Recommended tracks: “I Just Might,” “God Was Showing Off,” “Nothing Left”
Artists you might like: Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Sam Smith
Not many artists can take a break from solo projects for 10 years and come back like they never left, but Bruno Mars has never followed the usual industry rules.
He’s put out just 4 studio albums, but somehow, he’s gathered more hits than many artists do over their whole careers. And while his last solo project was 2016’s 24k Magic, Mars never disappeared from the charts, dominating with Silk Sonic and standalone singles like “APT.” and “Die With A Smile.”
Now, he returns with The Romantic, released via Atlantic Records, proving once again that when he moves, the entire world pays attention.
The Romantic era began with the lead single “I Just Might,” a song I’ve found myself singing in my car pretty much every day since it came out. Most people agree the single is a certified banger, especially considering how it debuted at No. 1. Just 2 months after its release, “I Just Might” has amassed over 170,000 streams on Spotify. Even though the single has found massive success, some listeners have pushed back, saying he’s basically been putting out the same song throughout his whole career and that he desperately needs a rebrand. But here’s the thing: reinvention is exciting, sure, but if it isn’t broken, why on earth would he fix it? There’s a reason why he’s a 16-time Grammy Award winner.
That being said, calling The Romantic just more of the same doesn’t quite do it justice. It can be argued that this era feels entirely different from his previous work. His signature funk is still sprinkled throughout, but this time it’s mixed in with Latin flavors, especially on the album’s openers “Risk It All” and “Cha Cha Cha.” Yearning desperately needs to be brought back into music, and Mars does exactly that on “Risk It All,” pleading, “Say you want the moon / Watch me learn to fly / Ain’t no mountain you could point to / I wouldn’t climb.”
With “God Was Showing Off,” Mars takes infatuation to another level, comparing his love interest to an “earth angel” and saying God must have been showing off when he made her: “You know, whoever said God don’t have favorites / Never seen you before / Now everybody got somethin’ special / But it’s obvious you’ve been blessed / With just a little more.”
At the same time, with “On My Soul,” Mars grounds himself in sincerity, pledging his commitment to finding his own shooting star: “I’ma love you like you’ve never been loved before / On my soul, yea / I’ma love you like you’ve never been loved before / Put it on anything, put it on everything.”
But if there’s one thing that’s missing on this album, it’s the signature ballad we’ve come to expect from Mars — I’m talking about classics like “Versace on the Floor,” “When I was Your Man,” and “Talking to the Moon.” If there was a yearbook superlative for longing, Mars would get it hands down, but on this album, it feels like the song you belt out in the shower is absent.
The LP comes to a close with the retro, 60s-inspired “Dance With Me.” Instead of leaving fans with something upbeat, Mars provides the perfect song for a slow dance at the end of the night. Trading flashy production for a gentle goodbye, he slows things down and wonders if the love will still be there once the music is gone.
The hitmaker is taking The Romantic on tour to a stadium near you beginning on April 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are on sale now here.
The Romantic Tour Dates:
Fri, Apr 10 — Las Vegas, NV — Allegiant Stadium#
Tue, Apr 14 — Glendale, AZ — State Farm Stadium#
Sat, Apr 18 — Arlington, TX — Globe Life Field#
Wed, Apr 22 — Houston, TX — NRG Stadium#
Sat, Apr 25 — Atlanta, GA — Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field#
Wed, Apr 29 — Charlotte, NC — Bank of America Stadium#
Sat, May 2 — Landover, MD — Northwest Stadium#
Wed, May 6 — Nashville, TN — Nissan Stadium#
Sat, May 9 — Detroit, MI — Ford Field#
Wed, May 13 — Minneapolis, MN — U.S. Bank Stadium#
Sat, May 16 — Chicago, IL — Soldier Field#
Wed, May 20 — Columbus, OH — Ohio Stadium#
Sat, May 23 — Toronto, ON — Rogers Stadium#
Sun, May 24 — Toronto, ON — Rogers Stadium#
Sat, Jun 20 — Paris, FR — Stade de France^
Sun, Jun 21 — Paris, FR — Stade de France^
Fri, Jun 26 — Berlin, DE — Olympiastadion^
Sat, Jul 4 — Amsterdam, NL — Johan Cruijff ArenA^
Sun, Jul 5 — Amsterdam, NL — Johan Cruijff ArenA^
Fri, Jul 10 — Madrid, ES — Riyadh Air Metropolitano^
Tue, Jul 14 — Milan, IT — Stadio San Siro^
Sat, Jul 18 — London, UK — Wembley Stadium Connected by EE^
Sun, Jul 19 — London, UK — Wembley Stadium Connected by EE^
Fri, Aug 21 — East Rutherford, NJ — MetLife Stadium@
Sat, Aug 22 — East Rutherford, NJ — MetLife Stadium@
Sat, Aug 29 — Pittsburgh, PA — Acrisure Stadium@
Tue, Sep 1 — Philadelphia, PA — Lincoln Financial Field@
Sat, Sep 5 — Foxborough, MA — Gillette Stadium@
Wed, Sep 9 — Indianapolis, IN — Lucas Oil Stadium@
Sat, Sep 12 — Tampa, FL — Raymond James Stadium@
Wed, Sep 16 — New Orleans, LA — Caesars Superdome@
Sat, Sep 19 — Miami, FL — Hard Rock Stadium@
Wed, Sep 23 — San Antonio, TX — Alamodome@
Sat, Sep 26 — Air Force Academy, CO — Falcon Stadium at the United States Air Force Academy@
Fri, Oct 2 — Inglewood, CA — SoFi Stadium@
Sat, Oct 3 — Inglewood, CA — SoFi Stadium@
Sat, Oct 10 — Santa Clara, CA — Levi’s Stadium@
# with Leon Thomas
^ with Victoria Monét
@ with RAYE
Keep up with Bruno Mars: Website // Instagram // Facebook // X // YouTube // Spotify // Apple Music
