bruno mars’s transition from hopeless romantic to pimp rizz gyatt boi must be studied
was it a rebrand or was it always his true self?
In December 2024, Bruno Mars surpassed an astonishing 140 million monthly listeners on Spotify - the first to ever exceed that and 17 million higher than runner-up Ariana Grande, who is being supported this month by her Christmas releases and a whole ass movie.
Incredible stuff from the, checks Wikipedia notes: American pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, rock singer.
His blistering fame and impeccable vocals aside, what intrigues me the most about Bruno Mars is his seamless transition from his classic, emotionally-driven, romantic and soulful pop tracks of the 2010s to the funky, eclectic, jazzy-snazzy bangers he releases today where they’re still romantic - but in a demeanor that is, let’s just say, destined for the streets.
Just the way you are!
Early-stage Bruno was a hopeless romantic.
Just The Way You Are is a moving declaration of dedication, Grenade is an empowering statement of sacrifice, while When I was Your Man, It Will Rain and Talking to the Moon plays the part of a hopeful, heartbroken lad.
While he did have some funky tangents like The Lazy Song and innuendo-drawn pieces like Locked Out of Heaven, Bruno was (and in some ways, continues to be) a singer who centres around brave, overwhelming proclamations of love.
He’s a simp, honestly. But he’s mastered the art of it, sizzling like butter in a pan.
I personally believe there are three main components to Bruno’s early music that made him so easily loved:
His songs are about love - a relatable and easily applicable topic
His songs, for the most part, are suitable for kids, teens, adults and old people. They could be played on the radio, in the club, at hotel lobbies and family get-togethers.
And most importantly, despite his blistering vocal range, Bruno keeps his songs relatively simple in terms of both words and range - making it accessible yet satisfying for the average karaoke singer
This universality helped Bruno Mars establish a special place in a multitude of people’s music diet, such that youngins, moms and dads could easily have Bruno Mars within their top five artists.
‘Cause Uptown Funk gon’ give it to you
I attribute the bastardisation (positively speaking) of Bruno’s romantic self to British-American music producer, Mark Ronson.
Somewhere during the production of Uptown Funk, he slipped something in Bruno’s drink and his music had never been the same.
Almost overnight, Bruno’s releases became intertwined with 1980-s era funk. Seductive saxophones and sunnies larger than his face. Lyrics that boasted charisma, arrogance, luxury and most importantly - fun.
His 2016 album 24K Magic is a perfect personification of all that, establishing his - shudders - pimp rizz gyatt persona with bangers like Versace on the Floor and That’s What I Like.
This isn’t a bad thing. I personally tend to gravitate towards more upbeat, dance music; the tunes which unknowingly makes you walk to the beat, that makes me feel like I’m dripping in Finesse.
American rapper T-Pain probably has the best comment about it, saying that Mars “was real specific on what he wanted” while working with Mars on the thinly-masked innuendo of a track Straight Up & Down.
Bruno no longer wanted to be the schoolboy with a crush on his hottest girl in school. He was tired of seeing his lovers stolen by dude-bros who thought they were better than him. With vigour and heat and insurmountable swagger, he slapped on the gold chain and reversed his snapback, deciding that revenge was dish best served on the cheeks of a dozen Latina baddies.
Meet me at the…
While Bruno did release the captivating, jazz-twinged An Evening With Silksonic in 2021, he remained rather quiet on the radio scene.
That was until, in 2024, he released promotional single Die With a Smile with Lady Gaga.
There was speculation in early 2024 about how the music industry was drying up and in a desperate attempt to raise funds, many artists came out of their caverns to release tracks concurrently with one another (usually not seen because you do NOT want to complete for the Billboard with other big names), posted insane tour schedules that spanning into 2026 and in the case of Taylor Swift, released at least 34 different versions of The Tortured Poets Department.
When Die with a Smile released, I wondered whether Mars and Gaga were feeling that same burn of music drought.
And I wonder if Rosé was part of the category too with BLACKPINK going into radio silence and each member pursuing their own musical interests?
Say what you will about APT’s obnoxious chorus, it is a meteoric success of a song, benefiting from the following:
Every English-speaker loves Bruno Mars
Every Asian loves Rosé
Other than having some lyrics in Korean, the words and notes are extremely easy to hit for the average karaoke singer, just like Bruno’s old music
And most importantly, APT is perfect for cropping into short-form videos, the most important measure of commercial success in this attention economy.
Bruno is, let’s be honest, a sellout - but he’s a damn fucking good one and everybody loves him for it. He chases trends, and once he catches them, looks as if he was the one to pioneer them.
Which one is the real Bruno Mars?
And alas, that’s my question for you, Bruno.
Which one is the real Bruno Mars?
Is it the emotionally-driven, burdened-with-emotions romantic who created Dollops & Hooligans and Unorthodox Jukebox?
Is it the sweet and spicy, charisma-churning fuckboy, driving down the streets with 24K Magic and Uptown Funk?
Or is it the third case, which I have shruggingly referred to as a sellout - a Puerto Rican/Spanish man who loves collaborating with friends, jamming out and making whatever the hell he wants i.e. An Evening With Silksonic, Die With a Smile, APT.
Will you always stay in the music industry? You’re probably the closest thing we have to a modern, eternal classic (other candidates are Taylor Swift, Coldplay, perhaps Lady Gaga). Or will you transition to something different, knowing that your musical stardom will have its limits (like how Sabrina Carpenter started up a Christmas show and is highkey the best commercial decision she could have made)?
How did you do it, Bruno? Which one is your real face? Maybe they’re all your real face and you’ve simply changed, both as an artist and at a personal level. I hope you’re true to yourself. I hope that for everyone.
But I cannot deny success and certainly not statistics. 140 million monthly listeners on Spotify is positively unparalleled. You got it, Bruno, you really do.