Both Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande have had big years – scoring hit records, appearing in film and television projects, announcing tours and earning award nominations – so it’s no surprise they both made Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year list for 2025.
Gaga’s Mayhem producer Andrew Watt penned a tribute essay for the mag, revealing that he and Gaga both got their starts performing at the same New York club, several years apart. The two first met when Gaga guested on The Rolling Stones album he was producing, which led to their collaboration on Mayhem. He writes, “There was not a day of creation with her that I took for granted … Lady Gaga is one of the great storytellers of our time.”
Watt also shares that he was “often brought to tears” watching her record vocals, adding, “I have never witnessed a human being just straight up going for it in that way before.” He concludes, “Yes, her music makes you want to sing and dance, but more than that…it’s important. It represents freedom, desire, and being authentically YOU.”
Meanwhile, both Ariana and and her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo were honored in tributes by fellow cast member Jeff Goldblum. Of Ari, Goldblum writes, “Her bright, crystalline voice carries both the optimism Glinda projects and the longing she tries so hard to conceal. Ariana’s performance reminds you that lightness is its own kind of courage.”
He adds, “Together, Cynthia and Ariana create a rare dynamic that feels like a genuine exchange of emotional energy, each of them deepening the other’s performance in ways that anchor the story. What they share becomes the film’s beating heart.”
The cast of The Pitt, Michael B. Jordan and Teyana Taylor are also on EW’s list.
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