09 February 2016
Newsdesk
Pop star Lady Gaga's Best Original Song Oscar nomination is "extremely healing" for her.
The 29-year-old has been nominated alongside songwriter Diane Warren for their Til It Happens to You tune, which features in college campus rape documentary The Hunting Ground, and, as a victim of sexual abuse, Gaga has found the whole experience cathartic.
"It’s (nomination) truly an honour, and it is extremely healing actually, for it to be for a song that for both of us, is part of who we are," she explained to People, "and I feel kind of vindicated for my own experience in a way because the song is us continuing to fight through our demons about it."
Diane, 59, has also had her own experiences with sexual assault, and while the two women were able to channel their feelings into the song, they were surprised to hear other victims had taken the tune to their hearts and turned it into their own battle cry.
"It’s helping so many people heal," Dianne added. "It’s become this anthem for this whole movement and beyond that. It’s actually speaking to people who have gone through trauma, or whatever it is."
And amid the outcry surrounding the Academy voters' diversity issues, after no actor of colour was nominated for this year's Oscars, Gaga is overjoyed the organisation has supported The Hunting Ground by making her song a contender.
"The nomination is fantastic and just a massive honour but it’s mostly an honour because I feel the Academy is really caring about us and a very important issue," Gaga said. "An issue that is in need of being talked about now, so that we can protect our future."
