Here’s what was going through Lady Gaga’s mind during that amazing Super Bowl performance

The transformation of Lady Gaga has been truly stunning. She’s been a dynamite singer since day one, but her voice—and her look—has matured through the years. It’s been fun to watch her go from wearing crazy outfits and being unpredictable on stage to collaborating with Tony Bennett and using her art to support great causes.

One of Lady Gaga’s all-time greatest moments yet was her performance this past weekend at Super Bowl 50. She kicked off the game by singing the National Anthem, and fans everywhere were absolutely blown away. Seriously—it’s rare that comment sections agree this much on something, but everyone is all in for Gaga. She freaking killed it. While she was singing, you could tell that you were witnessing something truly special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyqkN3zezso

After a knockout performance like that, we naturally wanted to know: What was it like singing the National Anthem on such a big stage, for such a massive audience?

“It was really amazing, the athletes were just kind of majestic standing up there, singing for the fans in the stands and all over the world, it was so cool,” Gaga told Extra.

She went on to talk about what was specifically going through her mind at the time. And she shares a really beautiful, emotional reflection.

“I just thought about the lyrics and what they really mean,” she continued. “They’ve been around a long time, so I thought about what they mean now, I just sang from my heart.”

Gaga also revealed one of the highlights from the big moment: the jets flying overhead!

“I promised myself I was going to look up to see them, because that would be the only time.”