The Romantic

Bruno Mars released his fourth solo studio album The Romantic on February 27, 2026, through Atlantic Records. The project arrived more than four years after the collaborative An Evening with Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak and over nine years since his last solo album 24K Magic. Mars co-wrote and co-produced the nine-track set with D'Mile, who worked on the Silk Sonic project, alongside longtime collaborators Philip Lawrence, Brody Brown, and James Fauntleroy. Clocking in at 31 minutes and 30 seconds, it is his shortest album to date, even shorter than his debut Doo-Wops & Hooligans. The album features no guest artists.

Three singles preceded the album's release. The lead single "I Just Might" dropped on January 9, 2026, and debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Mars' first number-one debut and his tenth chart-topper overall. "Risk It All" arrived on the same day as the album, February 27. The third single, "On My Soul," was released in Italy on June 19. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, marking Mars' first album to debut at number one. It also topped the Canadian chart and reached the top ten in over a dozen countries including Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK. In the UK it debuted at number three, becoming his fifth top-ten album there. The album posted his best-ever weekly streaming and vinyl sales numbers. For the first time in his career, Mars simultaneously held the number one album and number one single on the Billboard charts.

Critical reception was mixed. Reviewers praised Mars' vocal performance and the album's production but were divided on the lyricism, with some finding it less inventive than his earlier work. Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop gave the album a "light 5," calling it "very unadventurous and just very predictable," though he praised tracks like "God Was Showing Off" and "Why You Wanna Fight?" for their songwriting and passionate presentation. Apple Music's editorial description highlighted the album as "pop's preeminent showman returns with an album dedicated to two timeless pleasures: dancing and romance." The supporting The Romantic Tour, spanning 71 shows across North America and Europe, ran from April to October 2026. [edit]