Lady Gaga sends 'Til It Happens to You' to radio, pens letter to stations

Lady Gaga's latest single "Til It Happens to You" has been so well-received following her performance at Sunday's Academy Awards that Interscope is immediately releasing the song for pop and Hot AC airplay, AllAccess reports.

In a letter addressed to "Friends and Radio Programmers all over the country," Gaga wrote: "I have been lucky enough to put out records with all of you for almost a decade.  I have in that time never witnessed a public reaction like the one I am seeing today after my performance at the Oscars. I pray you will all today put your faith in a song that can set an example to be brave and courageous, through life's obstacles. Through the power of radio, I hope we can remind listeners that they are not alone."

Lady Gaga stole the show at the 2016 Oscars when she sang "Til It Happens to You" to a standing ovation. The poignant performance was introduced by Vice President Joe Biden, and she was joined onstage by a group of sexual assault survivors as she played the white piano along with a string orchestra.

"The first day of rehearsal with all the survivors I could barely get myself together," Gaga said of working with the survivors. "My body was wrecked with inflammation and pain, crying and shaking the whole walk to the stage. I told them I was so sorry I couldn't be Lady Gaga for them, that I couldn't even get dressed. I could barely get through the song, couldn't hit any of the high notes. Hair wet, sloppy tee shirt jeans uggs, tissues. They all hugged me and told me that it was okay because it was more real this way, that they understood that they were in pain too. They told me they were there for me to support me because they believed this message needed to be heard. Without them I never could have felt strong. They accepted me for me, at my lowest and that was good enough for them, so somehow through the magic of their courage they made it good enough for me too."

Click here to download "Til It Happens to You" on iTunes. Lady Gaga will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of the song to organizations helping survivors of sexual assault.