Bruno Mars stays as 'feel good' as ever with his new album, 'The Romantic'

Bruno Mars in the studio, 2026. JOHN V. ESPARZA

Ten years have passed between Bruno Mars' previous album, 24K Magic, and his new release, The Romantic, which came out on Friday, February 27. The album tells the story of a lovelorn Latino on a quest for love, only to be rejected.

Despite this long break from solo projects, the multi-instrumentalist and singer has remained a constant presence on radio and streaming platforms, particularly thanks to two songs: Die With a Smile with pop superstar Lady Gaga, and APT., performed with South Korean singer Rosé.

Both tracks broke streaming records. The first, a pop-rock ballad, became, in August 2024, the fastest song to reach one billion streams on Spotify, while the second, with its rapped chorus, was, the following year, the most-streamed song in the world on Apple Music. Bruno Mars also formed the group Silk Sonic with drummer Anderson .Paak, recording a highly retro, deeply soulful album, An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021), which featured "Leave the Door Open," winner of four Grammy Awards in 2022.

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