Though Bruno Mars hasn’t released a solo album since 2016, he’s remained a dominant force in pop music.
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His recent singles with Lady Gaga (“Die with a Smile”) and Rosé (“Apt.”) have racked up billions of streams. All familiar territory for the singer.
Mars also formed Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak and the duo’s debut, An Evening with Silk Sonic, arrived in 2021. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
He continues to stack hits atop others like “Locked Out of Heaven,” “That’s What I Like,” and “Uptown Funk” with Mark Ronson. He’s currently Spotify’s biggest artist. And here are three songs that helped Mars surpass 150 million listeners on the streaming platform.
“Die With a Smile” with Lady Gaga from Mayhem (2025)
Lady Gaga called “Die With a Smile” the “missing piece” to her seventh studio album Mayhem. She told Billboard, “I just remember feeling like it was a song that people needed to hear.” Gaga was right; the single topped the Global 200 for eight weeks. In the early years of Mars’ career, he studied the mechanics of crafting hit songs. You don’t reach 150 million Spotify listeners without absorbing the lessons.
Wherever you go, that’s where I’ll follow
Nobody’s promised tomorrow
So I’ma love you every night like it’s the last night
Like it’s the last night
“When I Was Your Man” from Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)
The title of Mars’ second album reflects how the singer wanted to avoid being boxed inside any particular genre. He moves effortlessly through several musical styles on the album, though he never appears like a tourist. At each stop, Mars showcases his prodigious talent like a modern-day Stevie Wonder. His powerful voice echoes the greats, and there’s no need for additional production layers on his giant piano ballad “When I Was Your Man.”
Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now
Our song on the radio but it don’t sound the same
When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down
’Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name
“Grenade” from Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
Mars’ arrival as a solo artist began with “Just the Way You Are,” a tender song with the innocence of bubblegum pop. But “Grenade” opens his debut solo album with a darker tale of unrequited love. With help from his production team The Smeezingtons, Mars’ entrance onto the pop scene collected generations of R&B legends and early rock and soul music.
Easy come, easy go, that’s just how you live, oh
Take, take, take it all, but you never give
Shoulda known you was trouble from the first kiss
Had your eyes wide open
Why were they open?
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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