LOS ANGELES - Lady Gaga, 24, who was competing for five Grammy Awards, arrived on the red carpet inside an alien-like egg carried aloft by attendants dressed in gold.

The singer and performance artist could barely be seen inside the enclosure, apart from the occasional wave of a black-gloved hand.

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It was the latest in a series of increasingly bizarre outfits from Lady Gaga, including a headline-grabbing dress made entirely of raw meat that she wore to the MTV Music Video Awards in September.

In a Twitter message sent shortly after her red-carpet arrival, Lady Gaga said: "This is Nicola, Haus of Gaga: Gaga is in incubation. Tonight's performance is in collaboration with Hussein Chalayan and House of Mugler. X"

Lady Gaga was expected to perform her new single "Born This Way" live on the Grammy stage later on Sunday.

She picked up one Grammy during a ceremony preceding the main telecast on Sunday for best short-form video for "Bad Romance" but was not on hand to accept the trophy.

Gaga was up for two other Grammys toward the end of the early ceremony, and nominated for another two that will be unveiled during the telecast on Sunday.

Lady Gaga steps out of a translucent egg to perform her new song "Born This Way" at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California Feb 13, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]