Lady Gaga has paid a poignant tribute to the 50 abuse victims who joined her onstage during her Oscars performance on Sunday night. The 29-year-old revealed the group made a promise to get matching tattoos representing "unity" – and on Thursday night, the star stayed true to her word.
Lady Gaga paid tribute to abuse victims with her new tattoo
The Bad Romance hitmaker turned to tattoo artist Dave Allen to create her inking, which she chose to have on the back of her left shoulder. Dave shared a snap of Lady Gaga after the tattoo was finished, as the singer beamed for the camera.
"Honored to tattoo a symbol of "unity" on @ladygaga today," he wrote on Instagram. "An image of solidarity for survivors of sexual assault."
The star was joined by the powerful group during her performance at the Oscars
Lady Gaga received a standing ovation for her incredibly powerful performance of Til It Happens To You during the Academy Awards ceremony, defending rape and sexual abuse victims. The singer, who was one such victim, teared up as she sang and played the piano. She was joined by male and female sufferers of sexual abuse and their presence moved the star-studded audience to tears.
After the performance, Lady Gaga posted a photo on Instagram of herself surrounded by the group backstage. "Thank you for standing next to me on stage," she wrote in the caption, shared with her 15.2 million followers. "Thank you for all the things you said, for listening to my story and sharing yours. I will never forget it. 50 survivors, so brave, relentless determination."
Lady Gaga performed Til it Happens to You during the Academy Awards ceremony
The star also revealed in another post that she had been particularly emotional on the first day of rehearsal, explaining that she could "barely get myself together" but found the strength thanks to the group's support.
"They told me they were there for me to support me because they believed this message needed to be heard. Without them I never could have felt strong," she wrote. "They accepted me for me, at my lowest and that was good enough for them, so somehow through the magic of their courage they made it good enough for me too."