Bruno Mars nearly pulled the plug on his and Lady Gaga’s hit Die With A Smile.
His collaborator, James Fauntleroy, has spilled that the Locked Out in Heaven singer had all but abandoned the demo until he learned about Gaga’s role in Joker: Folie à Deux.
Speaking to Variety, Fauntleroy said: “He [Bruno] was such a genius for pulling that out of the back of his subconscious memory because of the timing of that movie, which is also how Lady Gaga came into his mind as a collaborator.
“Then when we found out that wasn’t gonna be a thing, he had already kind of started the ball rolling because the power of Bruno compels you.”
The songwriter – who has worked with huge names including Beyonce, SZA, Rihanna, and Travis Scott – was blown away by Gaga’s musicianship.
He recounted: “She was like, ‘Let’s go to the piano.’
“I knew she could play the piano, but watching her actually sit down like a musician and learn the chords, so much so that she actually asked for a pen and paper and wrote the chords down… This is unheard of. She learned the f****** song, dude, right there.
“And they were performing, singing it together. And that’s when I should have known it was going to be something special.”
Producer Andrew Watt shared: “Bruno jumping in the booth, then her jumping in the booth and going back and forth. There was a point where we were all on guitars and she was on the piano. It was like being in Fleetwood Mac or something.”
Amassing upwards of 1.7 billion streams, the single secured the No.1 spot as Spotify’s leading global track for the year.
The soaring ballad also earned the pair a GRAMMY for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.