For all her dedication to increasing — and typically to exploding — the boundaries of excellent style in pop music, Woman Gaga by no means goes lengthy with out dropping a killer ballad to remind you what a essentially gifted singer she is.
Consider the countrified “Million Reasons.” Consider the flag-waving “Hold My Hand.” Assume, particularly, of “Shallow,” her and Bradley Cooper’s Oscar-winning duet from their remake of “A Star Is Born.” Every reveals a unique aspect of Gaga’s inventive persona whereas showcasing a voice that may mix tenderness and ferocity.
Her newest is one other duet, “Die With a Smile,” by which she and Bruno Mars play lovers on the finish of the world amid a shimmering but muscular manufacturing that pulls from rock, nation and R&B. (The track was written by Gaga, Mars, Andrew Watt, Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II and James Fauntleroy and produced by the singers, Watt and D’Mile.) Launched in August, simply as Gaga was ramping up promotion for her position in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “Die With a Smile” has since racked up greater than 1.2 billion streams on Spotify. This week it’s the highest-charting nonholiday tune on Billboard’s Sizzling 100 at No. 6.
Now the track is nominated for 2 prizes on the 67th Grammy Awards in February: pop duo/group efficiency — which Gaga received in 2019 with “Shallow” and once more in 2021 along with her and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me” — and track of the 12 months, for which she’s been nominated three earlier instances.
Woman Gaga, who’s 38 and engaged to tech entrepreneur Michael Polansky, spoke concerning the track — in addition to the upcoming album that her followers consult with as LG7 and her reserving as a headliner at subsequent 12 months’s Coachella competition — between video shoots this week at a Santa Monica recording studio. She was sporting an elaborate white robe with a protracted prepare and pointy shoulders, and her braided blond hair was tucked beneath a scarf for a vaguely “Midsommar”-ish look.
My understanding is that “Die With a Smile” grew out of a late-night cellphone name from Bruno.We had been speaking about working collectively, and we have been making an attempt to determine what we have been gonna do. He referred to as me and he stated, “I have this idea.” I actually needed to listen to what he was doing, so I went over there actually late and he performed me the beginning of this concept. He had a pair totally different concepts, however I stated, “This one is a love song — I think people would love to hear us do a love song.”
What grabbed you in what he had?It was the lyrics — this concept of a track that was about what we might do if the world was ending. I simply keep in mind feeling prefer it was a track that folks wanted to listen to. I write music on a regular basis, and typically you are feeling such as you’re making one thing that some folks will like. However there’s different instances that you simply work on one thing and also you simply understand it’s gonna deeply converse to all totally different varieties of individuals. I knew it straight away.
Nice chords on this track.Lush, stunning chords. Really, that was one of many first issues we did. I sat down on the piano and was like, “OK, Bruno, show me the chords.” I don’t assume he knew how a lot of a musician I used to be.
It’s form of laborious to position the track in time, although the ’70s is unquestionably a part of it.That concord within the refrain. I believe the music of that point form of outlined what timeless is — a traditional, you already know? Generally after I’m within the studio, I’m deliberately not pondering traditional.
You’re making an attempt to ascertain one thing that’s by no means been finished.Yeah, possibly it’s slightly bit avant-garde, or it’s odd. I really like odd issues, however this was extra about magnificence and sincerity. And it’s easy.
For me the track evokes a few traditional duets: Michael McDonald and Patti LaBelle’s “On My Own” and “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.I used to be occupied with Carole King and James Taylor. There was one thing so particular after they carried out collectively — it was all about what they have been saying to one another. However I believe “Die With a Smile” is a novel track in a approach in 2024. We’re saying some s— that’s possibly not occurring on each document.
It definitely doesn’t slot in with what else is on the radio proper now.I don’t assume we have been apprehensive about that. I wish to not slot in.
You’ve returned to ballads usually all through your profession.I’m pondering of 1 document I didn’t placed on my [upcoming] album that’s really… I’d put it out so I don’t need to share the title. You nearly obtained me [laughs]. It’s really very fragile and never massive — one of many first instances I’ve ever finished that. However I like massive ballads. You possibly can sing alongside about love in an enormous approach. I really like emotional, dramatic music, whether or not it’s James Taylor and Carole King or it’s David Lee Roth.
How would you outline the visible type you and Bruno have adopted for “Die With a Smile”?We have been selection reveals and imagining that we have been a tv couple. But in addition I stated to Bruno, “I’m still gonna be one of the boys.” One of many nice honors of being on a track with Bruno Mars is the best way he regards me. I didn’t need to simply be the spouse. So within the video, she form of takes issues into her personal fingers. You additionally get the sensation that this can be a couple that’s been doing this for a very long time. This was actually the primary time Bruno and I ever did something, so isn’t it fascinating that it looks like we’ve sung collectively earlier than?
