Lady Gaga avoids queries on NDP song

INSPIRING CITY
'This is one of my favourite cities in the whole world... I was inspired by each and every city that I went to and the fans from each and every city. The album is about being yourself and loving who you are and being proud.'
Lady Gaga, in one of the few sentences she uttered during the brief media conference
-- ST PHOTO: RAJ NADARAJAN

AMERICAN pop star Lady Gaga pointedly evaded media queries about the changing of the lyrics to one of her songs for the National Day Parade (NDP) at a press conference yesterday.

At the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, a reporter picked to ask the singer a question was gagged just as he was about to ask about the controversy over NDP organisers converting Bad Romance into the Fun Pack Song.

The emcee quickly interrupted the reporter and had his microphone taken away.

It was the first time the Singapore media had had a chance to meet the singer since it was revealed that NDP organisers had failed to get permission from Lady Gaga and her record company to change the lyrics of Bad Romance. The organisers had obtained the rights to perform the song in public but not the rights to change its words.

The chairman of the NDP show segment, Colonel Ong Tze-Ch'in, told the media on Wednesday that his team is working to secure the rights to change the lyrics.

Yesterday's press conference, which was attended by more than 100 representatives from the local and international media, appeared to be tightly controlled by Lady Gaga's management to avoid commenting on the issue.