Inside the iconic 2009 Gaga performance of Paparazzi that’s become a big TikTok sound

If you’ve been mindlessly scrolling the TikTok For You Page in the past few days, you surely would not have been able to escape the sheer manic drama of a trending sound that features Lady THEE Gaga giving an extremely impassioned and theatrical vocal performance of Paparazzi. If you’re a card carrying Little Monster for the past 14 years like moi, you know exactly where this sound is taken from. It’s a sound you can quite literally see when you close your eyes and listen to it, it’s THAT legendary. But for those uninitiated – you need to know the history of the “I’m your biggest fan” Paparazzi TikTok sound, because it’s one of the biggest pop culture moments in the last 20 years.

We’re going way back to the 2009 MTV VMAs

In 2009, Lady Gaga had made a star of herself. Her first two singles, Just Dance and Poker Face, were number one singles on the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 respectively, and whilst her third single Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) failed to make major impact, LoveGame that followed it was a top 20 hit. She was on her way to being a superstar and it was album one.

Now it’s 2009, and we’re at the MTV Video Music Awards. The VMAs is where legends AND history are made. And Lady Gaga did just that. Performing her new single Paparazzi, Lady Gaga evolved from a pop star the world was enjoying into an artist that was not afraid to provoke and shock.

The VMAs performance of Paparazzi takes place in an elaborate mansion set, and sees Gaga perform theatrically with her dancers before the final chorus where blood starts gushing from her torso. Audiences thought she’d been shot – it was showstopping. The blood pours until Gaga is eventually hoisted up by a rope and hangs lifelessly amongst her dancers. It’s a pop image for the ages. In many ways, Paparazzi is the definitive Gaga track – discussing fame with a dark twist, a flair for the the theatrical and the dramatic and a showstopping final minute with a live performance as legendary as her vocals.

TikTok has given it a second life

Because of Gaga’s theatrical vocal performance of “I’m your biggest fan” (I mean, she had blood pouring from her, it worked!), the snippet of her VMAs performance has become perfect fodder for a viral TikTok sound. The usual usage comes with someone lip syncing to it with the caption “Me when I meet the inventor of _”. Personal favourites are “the inventor of fajitas” and “the inventor of Lidl’s goat’s cheese focaccia.”

Here’s some of the most iconic:

For more of the best TikTok videos, trends and memes, like The Holy Church of TikTok on Facebook. 

Featured image courtesy of @fatpheebs on TikTok and MTV.

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