Lady Gaga lit up Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Oct. 1 with an emotionally charged performance of “Happy Mistake,” a track from her newly released album Harlequin, which ties in with her role as Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux.
The stripped-back rendition showed off Gaga’s vocal prowess, channelling raw emotion and intensity that perfectly reflected the chaotic essence of her cinematic alter ego.
Gaga’s performance wasn’t just a song; it was a glimpse into the world she’s crafted around Harlequin. Following the performance, she told Kimmel, “It was inspired by the movie, it was inspired by my character Harley, and just also kind of this reflection on my life as a performer. It’s meant to be a really personal song about how sometimes we can go through dark times and feel like happiness is an accident when it happens.”
Harlequin isn’t a typical film soundtrack but rather a concept record, as Gaga explained during her chat with Kimmel. “It’s not the soundtrack,” she said. “It’s a concept record and it’s a companion piece to the film. So, whether you listen to it before you watch the movie or after, it’s like an extension of the world.” This unique approach, blending music and cinema, is classic Gaga, who’s never shied away from pushing boundaries.
Discussing her role in Joker: Folie à Deux, Gaga shared the challenges of playing Harley Quinn, particularly how she had to find a different voice for the character’s musical moments.
“Harley’s not a trained singer,” she said. “So I worked a lot on developing her voice and finding what was natural and raw to her. There’s a kind of brokenness in her. She’s got an inner storm, and I wanted it to come from there.”
Gaga’s conversation with Kimmel wasn’t all about the film and album, though. The pop icon also gave fans a peek into her personal life, recounting the story of her fiancé Michael Polansky’s unexpected proposal.
“He proposed to me right after my birthday,” she revealed, adding that Polansky, in true “Minnesota nice” fashion, asked for her permission before actually popping the question. “He wanted to know if it was okay to propose before he proposed. And I was like, ‘Yes, it’s so okay!’” she laughed.
The couple, who have kept much of their relationship private, might be planning a wedding, but Gaga teased that they’ve also talked about “just going to a courthouse and ordering Chinese food.”
Watch Lady Gaga on Kimmel below.
