Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Lady Gaga has been an innovative artist since first making her mark on music with her 2009 debut album The Fame, but that status has been cemented with her latest award.
The "Abracadabra" singer was presented with the 2025 iHeartRadio Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday (March 17), her newest honor after dropping her long-awaited new album MAYHEM earlier this month. The coveted award honors Gaga's legacy and impact on global pop culture throughout her career.
Introduced by Doechii, Gaga said that receiving such an honor at 38 years old holds a mix of complicated feelings because while she feels like she's been "doing this forever," she knows that she is "just getting started" and "getting warmed up."
"Innovation isn't about breaking rules, it's about writing your own and convincing the world they were theirs all along," she said, sharing personal examples of arriving at an awards show in an egg or her boundary-breaking songs like "Born this Way." "If I have learned anything in three decades I've been at this, it's that the the most powerful innovation is your authenticity."
The "Disease" hitmaker emphasized the importance of listening to your own voice and standing up for your art and to not compromise."
After shouting out her own inspirations, from David Bowie and Madonna to Cher and Tony Bennett as well as thanking her "Little Monsters" for always supporting her and "seeing [her] so clearly," Mother Monster shared some words of wisdom for artists looking to make their own mark on the industry.
"To every artist who has ever been told they're different, complicated or too much, please never change," she said. "Break the mold. The world doesn't need another copy, it desperately needs your original."
The Innovator Award wasn't the only trophy Gaga was looking to take home at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards. She was up for three awards throughout the night: Best Collaboration ("Die With A Smile" with Bruno Mars), Best Music Video ("Die With A Smile" with Bruno Mars) and Favorite On Screen (Gaga Chromatica Ball).
Hosted by LL COOL J, the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards featured a handful of incredible performances by many of your favorite artists, such as Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, GloRilla, Kenny Chesney, Nelly, Gracie Abrams, Muni Long and more as well as special appearances from Becky G, Billy Idol, Kelsea Ballerini, Victoria Monét, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Robin Thicke and more. Don't miss out on the tally of who took home the biggest awards of the night.