Lady Gaga plays new music in Paris, as engagement rumours swirl

Lady Gaga has taken to the streets of Paris to give fans a preview of her forthcoming seventh album.

The singer is currently in France for the 2024 Olympics, where she performed the cabaret song Mon Truc en Plumes during Friday’s opening ceremony.

After watching swimming events and women’s gymnastics (and apparently confirming her engagement to entrepreneur Michael Polansky) over the weekend, she decided to share some new music.

“I’m so deeply touched by French fans this week outside the hotel, I’m gonna come out and say goodbye tonight – with a few seconds of #LG7,” she wrote on Instagram on Sunday.

Shortly afterwards, she appeared outside, playing a metallic electronic beat from her laptop.

The first snippet lasted about 20 seconds, with the star pumping her fist in the air as she popped out of the sunroof of her limousine.

Then, with a giggle and a kiss, she closed the laptop and disappeared back into the car.

Fans stuck around, chanting her name and chanting lines from her songs.

About a minute later, Gaga reappeared, saying: “I’m sorry, I’m gonna do one more.”

She then played a second clip that recalled the gothic pop sound of her Artpop album.

The star also mouthed a lyric that appeared to be: “I’ve become what was holding me.”

After posing for photographs, she returned to her hotel with the message: “And for the rest, you have to wait!”

The new album will be her first solo record since 2020’s Chromatica, which produced the hit singles Stupid Love and Rain On Me.

Gaga also released a duets album, Love For Sale, with Tony Bennett in 2021. It won best traditional pop album at the following year’s Grammy Awards.

The unscripted moment in Paris capped off a busy weekend for the star.

On Friday, she helped launch the Olympics by performing Mon Truc en Plumes (My Thing with Feathers) during the in one of many eyebrow-raising moments at the opening ceremony.

Flanked by dancers carrying huge pink pom poms, she sang in French and played the piano while traversing a golden staircase on the banks of the Seine.

It later transpired the segment had been pre-recorded, after heavy rain in Paris made the stage dangerously slippy.

But even that precaution failed to prevent one dancer from falling over – and nearly taking a plunge into the river – midway through the performance.

Gaga also attended several Olympics events across the opening weekend, and was introduced to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal during Sunday’s swimming finals.

Mr Attal posted a video of the encounter to TikTok, captioned: “Thank you Lady Gaga for your stunning performance at the opening ceremony. It was breathtaking.”

However, fans were more interested in the moment where Gaga introduced Michael Polanksy, her boyfriend of four years, to the Prime Minister as “my fiancé”.

The BBC has contacted the singer and actress’s publicists for confirmation.

Meanwhile, away from Paris, the star was seen in the second trailer for the upcoming movie Joker: Folie A Deux.

The film sees Gaga as psychologist-turned-criminal Harley Quinn, who is often portrayed as the sidekick, love interest and chaotic catalyst for Batman villain The Joker.

Joaquin Phoenix returns in the title role, after his Oscar-nominated performance in the 2019 original.

The sequel, directed by Todd Phillips, is being billed as a “musical psychological thriller”.