In mid-August, with precious little warning, two of the biggest artists in the world decided to take control of the pop music narrative. On the night of August 15, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars released their collaborative ballad 'Die With a Smile', with a Dolly Parton-inspired music video dropping the same night, as well as a surprise duet performance at his show Mars in Los Angeles, covering Friday's release day with a stadium-wide press in the early hours of the song's release.
As the week wore on, a digital campaign also came into play, and the work paid off: “Die With a Smile” debuted at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Global 200 and Global Excl . US charts in their first week. But since then, the song has only grown, especially around the world — this week, “Die With a Smile,” which is credited to Gaga's Interscope label but receives help from Mars Atlantic, spends its second week of as the greatest song in the world, top of both Bulletin boardglobal charts in mid-September. And that global success is helping land Interscope Geffen A&M senior vp/head of pop/rock marketing Adrian Amodeo its title Bulletin board's Executive of the week.
Here, Amodeo discusses the song's initial release, how Interscope and Atlantic teamed up, and how Interscope's global strategy — which also saw massive success with Billie Eilish and Karol G, as well as BTS' Jimin — helped the company. reach new heights around the world. “We don't want to just release records in other territories,” says Amodeo. “We want to create real campaigns that are extensions of our domestic campaigns and also integrate into local cultures and communities on-site and online.”
This week, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' “Die With A Smile” is No. 1 on both Bulletin boardHis worldwide song charts for the second week in a row. What key decisions did you make to help make this happen?
Initially, it was a huge team effort between two amazing groups of artists. We have two of the most important pop stars on the planet who wrote and recorded an absolutely incredible song and were involved in every detail of the release. We knew it would be a special moment once the song was released, but we also knew we had to create a campaign that honored two superstars and their incredible artistry. We wanted to show the power of these two stars together and show that Gaga and Bruno are at the top of their game, with a ballad, in the midst of an incredible summer of pop music.
When we first heard the song, Kirsten Stubbsco-head of digital marketing, pointed out that Bruno happened to be opening the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles around the time the song came out, so we immediately set the wheels in motion to make a show a major moment in our campaign. The genuine connection that people saw between the two of them, and the content that we were able to capture and spread, really set the tone for the entire campaign. It was lightning in a bottle with the release of the song, video and performance that night. But we knew we had to continue to build a runway for the song and organize the release around the world, so we treated it like an album release, not just a single.
The song debuted at No. 2 on both charts, before climbing to the top a week later. What happened to such a huge global impact right out of the gate?
Our international team was so integral — every region made it a priority to make this the biggest song in the world. Before the song came out, we were lucky enough to have all the label heads from around the world in our studio where we revealed our design for the track. We were able to play the music and explain our global vision, but more importantly we had Gaga and her team in the room to engage in these conversations with us. It really energized everyone to participate in such a process. The subsequent local campaigns and partner support our teams have garnered has been truly amazing.
I am proud of what the team has achieved for fans around the world. Out-of-home campaigns became major fan experiences, anchored by an eight-city showcase experience that paid tribute to the song, artwork and video. Coupled with all the billboards around the world, it just felt huge — and, more importantly, we did it to travel the web. A great job by Kevin Rankin and Jessica Staats for driving with all the teams around the world. The themes of the song also helped build an incredible TikTok world for the song, which was fun to watch and really helped take it to another level globally. Our ability to conceive and execute such a complex global campaign is truly a core strength of Interscope and Universal Music Group.
This music video was also a big hit, with its throwback theme and Dolly Parton feel. How important was it to the song's success and what is the role of the traditional music video these days?
The music video was as important, if not the most important part of this campaign. It was co-directed by Bruno, who continues to exemplify his craft and shows Gaga's trust in him as a partner throughout this process. Again, this genuine connection cannot be overstated. Besides an incredible video, it also inspired every inch of our creative. The uniform art, the clothes worn on stage at the Intuit Dome, the global out-of-home. Everything was purposefully cohesive and respectful of the aesthetic world that Gaga and Bruno built. The music video also started a strong viral moment with fans recreating Gaga's dance and inspired fans to recreate her performances online, at shows and in clubs. It was so amazing to see and we fully expect Gaga-Bruno to be one of the most prominent Halloween costumes this year. We have already moved on to this.
Gaga and Bruno are two of the biggest superstars on the planet and are signed to different labels. How did this song come together and how did the marketing plan work across two companies?
The making of the song is Gaga and Bruno's story, but it's pretty well documented that they've wanted to work together for a long time. [Interscope Capitol Labels Group chairman/CEO] John JanickBruno's relationship with Bruno goes back many years and the trust that Bruno and Gaga have shown in John cannot be overstated. [Atlantic Music Group chair/CEO] Julie Greenwald it was also absolute power. Her energy and passion for singing helped both groups become great. With so many relationships and teams in place we were really able to hit the ground running. We spent about six weeks planning the song together and the relationship was great with all our departments working hand in hand, in zooms, calls, texts, DMs, voice notes and faxes. We are still moving forward.
Along with Birds of a Feather's “Billie Eilish” and Karol G's “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” Interscope has three songs in the top 10 on the Global 200, and those three make up three of the top five on the Global Excl. USA chart. What is IGA's overall global strategy and why are these songs doing so well around the world right now?
We are very lucky to work with incredible artists and incredible collaborators. It starts with the teams, but the vision is always global from the start. We don't want to just release records in other regions. We want to create real campaigns that are extensions of our domestic campaigns and also integrate into local cultures and communities on-site and online. Our teams literally stay on top of all creatives, creator campaigns and local moments to make sure it's a unified creative marketing mood with a local touch. The way we've also been able to integrate partners like AmEx and Sony into our global releases is a testament to the 360 approach we take globally.
By the way, Jimin's “Who” is also in the top 10 and I can't stress enough the importance of our relationship with HYBE. We are excited about our new HYBE x Geffen global girl group, KATSEYE. Building a global girl group with such an important partner was an incredible undertaking, but a big part of our vision for the future. It's been amazing to watch them grow exponentially on streaming and socials as PopStar Academy: KATSEYE, the eight-episode series that follows their journey, continues to grow on Netflix. They are currently in Korea on a huge promotional tour that will also take them to Japan and the Philippines.
Where do you see the biggest growth opportunities for Interscope around the world right now?
Our relationship with our artists continues to be our greatest opportunity. What we can offer them to build their global brands is our core strength, so we need to continue to emphasize and build on what we have while reinvesting in new strategies. Direct to consumer and [customer relationship management] Strategy is so important and we continue to build it globally with our partners at Bravado and Fame House. We've created a company culture where it feels like a team with them and that's so important to building global artist brands. Our collective ability to communicate directly with fans around the world is critical. We're really focused on that, while also continuing to strategize for emerging markets.
Last week: How Sabrina Fueled Her Rise to Stardom with 'Short N' Sweet'
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/lady-gaga-and-bruno-mars-die-with-a-smile-global-smash-how/
