Lady Gaga's new song honours dead teen Trayvon Martin

Lady Gaga's new song Angel Down is a tribute to Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was shot dead by Neighbourhood Watch patrol man George Zimmerman in 2012.

Martin was unarmed when he was fatally shot and his death sparked a series of protests across the U.S., which ignited the Black Lives Matter movement.

And now Gaga has honoured Trayvon in her new song, in which she sings "Angel down, angel down/Why do people just stand around?"

In a new interview with Beats 1's Zane Lowe on Thursday (20Oct16), the singer said, "I was overwhelmed by the fact that people just stood around and didn’t do anything about it and that the justice system continues to over and over again not seek justice for these families."

And Gaga explained she often meets young African-American fans who are worried about their safety: "They tell me they drive in their cars and if they hear a siren there is a paranoia that rushes through their body that they freeze up, that they can’t think.

"This is a tremendous anxiety; this is something that I care about. This is something that has to stop, something that we all need to heal from."

Lady Gaga premiered the song Angel Down on Wednesday night (19Oct16) during a set at the New York Times/T Gala, where she was honoured for her contribution to the world of fashion.

The song appears on her new album Joanne.