Lady Gaga and Elton John, who have been close friends for years appear together on the cover of Billboard's "We Can Be Heroes" philanthropy issue. Elton has penned an exclusive essay on HIV for the issue, while Gaga sat down for an interview about her Born This Way foundation and her new song "Till It Happens To You." Read excerpts from Gaga's interview below and be sure to pick up your copy of the magazine, on newsstands now!
Related: Elton John says Lady Gaga's new music is really fantastic
On creating the Born This Way foundation:
This foundation was born from the years I spent watching my fans grow up. Many of them were really young: 11- to 17-year-olds in very tumultuous times. They would tell me their stories -- and many of them were very dark. As I began to care for them and to see myself in them, I felt I had to do something that would remind kids they're not alone. When they feel isolated, that's when it leads to suicide.
On what makes her proudest about Born This Way:
When I see the friendships these kids have built. When I see a child with an eating disorder sit down with somebody who has a lifelong terminal illness and somebody who's in transition -- that makes me feel like we're doing something no one else is. This is my life purpose, this foundation. This is why I was brought to life, I think.
On changing the way she dresses:
There's always a dichotomy within me. If you see me dressing really out there, I tend to be self-deprecating inside. When I dress like a lady, I tend to be feeling very wild and confident. That sounds bizarre, but I get a lot of s--t done with that blond hair. I haven't changed. It's just that I'm almost 30. I'm learning how to function effectively in society.
On "Till It Happens To You":
It's hard to listen to that song, it's hard to watch it. Diane [Warren] really held my hand. I was like, "I've done a lot of things Diane, but can I do this?" She was like, "You can do this." It was extremely cathartic to know that not only am I not alone, but that other men and women aren't alone -- we all have each other. Even outside of rape culture, there are a lot of people silently in pain about extremely traumatic things.
On her friendship with Elton John:
He inspires me in ways I could not even begin to list properly. He is my friend, he is like a parent. He looks out for me, he was there for me during the hardest times in my life. He doesn't allow me to slip into depression without making sure that I'm OK. Everything he has done for AIDS, everything he has done for the LGBT community. He's just everything -- when I'm with him, I just want to help be a part of his genius plan to save the world.
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