In honor of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s surreal performance of “Shallow” from the movie “A Star is Born” at the 91st Academy Awards this past Sunday night, I would like to use this page to acknowledge the blissful and undisputed talent of these two artists.
They possess the power to move an audience just through pure emotion.
It’s no secret that Gaga has been a godsend to electronic dance music and pop, infusing her own alternative, Queen-like style into an otherwise mainstream genre. But the world, myself included, was not expecting to see Gaga — the 21st century Madonna — on the big screen.
Not only did Gaga star alongside Cooper in a film as big as “A Star Is Born,” she utterly dominated it, robbing every last breath I could muster while watching her love story unfold, wrought with so much sadness yet so much brilliance.
That’s not to say Cooper wasn’t a heroic force himself. His portrayal of Jackson Maine, the tortured but incredibly gifted musician, was both masterfully nuanced and beautifully powerful. It was the perfect complement to Gaga’s character, the rising star known as Ally.
Under Cooper’s direction, “A Star Is Born” reached soaring heights of national acclaim and was nominated for eight different categories at the Oscars this year. Much to my surprise, “Shallow” was the only aspect of “A Star Is Born” to actually win for the category of Best Original Song.
Did “A Star Is Born” deserve to win more? Maybe, but “Green Book” definitely deserved to win Best Picture. It’s a tough call.
All I know is that “Shallow” rightfully took home the prize as possibly the unifying framework of the film, pulling together the bits and pieces of the emotionally turbulent ride that is “A Star Is Born” into the span of a heart-wrenching melody.
In the duo’s performance at the 2019 Oscars, Gaga and Cooper showed me once again just how easily their invincible chemistry can send chills down my spine and bring tears to my eyes, as they longed for each other behind a piano.
It’s hard not to believe a deeply intimate romantic relationship is simmering between them — those hot and heavy glances into each other’s souls certainly don’t insinuate friends, am I right? Yet Cooper’s girlfriend Irina Shayk begs to differ, a source told Us Weekly — Gaga and Cooper’s onstage chemistry is exactly what it is, onstage chemistry.
Say what you want, Irina, but I’m not closing myself off to any relationship theories just yet. If it hasn’t happening now, perhaps time will tell.
Speaking about Gaga recently to TIME Magazine, Cooper said, “She entrusted me with giving herself so she could reveal herself to be the actress that she is, and I entrusted her that I would be able to become the musician that I was terrified to be.”
In my opinion, something about this line speaks wonders to relationships of all kinds. And yes, some romantic vibes can be sensed in this statement.
The best relationships are the ones that allow two individuals to grow and better themselves in a way that wasn’t possible without the presence of the other — a special type of codependency that only some of us are lucky enough to find in our lives. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga prove it’s out there somewhere, and it’s oh so visually magical.
Coffee is my lifeline, every morning, afternoon and night—and occasionally in between. Find me café hopping with my nose buried in a book and a cappuccino by my side for good company. I’ll never pass up a chance to explore this adventure-packed city and its unique, bustling yet mellow culture.
