Bruno Mars almost abandoned Die With A Smile — the global smash he ultimately recorded with Lady Gaga — until a surprising twist revived the song.
According to songwriter James Fauntleroy, the demo was gathering dust until Mars discovered that Gaga had been cast in Joker: Folie à Deux. That revelation suddenly sparked the idea of bringing her onboard as a collaborator.
“He was such a genius for pulling that out of the back of his subconscious memory because of the timing of that movie,” Fauntleroy told Variety. “That’s how Lady Gaga came into his mind. And once the ball started rolling, the power of Bruno compels you.”
Fauntleroy — whose credits include Beyoncé, Rihanna, SZA and Travis Scott — said Gaga’s musicianship left him stunned.
“She was like, ‘Let’s go to the piano,’” he recalled. “I knew she could play, but watching her sit down and learn the chords, then ask for a pen and paper to write them down… This is unheard of. She learned the song right there. And she and Bruno were singing it together — that’s when I knew it was something special.”
Producer Andrew Watt described the collaboration as electric:
“Bruno jumping in the booth, then her jumping in the booth, going back and forth. At one point we were all on guitars and she was on the piano. It felt like being in Fleetwood Mac.”
Die With A Smile has since become a global phenomenon, amassing over 1.7 billion streams and finishing as Spotify’s No. 1 most-streamed global track of the year.
The emotional duet also earned Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga a GRAMMY Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
