Lady Gaga To Deliver Keynote Speech At SXSW 2014

South by Southwest 2014 organisers have just announced this year’s keynote address will be delivered by pop royalty Lady Gaga, in a conversation led by music journalist John Norris. The 27-year old pop singer will also perform at the music conference.

The keynote address will be held the morning after Lady Gaga’s first-ever performance at SXSW. On Thursday, March 13th, she’ll be hitting the Subb’s Doritos #BoldStage for an intimate show, with admission offered to fans willing to complete a series of “bold challenges” issued by Doritos.

Gaga’s show was originally intended to be on a stage shaped like a giant Doritos vending machine, but was moved after safety concerns were raised over the original venue. The performance will benefit the singer’s Born This Way Foundation, which aims to inspire youth communities.

Lady Gaga’s appearance at the music conference, cements the festival’s position in the industry as a destination for major artists to include in their promotional cycle. In an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this week, Lady Gaga said that her SXSW performance will be a “completely one-off set and experience.”

“I love theatrics, but I started out singing at a piano with a Bud Light in a bikini,” she continued. “With ARTPOP, I hope to inspire the audience at SXSW to cherish their individual talents. This simple act keeps music and art alive in a very commercial world.” Gaga’s performance will be streamed online at Fuse.tv.

Other South By Southwest 2014 keynote speakers include Lena Dunham, Neil Young and Julian Assange. Dave Grohl presented the festival’s keynote address in 2013, an address the Foo Fighters frontman called “without a doubt, my musical life’s greatest honour.”

Lady Gaga will be heading back to Australia this August, with the international pop juggernaut dropping dates for artRAVE, The ARTPOP Ball, in support of her third studio album ARTPOP.

Watch: Lady Gaga introduces Doritos #BoldStage SXSW 2014

http://youtu.be/bi50MF7Hdhg

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