Lady Gaga to perform, give keynote speech at South By Southwest

Yes, Lady Gaga will be performing at South By Southwest this week. That accomplishment seems less than thrilling as Billboard reports 81 percent of all performing artists in the country will appear at the festival*. More noteworthy will be Gaga's gig the day after her music performance, when she'll deliver the annual SXSW Keynote Speech. The pop star will give the speech as part of a conversation led by Fuse's John Norris on Friday at 1 1:00 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Austin-Downtown.

We don't have many more details to give you than that, but we have a hunch. Gaga has become known for delivering speeches, both at her concerts and otherwise, on a variety of topics. One theme is the ever-relevant "believe in yourself" speech, which is sure to be in play Friday. The pop star often cites her career's smalltime start, and she'll be sure to offer encouraging words to the hundreds of unsigned acts at South-By.

The performer also noted that she looked forward to her Thursday night appearance at Stubbs Bar, a locale where she stopped prior to becoming the Mother Monster.

"I love theatrics, but I started out singing at a piano with a Bud Light in a bikini," she said. "Performing at Stubb's is a real blast from my past, I can't wait to celebrate with the audience how far music can go when we believe and stick together. It's moments like these that I live for."

Previous keynote speakers have included Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Dave Grohl. The latter rock star referred to the event as "my musical life's greatest honor."

* = not true.

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