Lady Gaga Reveals The True Meaning Behind 'Perfect Illusion'

After the arrival of Lady Gaga’s emotional new single, “Perfect Illusion,” many fans thought the rock ballad alluded to the singer’s recent split from fiancé Taylor Kinney.

Lyrics like “It wasn’t love / it wasn’t love / it was a perfect illusion” only strengthened our suspicions that Gaga was singing her heart out about the demise of her five-year relationship. 

But during an interview with Andy Cohen on Monday, Gaga denied pulling a TSwift and penning a song about her famous ex.  

“I love Taylor so, so much and this song is not a, you know, hit out against Taylor. He’s my best friend,” Gaga said on Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show. “This song is just about, I’m sure not only feelings that I’ve had but that he’s had, that my friends have had, that, you know, my sister has in her relationship.”

Gaga added, “It’s a record about all of us, you know? And I would never use my song or want to use the public to hurt anyone that I love so much.” 

Kinney and the singer began dating in 2011 after the actor appeared in Gaga’s video for “You & I.” The two got engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2015, but reportedly never set a wedding date. In July, Gaga announced via Instagram that she and Kinney were separating, though they both still “really love each other.”

Cohen asked Gaga whether she felt like she and Kinney had “beautifully consciously uncoupled,” much like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin did. 

“I don’t know if I would even say it that way,” the singer said. “I don’t think we’ve, like, un-anything. We’re, you know, just two people figuring it out.”