Lady Gaga on Sexism in Music Industry: "It's a F---ing Boys Club"

In true Mother Monster form, Lady Gaga is speaking out about sexism in the music industry. During her acceptance speech for Woman of the Year at Billboard's Women in Music event Friday, the singer spoke openly on the topic, calling the industry "a f---ing boys club."

In her tearful speech, which drew raucous applause, she said:

"What I really want to say is that it is really hard sometimes for women in music. It's like a f---ing boys club that we just can't get in to. I tried for so long, I just really wanted to be taken seriously as a musician for my intelligence more than my body ever in this business. You don't always feel like when you're working that people believe that you have musical background, that you understand what you're doing because you're a female."

The singer went on to say that having an event like the Women in Music one is important because women provide something to music "that is very unique and special."

The singer's fiancé, actor Taylor Kinney, and mother (her mother presented the award to her) were also in attendance to cheer her on.

The award comes on the heels of big news for the star: Gaga was nominated for the first time at the Golden Globes earlier this week for her work on American Horror Story: Hotel. She is also nominated for a Grammy for her song, "Til It Happens to You," which she created for The Hunting Ground, a documentary about rape on campuses.

The topic hits close to home for Lady Gaga, who earlier this week made headlines for being candid about her own rape that occurred when she was 19.

During a TimesTalk Q&A for The Hunting Ground, she said, "I didn't know how to even think about it, I didn't know how to accept it, I didn't know how to not blame myself or think it was my fault."

She went on to say, "It's something that really changed my life, it changed who I was completely. It changed my body, it changed my thoughts."