According to Stereogum.com, every year since 2009, Sondre Lerche has premiered a just-recorded contemporary cover song on Stereogum around Christmastime. The first one was a take on Animal Collective’s “Bluish” and last year ,the Norwegian musician did a Ryuichi Sakamot interpretation of Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” Today, the artist has shared his cover ofLady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With A Smile.”
“My recording of “Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga certainly won’t make much of a difference in that regard. But it’s a great, classic song. The original recording sounds beautiful, elegant, powerful, timeless. It’s almost a wonder it was so huge in 2025 (as opposed to 1975). A lot of that has to do with it being performed (and written) by two of the world’s most charismatic and dramatic singers.,” says Lerche.
The artist adds: “But I think I’ve also developed a soft spot for it because it kinda sounds like some very elegant indie record Matias might’ve have produced and recorded in his scrappy studio Bergen, circa 2015. Naturally, our version today won’t sound anything like that. My instinct was to make it groovy, primitive, minimalist and bombastic.”