Bruno Mars Nearly Scrapped “Die With a Smile” — Until a Lady Gaga Revelation Changed Everything

“Die With a Smile,” the duet by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks this year and earned a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance — yet the song almost never reached listeners.

In an interview with Variety published on Thursday, December 4, 2025, producers James Fauntleroy and Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II recounted that initial fragments of the track were written roughly three years ago. After those early sessions, one of the collaborators set the song aside and effectively forgot about it — until Bruno Mars learned that Lady Gaga would star opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux and realized the piece might suit that project.

Fauntleroy praised Mars for rediscovering the tune. “He had the instinct to pull it back from the archives at exactly the right moment,” he said, noting that Bruno’s timing and creative instincts were pivotal to reviving the song.

The team briefly considered aligning the ballad with the Joker film or with Gaga’s planned concept album, Harlequin. Ultimately, however, the track found its home as a cut on Gaga’s Billboard 200-topping album, Mayhem. “When it became clear the film tie-in wouldn’t happen, Bruno had already set things in motion — his influence carried it forward,” Fauntleroy explained.

According to the producers, Gaga embraced the song immediately. Fauntleroy recalled being struck by her approach: she sat at the piano, learned the chords on the spot, and even took notes — a display of musicianship that convinced the team the collaboration would be special.

Beyond its U.S. chart success, “Die With a Smile” also enjoyed extraordinary global traction, spending 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200. Gaga’s Mayhem has since landed her multiple Grammy nominations, including a nod for Album of the Year.

Producer Andrew Watt — who worked on the song as well — told Billboard in 2024 that commercial praise was never the goal. “This came from a genuine place: two artists who respect one another and wanted to make something honest together,” he said.

Recalling a surprise live duet at Bruno Mars’ Los Angeles show last August, Watt added that the performance felt monumental: a rare, star-studded moment that he likened to “the Avengers of music.”

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