Lady Gaga Returns to the Sands of Copacabana

Dec. 05, 2025

In a year when music moved the world in a rare and profound way, Brazil once again takes center stage. The sands of Copacabana, a historic meeting place for artists and millions of fans, have just gained a new iconic landmark: a 3.3-meter sculpture in the shape of a red hand making the "Paws Up" gesture, the symbol of the Little Monsters, as Lady Gaga's fans are popularly known. The installation is part of Spotify's 2025 Wrapped, an initiative that rekindles the collective memory of the singer's performance at the "Todo Mundo no Rio" event, which became one of the largest shows of her career worldwide.

The spectacle brought together 2.5 million people and reaffirmed the importance of the Brazilian audience to the artist, always ready to deliver a collective "Brazil, let’s go." Now, this gesture returns as a living monument to pop culture. Today, Brazil is the second country that listens to Lady Gaga the most on Spotify, and the sculpture also serves as a symbolic meeting point between her and her community. At the site, Little Monsters can scan a QR code that unlocks an exclusive video of Lady Gaga. The content is only available to those who visit the sculpture in person at Copacabana, transforming the tourist spot into a kind of portal between fans and the artist.

The activation, created by the agency Droga5, is part of Spotify's global 2025 Wrapped initiative, which celebrates places where artists and fans experienced great moments this year. Few places represent this as intensely as Copacabana, a beach that has become a stage, a collective memory, and a must-visit destination for fans from all over the country and the world.

Ellen Rocha, Spotify's Head of Marketing said:

"The sculpture was designed to provide an accessible, visual, and shareable experience, reinforcing the connection between collective memory and fan participation. The piece transforms the tourist spot into a new cultural reference and marks the continuity of the 2025 show's impact on the emotional landscape of music, reminding the world that some moments don’t just stay in the past—they continue shaping the future of pop culture."

 

Until December 7, visitors can revisit the site where the historic show took place and capture the new monument that symbolizes the relationship between Lady Gaga and her Brazilian audience.