How Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ unexpected collaboration, ‘Die With a Smile,’ came together
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars shared how their unexpected collaboration, “Die With a Smile,” came together as they released the song and its music video Friday.
“Bruno and I have a lot of mutual respect for each other and were talking about collaborating,” Gaga said in a statement obtained by Page Six.
“I was finishing up my own album in Malibu, and one night after a long day he asked me to come to his studio to hear something he was working on,” she continued. “It was around midnight when I got there, and I was blown away when I heard what he had started making.”
Gaga said she and Mars, both 38, “stayed up all night” to finish writing and recording the instantly timeless ballad.
“Bruno’s talent is beyond explanation. His musicianship and vision is next level. There’s no one like him,” she enthused.
Mars, for his part, raved that working with Gaga was “an honor,” adding, “She’s an icon, and she makes this song magical. I’m so excited for everyone to hear it.”
A music insider tells Page Six that “Die With a Smile” is a standalone single rather than the first taste of an upcoming album by Gaga or Mars.
Co-produced with D’Mile and Andrew Watt, the track finds Gaga playing piano and Mars strumming a guitar as they belt lyrics including, “If the world was ending / I’d wanna be next to you / If the party was over / And our time on Earth was through / I’d wanna hold you just for a while / And die with a smile.”
The Grammy winners performed the track together for the first time Thursday during Mars’ concert at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Gaga is gearing up for a busy year, as she stars opposite Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which hits theaters on Oct. 4, and also has been teasing her eighth studio album.
Mars, for his part, has not released a solo record since 2016’s “24K Magic,” though he has continued to regularly perform in Las Vegas and internationally.
“Die With a Smile” marks the first time the pair have duetted.
