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Lady Gaga reveals what Bradley Cooper told her before their Oscars performance

As if the details of this duet couldn't get any more adorable...
/ Source: TODAY

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper took a page from Marie Kondo's book during their performance of "Shallow" at Sunday night's Academy Awards when they went out there to "drop a little bit of joy."

They did that and more, bringing down the house with their magnetic chemistry during a riveting duet of the Oscar-winning song from "A Star Is Born", which also earned them a standing ovation from the crowd.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper perform at the Oscars
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper dropped "a little bit of joy" on the crowd with their show-stopping Oscars performance. MIKE BLAKE / Reuters

Gaga later revealed the encouraging words that her co-star told her in their final rehearsal on Saturday ahead of the big night.

"One of the hardest things in life is to be brave enough to be yourself. I wish to everyone that is going to that celebration to feel a joy inside of them. That’s actually what Bradley said to me yesterday, right before we did our last rehearsal for this performance of 'Shallow,''' she said in a press conference afterward when asked what message she'd send to those attending Australia's Mardi Gras celebration.

"He said, ‘Let’s just drop a little bit of joy.’ And I said, ‘Okay.’ And turns out, joy did a whole lot for me."

In addition to getting an ovation from the Hollywood A-listers in attendance, that joy was also felt by those watching at home.

During the performance, Gaga gazed into Cooper's eyes while she sat at the piano with him on a stool next to her as they sang the emotional lyrics. They eventually sat cheek-to-cheek as they reached the song's crescendo.

The crowd was so moved that the duo got a second ovation when they returned to their seats after their time onstage.

The memorable performance turned out to be a harbinger of things to come as "Shallow" won the Oscar for Best Original Song later in the show. Gaga and co-writers Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Anthony Rossomando took home the trophy, giving Gaga her first Oscar on a resume that includes nine Grammy awards.

She thanked Cooper, who also wrote and directed "A Star Is Born," in her acceptance speech.

"Bradley, there is not a single person on the planet that could’ve sang this song with me but you,'' she said. "Thank you for believing in us. Thank you so much."