Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga are continuing a year of star-studded collabs with their new single “Die With A Smile”. The song is a classic pop love ballad, given a retro flair by the light guitar, tight rhythm section and perfect harmonizing between Gaga and Mars. The track’s lyrics speak to a timeless theme of desperation, which is not only evident in the lyrics but in each of their vocal performances.
Along with the single, the accompanying music video, directed by Daniel Ramos & Bruno Mars, leans into the old-school vibe of the song. Surrounded by retro cameras in an old TV studio, Gaga and Bruno give a performance reminiscent of an old talk show. Gaga’s hair and outfit bear a striking resemblance to Dolly Parton. Bruno’s matching suit, fedora and retro-looking guitar also fit this theme perfectly.
According to Variety, this new single came about as Lady Gaga was finishing her new album. Mars called her to the studio to listen to his in-progress version of “Die With A Smile,” a song Gaga was so impressed with that she stayed up all night with Mars to finish writing and recording the song. It was also noted that “Die With A Smile” is not a part of Lady Gaga’s upcoming studio album, which we know very little details about.
Despite not releasing a new solo album since 2020’s Chromatica, Gaga has remained busy with her collab record with the late Tony Bennett, the Chromatic Ball Concert Film, and starring in the upcoming Joker: Folie a Deux alongside Joaquin Phoenix. Fans of Gaga still are waiting with baited breath for the official announcement of the pop icon’s next studio record, but from the clues cleaned from her story of recording “Die With A Smile,” it seems the record is going to be here sooner rather than later.
Watching fans from all over the world celebrate this music has meant so much to me, to see the words of the song touch your heart and the video provoke this huge wave of dancing and fun is beautiful to watch and I’m so grateful. Thank you thank you thank you for loving our song i… pic.twitter.com/FC9o0NOhi6
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 22, 2024
Speaking of overdue for a solo record, it’s been since 2016’s 24k Magic that we’ve heard a Bruno Mars solo. In 2021, he teamed up with Anderson Paak as “Silksonic” and released An Evening with Silksonic, a critical and commercial slam dunk for the two artists producing multiple hit singles and a healthy dose of awards. As of late, Bruno was the first performer at the new Intuit Dome Arena in Los Angeles, where he brought out Lady Gaga to perform “Die With A Smile.”
The song has received a lot of love from fans who are praising the duo’s chemistry and ability to still make great music later into their careers.
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