Lady Gaga Says Her Oscar Nomination Helped Open Dialogue About Rape, Singer Relived Assault

Award season is coming to an end this weekend, as Hollywood honors the men and women who have contributed to cinematic excellence and achievements at the 2016 Oscars. Lady Gaga's "Till it Happens to You" is nominated for Best Original Song. In a recent interview with Deadline, the explained how the nomination helped open up dialogue about rape and why it caused her to relive her own sexual assault.

The 29-year-old New York native is a first-time Oscar nominee. She co-wrote the song with eight-time Oscar nominated songwriter Diane Warren. "Till it Happens to You" was featured in Kirby Dick's documentary feature The Hunting Ground. The song acts as an anthem for victims of sexual assault, while the film explores the different injustices college students have faced when reporting their sexual assault at universities around the country.

Although proud of her nomination, Lady Gaga admitted to being more excited about the conversations that have surfaced in the media since its release. By acknowledging the song and issues of rape on such a major platform, the entertainer believes it will give the song a chance to reach an even wider range of people.

"We can reach more people," Lady Gaga told Deadline. "When an organization like The Academy that believes in talent says 'We care about you.' That means that message is not just sent to me and Diane, but to people that hear the song and who went through something like this."

The song holds a special meaning for both Lady Gaga and Warren, making working together an overall cathartic experience. Lady Gaga was raped when she was 19-years-old, while the 59-year-old songwriter was a victim of child molestation.

Tears were often shed from both women when it came to not only creating the song, but also during interviews when asked about the underlying meaning of the lyrics. The women acted as a support system for each other by opening up old wounds and helping them properly heal.

"Working on this with Diane has helped me relive all of this in a bad way at first," Lady Gaga said. "It's healing, but it's like a wound that has to crack and be messed up before it heals. I would never have done this without Diane. I would never be able to face it by myself and sing somebody else's song. It had to be something that I believed in to my core."

The 88th annual Academy Awards is scheduled to air live on Sunday (Feb. 28) at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC. The night will be hosted by comedian Chris Rock.

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Lady Gaga, Oscars, Diane Warren