You’re each execs.Yeah, however typically it doesn’t occur that approach. There’s a naturalness — he’s like a brother. We each like to rehearse too. That’s one thing we now have in widespread.
Within the video you’re smoking a cigarette till the final attainable second earlier than your verse.I needed to create the illusion of a personality who had one thing to say. And it’s barely subversive — like, you’re speaking concerning the world ending and I’m having a cigarette. There’s one thing form of darkish about it.
“We were looking at variety shows and imagining that we were a television couple,” Woman Gaga says of her and Bruno Mars’ search for “Die With a Smile.”
(John Esparza)
The best way this track dropped into the world made me surprise a couple of connection to “Joker” or to “Harlequin,” the album of jazz requirements you made to accompany the film. In your thoughts, does “Die With a Smile” exist in that world?I don’t assume so. I imply, this was not meant to be for that. However that was occurring in my life on the time we wrote it and made it, so it’s laborious to say no completely as a result of this stuff at all times ricochet off one another. I do assume that the humor we discovered within the video should have been one thing that was bouncing round inside me — this concept of a tragic story that has some comedy. Singing about dying just isn’t one thing you’d affiliate with smiling, however by some means all of it is smart when you consider the sweetness of what we’re making an attempt to say.
Is the track related to no matter’s occurring on LG7?Completely. “Die With a Smile” is on my document — it’s an enormous a part of my album. It was like this lacking piece. The document is filled with my love of music — so many various genres, so many various types, so many various goals. It leaps round style in a approach that’s nearly corrupt. And it ends with love. That’s the reply to all of the chaos in my life is that I discover peace with love. Each track that I wrote, I simply stored getting form of swept away in these totally different goals I used to be having concerning the previous — nearly like a recollection of all these dangerous choices that I made in my life. Nevertheless it ends on this very completely happy place.
You’re headlining Coachella in April, which will probably be your second time there after performing in 2017. When the announcement got here out, you stated, “I’ve had a vision I’ve never been able to fully realize at Coachella” and that you simply’ve “been wanting to go back and to do it right.” Are you able to elaborate?Effectively, for causes completely outdoors of my management, there was a cancellation —
Beyoncé pulled out in 2017 as a result of she was pregnant, and also you stepped in.I actually needed to be there for music followers, and on the time there was all this pleasure to have the ability to movie bits of “A Star Is Born” at Coachella. However I solely had two weeks [to prepare for the show]. And so to design a stage, to have it made, all of these issues — I didn’t have the time to completely do what I actually needed to do. I really like music. I really like performing. I really like music followers. And I used to be so excited to movie items of our film there. So I did it, and I beloved it. However you already know when you’ve gotten a imaginative and prescient in your thoughts of the way you need to do one thing? It’s time to make it occur.
What’s your vibe on music festivals?Music festivals to me are a part of the group of music. I used to go to Bonnaroo so much, really, after I was youthful. It’s a spot to simply put pause on every little thing for a minute. You fall into all people round you, and also you fall into the music and the lights. I don’t assume there’s something that’s affected me as deeply in my life as dwell music. There’s one thing for me that’s faith about it.
You performed the ultimate dates of your jazz present in Las Vegas in July. Assume you’ll do it once more?I’m positively gonna be singing jazz sooner or later, for certain. Jazz is simply this big a part of my coronary heart. I beloved it my complete life, and it was so thrilling after I obtained to do it with Tony [Bennett]. And I beloved making “Harlequin” — that was actually a particular, particular expertise. Arranging that music is an actual course of. Discovering the suitable sound is an actual course of.
There’s one thing barely manic to my ears about “Harlequin.”“Manic” is the suitable phrase. There’s surf-punk affect on the album. There’s doom-jazz affect on the album. There’s New Orleans affect on the album. It was by way of the lens of a girl that wishes to be whoever she needs each time she feels prefer it — a girl that may gentle the stage on hearth if she feels prefer it. In a approach, it was form of defiant: Once I’ve sung jazz for many of my profession, I believe that some folks actually beloved it and different folks by no means understood why I deviated to different genres. The fantastic thing about why I make information is I really like studying about music. I beloved working with Tony. I beloved making “Harlequin.” I beloved collaborating with all of the DJs and Gesaffelstein on my new album. I beloved studying about industrial music and about all of the totally different crevices of digital music, after which I beloved working with Bruno. One of many issues I’ve most likely been judged for in my profession was not sticking to at least one factor. However not sticking to at least one factor is my life power.