Lady Gaga Tears Up Sharing Fiancé Michael Polansky’s Pre-Show Pep Talk

23 August 2025

Lady Gaga performs in California on July 28, 2025, as part of The Mayhem Ball Tour. Kevin Mazur/Getty

On the evening of August 22, 2025, the Mayhem Ball tour reached a pivotal moment as Lady Gaga took the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City where her dreams first took root. In a rare emotional reveal, the pop icon paused mid-performance and gave fans a peek into the tender prelude behind her dazzling stage presence. She admitted that moments before stepping into the spotlight, she was swept by reminders of the city where everything began, including her own determination to “fight” for everything she had achieved.

It was her friend China who quietly reframed her approach, gently advising, “Sometimes you don’t have to fight, you just have to show up.” As tears welled, Gaga recounted how just before taking the stage, Michael Polansky the fiancé she announced during the Paris Olympics joined in that quiet encouragement, urging her to “let them fill you up.” The story resonated with fans and added poignant gravity to her performance of “Hair,” a track she dedicated to them in that moment.

The scene was as captivating as any high-energy production Gaga is known for. She spoke from a place of vulnerability, tracing her footsteps from the streets she used to walk in New York all those years ago. She spoke of the city’s concrete and how she used to “fight really hard for my dreams and what I believed in.” The cheer of a hometown crowd merged with the emotional candor she shared, creating a moment that transcended performance and turned into confession.

That confession was a poignant introduction to a song already rich in significance. “Hair,” from Gaga’s Born This Way album, has always been a personal anthem a celebration of identity, transformation, and self‑expression. Performing it in her hometown, in that raw emotional state, gave the song fresh resonance. It felt like both a full-circle and a new beginning.

Elsewhere, already celebrated for her visual artistry and powerful vocals, Gaga’s decision to share that moment of emotion revealed a different kind of strength. It affirmed that even icons who command global stages can be moved by simple, heartfelt words. Her acknowledgment of her fiancé’s pep talk less than flashy, more sustaining cast a tender glow across a night of theatricality and spectacle.

Just hours earlier, Gaga and Polansky had been seen enjoying a rare date night in the city’s vibrant dining scene. The couple stopped by The Corner Store, where Gaga wore a dramatic all-black ensemble an oversized blazer over a sleek catsuit and platform boots while Polansky matched in casual monochrome. It was their first major outing together since March, bridging private intimacy and public devotion.

Looking toward the road ahead, the tour continues with dates at Madison Square Garden over the weekend and a return to New York for early-September performances. The pre-show tenderness Gaga shared in that moment may now serve as an emotional beacon for what lies ahead proof that even amid global superstardom, she remains deeply anchored by connection, memory, and love.