Watch Lady Gaga Perform 'Til It Happens to You' at Billboard Women in Music 2015
"Til It Happens to You" also is in Oscar contention, having already been nominated for a Grammy. Gaga co-wrote the song with Diane Warren, a seven-time Oscar nominee for songs that have been featured in films Pearl Harbor, Armageddon and Beyond the Lights.
"I always tell this story about how Diane had to convince me that it was okay to sing about this and reveal this thing about myself," Gaga said before she performed during a reception following a screening of the film.
As she began to tear up, Gaga thanked the filmmakers, saying, "Thank you for allowing me to be a part of something truly authentic."
In the corner of the intimate gathering, she sat down at the keyboard with Warren to belt out the melody for the party-goers, who included the filmmakers and several of the rape survivors and activists from the documentary.
After her performance, Gaga made a plea to attendees, saying, "If you are taking care of young people in the industry, make sure you ask them lots of thing about their sexuality and well-being."
Watch Lady Gaga's 'Til It Happens to You' Behind-the-Scenes Clip: Exclusive
The Hollywood Reporter talked with Warren about her creative process behind writing the song. "It starts out vulnerable and then defiant, just like the girls in this movie," she said. "I wanted to write a song about what these girls went through and I wanted it to be empowering, and then outside of the movie I wanted it to be whatever you wanted it to be about, like bullying or grief."
Warren said her experience working with Gaga was "amazing." Adding: "She brought it to life. When I brought it to her it was a very somber ballad and she had this vision of making it this epic song."
Watch the music video for "Til It Happens to You" below.
This article originally appeared in THR.com.
