TORONTO — Lady Gaga says that it's unfair to judge Kanye West for his onstage confrontation with Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this month.

Gaga, who's preparing to launch a North American tour with West in November, tells The Canadian Press that West made a mistake when he jumped onstage and interrupted Swift's acceptance speech.

But Gaga calls West a "pioneer in hip-hop music" and says that fans should keep in mind that West has had a major influence over all pop music.

She adds that "it's unfair to judge a person because of one thing that they said."

West and Gaga have seven Canadian dates planned on their co-headlining tour, with shows scheduled in Saskatoon, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Gaga, the flamboyant singer of such hits as "Poker Face" and "LoveGame," will perform on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.