Lady Gaga Goes Raw and Barefoot for Her American Music Awards Performance

Lady Gaga’s Joanne era has been a significant departure for her. The pop queen has traded in her meat dresses and glossy electronic hooks for stripped-down guitar riffs and cowboy hats. Mother Monster has always been 100 percent herself, but fans have particularly enjoyed the vulnerable, dive-bar aesthetic of the Joanne era. In many ways, this is the closest we’ve ever been to her.

And this especially rang true during Gaga’s performance at the 2016 American Music Awards tonight (November 20). It was only three years ago that Gaga took the AMAs stage to perform a bloated, Marilyn Monroe-inspired rendition of her song “Do What U Want” with R. Kelly. But her performance tonight couldn’t be any more different. Instead of a Monroe wig, Gaga wore her hair long and free-flowing. In lieu of a splashy set, Gaga opted for grass, a starry night, and her guitar. And what was her footwear, you ask? Gaga swapped her standard sky-high alien heels for no shoes at all. Yes, my friends, Lady Gaga went totally barefoot at the 2016 American Music Awards.

She sang “A Million Reasons,” a heart-wrenching ballad from Joanne, and it was just as electrifying as her zany performances. It was awe-inspiring to watch Gaga just sit and sing—something the general public isn’t used to. They’re used to pomp and circumstance, but little do they know, Gaga can actually sing her face off. This performance proved that—not that we needed convincing.

The performance is a sign of really exciting things to come for Gaga. Here’s hoping we get a full-on Joanne tour that is stuffed with visceral, emotional moments like this. We desperately need an acoustic version of “Bad Romance.”

Related: What You Didn’t See on TV at the 2016 American Music Awards