Did Lady Gaga Indirectly Respond to Madonna’s ‘Born This Way’ Diss Onstage?

At the Born This Way Ball tour date in New Zealand, Lady Gaga delivered a lengthy monologue while seated on her motorcycle piano before launching into her “love yourself” anthem ‘Hair.’ The speech felt like an indirect response to Madonna‘s sorta shady mashup of ‘Express Yourself’ with ‘Born This Way’ and ‘She’s Not Me.’

Gaga stated, “There is a level of resilience within this room, something that you’ve done to the universe. Everyone tried, everyone tried all year and everyone is still trying, but you could never invalidate the power of ‘Born This Way,’” she added. “It’s about respect. It’s about loving who you are.”

It’s not overt, but it certainly feels like the Mother Monster’s way of commenting, without getting too nasty or going the mud-slinging route.

Gaga continued, “Anything shallow or insubstantial or anything that is vain or ego-driven means nothing to me. All that matters to me is seeing you f—ing smile. I love you with all my heart,” she gushed. “I wanted you to know how f—ing powerful you are. You are powerful. Nothing can stop you.”

Gaga finished, “With this last record, I thought, ‘Now that I have all this fame and fortune, let me do something that means something.’ I wrote this song. This is for you. Anyone who doesn’t fit in or feels they are trying to be destroyed by the greatest forces on earth. Nothing can destroy you. You are free as your hair.”

Watch Lady Gaga Perform in New Zealand