Lady Gaga [1] received a special honor at Billboard's Women in Music event [2] last week in NYC. This Friday, though, the ceremony aired on Lifetime, and we got to see the amazing moment in action. The pop sensation was bestowed with the woman of the year award [3], and she had her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, there to present it to her. Cynthia gave a brief account of Gaga's younger years and beginnings in the music industry before welcoming her to the stage.

After performing, Lady Gaga took the spotlight to accept her award. While fighting back tears, she said, "I don't think I've ever dreamed of anything more than being a performer. I don't really know why . . . I'm so sorry. I'm a very emotional person. I never thought anything like this would've ever happened to me or my family." She went on to speak about her struggles in the music industry, thank her supporters, and urge parents to foster creativity in their children. Watch the full introduction, performance, and speech in the clip above, and then check out more incredible moments from Lady Gaga's year [4].