Bruno Mars Considered Abandoning ‘Die With a Smile’ Until Lady Gaga Revelation Altered His Decision

This year, the hit song Die With a Smile, a collaboration between Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and earned a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Surprisingly, the track almost never reached listeners.

In a recent interview with Variety, producers James Fauntleroy and Dernst DMile Emile II shared that the song was initially written three years ago but was set aside and nearly forgotten by Mars.

The turning point came when Mars discovered that Lady Gaga would star in Joker: Folie a Deux alongside Joaquin Phoenix. He felt the long-dormant ballad would be the perfect fit for Gagas project, reigniting the songs potential.

He brilliantly pulled it from the back of his mind at just the right time, thinking of Lady Gaga as a collaborator, Fauntleroy explained. Originally, the song was considered for Gagas film or her planned concept album Harlequin, but it ultimately became part of her Billboard 200-topping album, Mayhem.

Fauntleroy noted, Even when the initial plans fell through, Brunos momentum kept the process going. His influence is undeniable. Gaga immediately connected with the track. I knew she could play piano, but seeing her engage with it as a musicianwriting down chords, learning the song on the spotwas extraordinary, Fauntleroy said. That was when I realized this was going to be something special.

Beyond its Hot 100 success, Die With a Smile held the top spot on the Billboard Global 200 for 18 weeks. Gaga is also now in contention for several Grammy awards, including Album of the Year for Mayhem.

Producer Andrew Watt, who co-produced the track, emphasized that accolades were not the initial goal. This was purely about two artists who deeply respect each other coming together to create something authentic, Watt explained. He described their surprise performance at a Bruno Mars concert in Los Angeles as a moment of pure awe: It was like watching the Avengers of music on stage.

Author: Connor Blake