Lady Gaga Just Broke This Major Record Held By Madonna

It’s not every day a world record is broken—but Saturday, May 3, was one for the books. The record-breaker was none other than Lady Gaga and she did it before even kicking off her upcoming Mayhem Ball Tour, which begins this July.

So how did she make history? Gaga performed a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—her first show in the country in over a decade—and drew an estimated 2.5 million fans, according to Variety. That staggering number makes it the highest-attended concert by a female artist in history, surpassing the previous record of 1.6 million set by Madonna.

The singer acknowledged the massive milestone while on stage. “Tonight, we’re making history,” she told the Copacabana crowd during the show, per Variety. “Thank you for making history with me. The people of Brazil are the reason why I can shine.”

She later took to Instagram to share photos from the evening, including one of her in a striking green, blue and yellow outfit—a clear nod to Brazil’s national flag.

“Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show—the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,” Gaga wrote. “An estimated 2.5 million people came to see me sing, the biggest crowd for any woman in history.”

She ended her post with a heartfelt message to fans: “Thank you Rio for waiting for me to come back. Thank you little monsters all over the world. I will never forget this moment. Paws up. Obrigada. Love, Mother Monster.”

Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball tour kicks off July 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Nevada—and if Rio was any indication, it’s going to be legendary.

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