Lady Gaga spent years “perfecting” her ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ song.
The Oscar winner is set to release ‘Hold My Hand’ on May 3, which is taken from the soundtrack to the eagerly-anticipated fighter plane action sequel, which sees Tom Cruise reprise his role as Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell from the original 1986 blockbuster.
The 36-year-old superstar has hailed the anthem a “love letter to the world during and after a very hard time.”
The ‘Stupid Love’ hitmaker said on social media: “When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn’t even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film’s heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we’ve been living in.
“I’ve been working on it for years, perfecting it, trying to make it ours. I wanted to make music into a song where we share our deep need to both be understood and try to understand each other – a longing to be close when we feel so far away and an ability to celebrate life’s heroes. (sic)”
Gaga added: “This song is a love letter to the world during and after a very hard time. I’ve wanted you to hear it for so long. And I’m so excited to give it to you on May 3.”
The song is already being tipped for a possible Best Original Song Oscar at the 2023 Academy Awards.
A source recently said: “‘Hold My Hand’ is Gaga at her best. It was due out at the end of this month but bosses pushed the release back slightly. The video was finished a while ago.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if, come next year, Gaga has got herself another Best Original Song nod from the Academy.”
Gaga previously took home the Best Original Song prize at the 2019 Oscars for ‘Shallow’, which she recorded with Bradley Cooper for their acclaimed remake of ‘A Star Is Born’.
The ‘Just Dance’ singer is currently preparing for her ‘Chromatica Ball’ world tour, which kicks off at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, on July 17.
The show is set to feature both fan-favourite hits along with brand new performances of songs from Gaga’s 2020 album ‘Chromatica’, for which she won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2021.
Also, $1 from each ticket sold to a US show will be donated to her Born This Way Foundation. The foundation supports “young people” to “build communities that provide approachable resources, foster genuine connections and drive action”.