Lady Gaga Drops First Single After 2 Years, Duet With Bruno Mars

Lady Gaga has joined forces with Bruno Mars for their duet “Die With a Smile,” marking her first single in two years.

The mid-tempo love ballad features Gaga and Mars harmonizing on lines like, “If the world was ending / I’d wanna be next to you.”

The Grammy-winning artists continue the chorus with, “I wanna hold you just for a while / And die with a smile.” Both 38, Gaga and Mars also revealed a music video for the single on Thursday, August 15.

In anticipation of the release, Gaga teased the collaboration on social media, posting, “WHILE YOU WAIT TILL LG7,” alluding to her upcoming album, which has yet to receive an official release date.

Accompanying the tease was a photo of the duo dressed in country-inspired attire. Gaga sported a striking blue dress with a red scarf tied into a large bow around her neck, paired with matching red tights.

The Oscar winner styled her hair in voluminous curls, reminiscent of Dolly Parton’s signature look, and completed the ensemble with dramatic eyeliner, blue nail polish, and a cigarette in hand.

Mars complemented her look with a matching blue suit adorned with embroidered details, a red shirt, a diamond belt buckle, and a white cowboy hat. He shared the same promotional image on Instagram, captioning it, “Song and video tonight! 9pm PT.”

Mars had previously hinted at the collaboration by posting a photo of himself on Wednesday, August 14, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Gaga’s name.

The shirt also featured a skull with pink hair, and Mars pointed to Gaga’s name, captioning the post with a sunglass emoji.

“Die With a Smile” marks Mars’ first collaboration with Gaga and his first single since 2022’s “After Last Night” with his Silk Sonic partner, Anderson .Paak.

Although Mars has been relatively quiet on the new music front, he has kept busy with both international and U.S. tours.

He has performances scheduled in California and Las Vegas through the end of the month, followed by a trip to Taiwan in September, and will conclude his tour back in Las Vegas in December.

Meanwhile, Gaga’s last musical release was “Hold My Hand” from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack in 2022. Since then, she has focused on her role as Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux, starring alongside Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, also known as Arthur Fleck. The highly anticipated film is set to hit theaters in October.

As fans eagerly await the musical drama’s release, many are also wondering when Gaga will drop her next album. In March, Gaga confirmed that she was indeed working on new material. (Her last solo album was 2020’s Chromatica, followed by Love for Sale with the late Tony Bennett in 2021.)

“I can’t remember a time I was so happy on my bday. I am in love with my best friend, my family and friends are loving and kind and healthy,” Gaga shared on Instagram, referencing her now-fiancé, Michael Polansky. “I feel like my heart is bursting with gratitude for my own health and music. I am writing some of my best music in as long as I can remember…”

She continued, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for loving me the way you do and for having such a real love for my songs. I’ve been writing pop songs since I was a little girl. I can’t believe I still get to do what I love.”

However, during one of her June shows in Las Vegas, Gaga humorously dismissed a fan’s request for “LG7!” by responding, “Not tonight!”