the entertainer, she said during her acceptance speech.
“I’m very honored for the awards I’ve been nominated for this evening, but I have to say—winning [Song of the Year] has to be my favorite,” Gaga told viewers. “At the end of the day, my heart is as a songwriter.”
The 2020 VMAsh have kicked off across MTV’s linear and digital platforms, as well as with several outdoor performances around New York City. Find everything you need to know at vma.mtv.com.
