Lady Gaga releases harrowing new music video about college campus rape crisis showing female students being sexually assaulted

  • Till It Happens To You ties in with documentary The Hunting Ground
  • The track is sung by Gaga and was written by Oscar winner Diane Warren
  • The video shows four women being raped by male students
  • Gaga dedicated the clip to all survivors of sexual assault
  • 'We have a responsibility to protect victims of sexual violence,' she said 

Lady Gaga has joined a powerful new project aiming to expose the rape crimes sweeping US college campuses by releasing a harrowing new music video showing four women being sexually assaulted.

The pop provocateur does not appear in the black-and-white clip but sings the song, Till It Happens To You, written by Oscar-winning powerhouse Diane Warren. 

The video was written and shot by director Catherine Hardwicke and features actress Nikki Reed as one of the victims. The two are longtime collaborators, having worked together on the films Thirteen in 2003 and Twilight in 2008.

Till It Happens To You begins with the disclaimer: 'The following contains graphic content that may be emotionally unsettling but reflects the reality of what is happening daily on college campuses.'

Distressing: The video for the song Till It Happens To You shows four women - one played by actress Nikki Reed (pictured) - being raped while on campus at college 

Distressing: The video for the song Till It Happens To You shows four women - one played by actress Nikki Reed (pictured) - being raped while on campus at college 

In this scene, a presumably gay female student is violently raped in the bathroom by a man 

In this scene, a presumably gay female student is violently raped in the bathroom by a man 

Harrowing: The video ties in with new documentary The Hunting Ground, which investigates universities covering up incidents of rape in order to 'protect their brand'

Harrowing: The video ties in with new documentary The Hunting Ground, which investigates universities covering up incidents of rape in order to 'protect their brand'

Date rape: One of the scenes shows a guy spiking two drinks with pills at a house party and then assaulting two girls when they are unconscious 

Date rape: One of the scenes shows a guy spiking two drinks with pills at a house party and then assaulting two girls when they are unconscious 

Shocking: Arguably the worst part of the clip is a scene where a male student attacks two women he has drugged at a party, before one of them is able to overcome him 

Shocking: Arguably the worst part of the clip is a scene where a male student attacks two women he has drugged at a party, before one of them is able to overcome him 

The public service announcement ties in with upcoming documentary The Hunting Ground, which investigates universities covering up incidents of rape in order to 'protect their brand'.

Till It Happens To You will feature on the film's soundtrack. 

The new video - which Gaga tweeted to her 50million followers Thursday night - shows four women being raped by male students, all in different situations.

The woman played by Reed is attacked in her room by a friend, while another girl - who is depicted as gay or transgender - is raped in a bathroom.

The other two girls are at a house party and have their drinks spiked.

In the videos most graphic part, the guy who put the pills in the cups proceeds to rape both of them in a bedroom, before one is able to overcome him. 

'We have a responsibility to protect victims of sexual violence': Gaga has been vocal about rape in the past. She is seen here in New York on Tuesday

'We have a responsibility to protect victims of sexual violence': Gaga has been vocal about rape in the past. She is seen here in New York on Tuesday

Till It Happens To You was penned by prolific songwriter Diane Warren
The video was written and directed by Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke

Till It Happens To You was penned by prolific songwriter Diane Warren (left). The video was written and directed by Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke (right) 

As the distressing scenes play out, Gaga sings: 'Till your world burns and crashes / Till you're at the end, the end of your rope / Till you're standing in my shoes / I don't wanna hear a thing or two from you, from you, from you.'

The video concludes with the victims understanding that the best way to survive their assaults is to speak to other and offer support. 

Gaga dedicated the video to all victims of sexual assault.

Earlier this year she wrote an op-ed about the issue with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, calling for the passing of the bill 'Enough is Enough' in her home state.  

'We have a responsibility to the young men and women of this country to stand up against sexual violence everywhere,' the singer wrote.

The confronting clip explore the shame and isolation of being a victim of sexual assault 

The confronting clip explore the shame and isolation of being a victim of sexual assault 

The video concludes with the victims understanding that the best way to survive their assaults is to speak to other and offer support

The video concludes with the victims understanding that the best way to survive their assaults is to speak to other and offer support

Warren, who is considered the most prolific and successful songwriter in the world, said she was inspired to pen Till It Happens To You after seeing The Hunting Ground, directed by two-time Oscar nominee Kirby Dick.

'This song, with its message of hope and empowerment, is my heartfelt tribute to them and will also resonate with anyone who has been bullied, lost a loved one or just feels alone in the world,' Warren told Deadline.

Hardwicke said the video speaks for itself. 

'I hope that this PSA, with its raw and truthful portrayals, will send a clear message that we need to support these courageous survivors and end this epidemic plaguing our college campuses,' she said.

The Hunting Ground, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year and was produced by Amy Ziering, centers around former University of North Carolina students Andrea Pino and Annie Clark and their battle to make the university acknowledge its rape problem. 

The Hunting Ground is a documentary by Kirby Dick that investigates universities covering up incidents of rape in order to 'protect their brand'

The Hunting Ground is a documentary by Kirby Dick that investigates universities covering up incidents of rape in order to 'protect their brand'

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