Lady Gaga x Bruno Mars vs. Sam Tsui x Casey Breves | Head 2 Head

In the 11th edition of Head 2 Head (2025), Lady Gaga x Bruno Mars and Sam Tsui x Casey Breves contend for the best rendition of “Die With a Smile.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians performing the same song and compare their performances.  After deliberation, we decide which performance is the best or moves us more subjectively.  In the 11^th edition of Head 2 Head (2025), Lady Gaga x Bruno Mars and Sam Tsui x Casey Breves contend for the best rendition of “Die With a Smile”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”

MAYHEM // Interscope // 2025 

In 2024 music lovers worldwide were bestowed a big-time gift: a collaboration between Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. These award-winning, gifted individuals duetted on “Die With A Smile”. “Die,” which appears on Gaga’s 2025 album, MAYHEM, earned her and Mars a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.  Lady Gaga, Mars, Andrew Watt, Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, and James Fauntleroy penned this number one hit. Gaga, Mars, Emile, and Watt produced it. The results are sublime. “Die With A Smile” commences with a rhythm guitar which propels the groove. Mars sings the first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus. “I, I just woke up from a dream / Where you and I had to say goodbye,” he sings, continuing, “And I don’t know what it all means / But since I survived, I realized / Wherever you go, that’s where I’ll follow.” As always, his tone is beautiful; he delivers a commanding and smooth performance.

The chorus is big and soulful, in a pop sort of way, welcoming punchy drums:

“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.”

Lady Gaga arrives in the second verse. Mars harmonizes with her (“‘Cause you already know what you mean to me / And our love’s the only one worth fighting for”).  Their vocal chemistry is undeniable – two dynamic singing vocals meshing celestially.  Following the dynamic second chorus, there is a change of pace during the brief bridge, where the piano is more prominent in the accompaniment (“Right next to you / Next to you / Right next to you”).  With the return of the chorus, this dynamic duo is just that – dynamic! Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars make a formidable team in their first-ever collaboration.  “Die With A Smile” is pop gold.

Appears in 🔻:

• Bops That Pop: August 2024
• 60 Best Songs of 2024

2. Sam Tsui & Casey Breves, “Die With a Smile”

“Die With a Smile” // mudhutdigital.com // 2025

“If the world was ending / I’d wanna be next to you.” Covering a Grammy-winning, number one hit is an elephantine task. However, two married tenors can handle it, right? Absolutely! Sam Tsui and Casey Breves, who have been married since 2016, bring their spin to “Die With a Smile”.  The most obvious contrast is two male lead vocalists instead of the female/male. Guess what? It works out marvelously! We stan!

Tsui and Breves’ chemistry is spot-on – I’d expect no less from these two love birds! Both tenors, Tsui has a lighter voice, while Breves’ is slightly more robust – ‘heavier’ in sound.  The contrast between them is as sweet as the chemistry.  Their vocal harmonies are locked in something fierce – ear-catching to the nth degree.  In this Valentine’s Day 2025 release, the production is stripped compared to the original.  No, the piano accompaniment doesn’t ‘soar’ with the expensive backdrop of the Grammy-winning recording, but the sound palette is sufficient.  The stripped nature makes “Die With a Smile” more intimate, which is fitting given that Tsui and Breves are husbands (Gaga and Mars are not lovers).  Sam Tsui and Casey Breves deliver a sweet take on this big-time pop hit.

Appears in 🔻:

• Sam Tsui & Casey Breves, Die With a Smile: Covers No. 10 (2025)

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️ 

So, who died with a smile the best… Okay, that sounded a bit insensitive and morbid.  Strike that! Who delivered the best rendition of “Die With a Smile?” Was it the original Grammy-winning duet by pop superstars Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars or the touching husband-husband duet by Sam Tsui and Casey Breves?  Tsui and Breves were impressive and sounded incredibly authentic on their cover.  Something that makes their performance even more heartfelt is the fact that they are married.  This is real – more than a duet.  Still, it is an elephantine task covering Gaga and Mars, who ‘do the damn thing’ every time they step to the mic.  Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars win this one – a number one, Grammy-winning pop hit is hard to top.  But, Tsui and Breves deserve their flowers, and their love for one another is truly special.

Lady Gaga x Bruno Mars vs. Sam Tsui x Casey Breves: Head 2 Head No. 11 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Interscope, mudhutdigital.com; Israel Torres, KoolShooters, Los Muertos Crew, RDNE Stock project, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels]