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Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars team up on love song 'Die with a Smile': See the retro music video
By KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY,
1 day ago
The stars are aligning.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars dropped their new single "Die with a Smile" on Thursday and the global pop superstars addressed how the California collaboration came to be in a press release.
"Bruno and I have a lot of mutual respect for each other and were talking about collaborating. 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," Lady Gaga said in the statement.
She added that she arrived at midnight and the pair "stayed up all night and finished writing and recording the song," praising Bruno Mars's talent as "beyond explanation," adding that "his musicianship and vision is next level. There's no one like him.”
In the release, Bruno Mars heaped his own praise on his pop peer for her artistry.
"Getting to work with Gaga has been an honor. She’s an icon and she makes this song magical. I’m so excited for everyone to hear it," he said in the statement. Between the two, they share 13 chart-topping No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
'Die with a Smile' music video: Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga delight in denim
The "Die with a Smile" duo donned denim outfits during the four-minute-long music video, which was vintage and country western-themed. Mars strummed on a guitar as Gaga played her signature instrument, the piano, and the pop musicians locked eyes in matching red and denim outfits.
"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 / If the world was ending I'd wanna be next to you," the pair sing in the chorus.
Throughout the song, which starts with Mars, the collaborators switch between verses.
Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga previously teased potential collaboration by wearing each other's merch
"While you wait till LG7… 'DIE WITH A SMILE' a duet with @brunomars ❤️🔥," Gaga wrote in an Instagram post Thursday alongside the single's cover art. "Song and video tonight at 9pm PT." LG7 refers to her upcoming seventh studio album – her first since 2020's "Chromatica" – which does not have an official title or release date.
Gaga also nicknamed herself "Lady Mars" in an Instagram Story in honor of the collaboration.
In the single artwork, Gaga and Mars are standing side by side wearing complementary red and blue outfits that appear to have Western and '60s influences. Mars is accessorized in an ivory cowboy hat and gold belt buckle, while Gaga holds a cigarette between her fingers.
Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga collab follows yearslong wait for new music
Fans of both musicians have been eager for new music in recent years, though Gaga's Little Monsters have been tided over this past year with the HBO concert film “ Gaga Chromatica Ball ,” which documents the 2022 Chromatica Ball tour . Mars' last album was his Silk Sonic collaboration with Anderson .Paak , 2021's "An Evening with Silk Sonic." Its first single, "Leave the Door Open," earned the R&B duo four Grammy Awards (including record and song of the year).
Mars' last solo album was his 2016 Grammy-winning record "24K Magic."
For her part, Gaga has been teasing fans with photos and footage of her time in the recording studio.
"I have written so many songs. I've been producing so many songs, and it's nothing like anything that I've ever made before," she said during a Q&A at the premiere for "Gaga Chromatica Ball." "I love to break genre, and I love to explore music, and there's something really beautiful about knowing that you will be loved no matter what you do."
Gaga, who sang Zizi Jeanmaire's "Mon Truc En Plumes" in a French cabaret-inspired performance at the Paris Olympics last month, will make her feature film return in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” due Oct. 4. In the "Joker" sequel, she plays Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck aka The Joker.
Bruno Mars, left, Lady Gaga, center left, and The Weeknd, right, appear with model Elsa Hosk at the end of the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Grand Palais in Paris on Nov. 30, 2016. Charles Platiau, REUTERS
This summer, Gaga also revived her Las Vegas jazz residency , performing a handful of dates in June and July at Park MGM's Dolby Live.
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