Bruno Mars is back with his fourth solo album, released nearly a decade after 24K Magic, titled The Romantic. The American singer-songwriter’s full album was released on Feb. 27, featuring nine brand new songs.
The lead single, “I Just Might,” debuted early on Jan. 9, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The album has been a hit so far, with “I Just Might” reaching the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 on Jan. 24. During the week of March 7, for the Billboard Hot 100, the song was still there in the No. 5 spot.
Mars has been involved in music nearly his whole life, long before topping the charts. He grew up in Hawaii, where he started performing as an Elvis Presley impersonator at only four years old. He learned music from his family of musical entertainers and could play a variety of musical instruments at a young age, including piano, guitar, and drums.
After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles, where his career did not immediately take off. Mars began his career in songwriting, initially entering the music industry through collaborations. His feature in B.o.B.’s “Nothin’ on You” was his breakthrough to topping the charts as a singer, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in April 2010.
Not long after “Nothin’ on You” became a hit, Mars found success on his own. In July 2010, “Just the Way You Are,” the lead single of his first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was released, launching his solo career.
Since then, Mars has released two other solo albums, including Unorthodox Jukebox in 2012 and 24K Magic in 2016. Years later, the album An Evening with Silk Sonic was released as a collaborative project between Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak, a duo known as “Silk Sonic.”
Mars has worked on many popular collaborative projects with other high-profile artists, most recently collaborating on “Die With a Smile” with Lady Gaga and “APT.” with Rosé, both of which were released in 2024. In fact, a performance of “APT.” was the opener for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards last month. Although “APT.” did not win any Grammys, Mars is no stranger to awards.
Mars has received a total of 16 Grammy Awards, 14 American Music Awards, and seven MTV Video Music Awards. Beyond awards, he has set streaming records, such as becoming the first artist to reach 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify, making him the top artist on the platform. Additionally, Mars is the first artist to have five songs with over three billion streams on Spotify.
On Jan. 8, Mars announced his fifth tour, The Romantic Tour. The concert tour will begin on April 10 in Las Vegas, and will conclude in December in Mexico City with stops throughout the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, England, and Mexico.
Award-winning, record-breaking, and unforgettable hits have defined his career. The Romantic proves that Mars is not slowing down yet and will surely continue on this trajectory.