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Mother Monster has spoken (and it will definitely be remembered)!
For longtime Lady Gaga fan Kyra Creel, a special comment from the “Bad Romance” singer will now remain a permanent fixture on her body.
That’s because the 28-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Ala., got the comment tattooed onto her chest six months after the Grammy winner replied to her “Abracadabra” dance on TikTok. Creel, a project administrator and copy editor, posted the video after Gaga made a public call for auditions for a fan music video set to the song.
Courtesy of Kyra Creel
“I’ve wanted to be a backup dancer for Lady Gaga since day one,” Creel tells PEOPLE. “As soon as she put the call out for the fans to submit their videos to be in a music video, I leapt at the opportunity. I knew the chances were slim, but I told everyone if she were to even see my video, I’d be winning in my eyes. Recognition from her would be the most affirming gift.”
And Creel received that validation from the Wednesday star herself when Gaga commented on the February video with two black heart emojis.
Courtesy of Kyra Creel
“I was actually on TikTok when I got the notifications, and I couldn’t believe it. I completely froze, and someone else commented ‘Gaga reposted!’ “ Creel adds. “I kept staring at them and just burst into tears. It was such a euphoric full-circle moment for me.”
Prior to her TikTok moment, Creel trained as a professional Indian dancer for 16 years. She tells PEOPLE, “As a dancer, this was everything.”
To commemorate the moment, Creel decided to get the emojis for her first-ever tattoo, courtesy of Sam at Good Vibes Tattoo Studio in Tuscaloosa.
“I had been wanting my first tattoo for a while and toyed around with the idea of getting the emojis tattooed a little bit after it happened,” Creel shares of the ink that sits below her collarbone. “This moment was so special it needed to be commemorated in a way, for me, that was in addition to printing it out and having it on my wall. I thought very carefully about it, and believed it would be the perfect way to memorialize the moment forever.”
Noting that she’s been a Gaga fan for nearly 17 years, Creel adds that while she’s never gotten to see Mother Monster in concert, all that’s going to change on Sept. 3, when she attends the Mayhem Ball in Miami.
Courtesy of Kyra Creel
“I’m also meeting up with my old best friend who I haven’t seen in 14 years since middle school,” Creel says of the show. “ We recently linked back up and found out we’re somehow going to the same concert in Miami! My nickname in middle school was ‘Gaga’ because I was so different and did a lot of cultural extracurriculars. He was my best friend — we adored Gaga together. I got him shirts and a ‘Born This Way’ necklace; he burned me CDs of her music. We defended each other’s bullies and took on the world together.”
Creel says she plans to “manifest” one day meeting her pop star hero. As for a message to the legendary singer: “Just… thank you. Thank you for all you’ve done, continue to do, and will do.”
“I’ve always been made fun of relentlessly for my big nose and being different, and you owning it and loving it inspired me to do the same and gave me more confidence as a performing artist,” Creel tells Gaga. “I love you, and I’m absolutely so thrilled for this chapter in your life. We adore watching you glow and have a blast. Good luck in everything to come, see you Sept. 3, and paws up forever.”
