It was a dream come true for Michelle Treacy.
The 17-year-old singer/songwriter from Orleans has long been a huge Lady Gaga fan. She’s travelled to 11 of her concerts and even managed to meet her idol on a few occasions.
And each time they met she asked Gaga if she could sing with her on stage.
Wednesday night, in front of a packed Bell Centre in Montreal, Gaga said yes. She invited Treacy to join her at the piano for an acoustic version of her monster hit Born This Way.
“I couldn’t hold back the tears when I first got on stage,” says Treacy. “It wasn’t even a nervous thing. It was just like an… oh my God, this is happening!”
Treacy took full advantage of the opportunity. She treated Gaga to a few bars of one of her original songs. Then she dove into Born This Way. At one point she even took the microphone from an obviously delighted Gaga and led her and the crowd in a rousing a cappella finale. “It freaks me out that she was staring at me while I was staring at everyone else. And she was really so genuinely happy that my dreams came true and that she was able to do that for me,” says Treacy.
The incredible moment was all captured on video – albeit very shaky video - by Michelle’s brother, Matthew, who shares his sister’s passion for Lady Gaga. “It was just an incredible moment because I knew how much it meant to her and it meant a lot to me just to make her happy,” he says.
Michelle Treacy says she is drawn to Gaga because they share a poignant bond. She says both write and sing songs of acceptance because both were subjected to. “They would say you’re ugly, learn to sing,” she says. “And then this boy would spit in my face every day and tell me that I shouldn’t live any more. So it’s the same upbringing. She was bullied. I was bullied. It’s the same thing.”
Like her idol, Treacy wants to use her music to become a voice for those who can’t speak up for themselves. And she’s already well on her way. She has signed management and recording deals in the U.S.
And now she has a performance with 5-time Grammy Award winner Lady Gaga on her resume. And if endorsements count for anything, Gaga is distinctly heard saying to her young fan, “I hope you keep singing.”
