Mars to Release New Single “24K Magic” This Friday

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is ready to share a little music Magic…

The 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican actor has announced plans to release the new single “24K Magic” on October 7.

“Excited to announce 24K Magic, out this Friday!!” he said on Instagram. “You can call it my first single, but I call it the invitation to the party.”

“24K Magic” will be the first track from his forthcoming third studio album, the follow-up to 2012’s Unorthodox Jukebox, which yielded the hits “Locked Out of Heaven,” “When I Was Your Man” and “Treasure.”

Since that album’s release, Mars has collaborated on Mark Ronson‘s 2014 hit “Uptown Funk,” written “All I Ask” with Adele, performed at two Super Bowls and debuted the ballad “Rest of My Life” on the season-two finale of The CW‘s Jane the Virgin.

Skrillex has mentioned that he’s an upcoming collaborator on new material.

No album release date or title has been revealed.

But Mars reassured his fans on Twitter, “You think I’ve been playin this whole time? You don’t think I’m masterminding the return?”

Mars Earns Sixth Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with “Uptown Funk!”

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a chart-topping start of the New Year for Bruno Mars…

The 29-year-old’s collaboration with Mark Ronson‘s, “Uptown Funk!,” has reached the summit on the Billboard 100 chart, rising 2-1 on the first chart released in 2015.

The song replaces Taylor Swift‘s “Blank Space” after seven weeks at the helm.

“Uptown Funk!,” released via RCA Records, earns Mars his sixth Hot 100 No. 1 and second as a featured artist: he previously reigned as a guest in his first appearance, on B.o.B‘s “Nothin’ on You” in 2010. In between, he led with his own tracks “Just the Way You Are” (four weeks, 2010), “Grenade” (four, 2011), “Locked Out of Heaven” and “When I Was Your Man” (one, 2013).

Among male soloists in the Hot 100’s 56-year history, only nine boast more No. 1s than Mars. Michael Jackson leads with 13, followed by Stevie Wonder (10), Elton John, Paul McCartney, Usher (nine each), George Michael (eight), Phil Collins, Frankie Valli and Elvis Presley (seven each; note that Presley’s career predated the Hot 100’s 1958 launch by two years).

“Uptown Funk!,” the 1,041st Hot 100 No. 1 of all-time, reaches the summit with the majority (65 percent) of its chart activity from sales, as it rebounds 2-1 for a second week atop the Digital Songs chart with 382,000 downloads sold (down 12 percent) in the week ending Jan. 4, according to Nielsen Music.

“Uptown Funk!” pushes 4-2 on the Streaming Songs charts with a 14 percent surge to 10 million U.S. streams. On Radio Songs, it rises 10-9 with an 11 percent increase to 76 million in all-format audience.

“Funk!” previews Ronson’s album Uptown Special, due Tuesday (January 13).

“It’s definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Ronson says of his new Hot 100 leader. “And, I know that it’s one of Bruno’s favorite things that he’s ever done, as well.”

Mars Named to Billboard’s Highest-Paid Musicians in 2013 List

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is making bank…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer-songwriter is one of Billboard’s highest-paid musicians of the past year.

Mars, who attracted a record audience during his Super Bowl Halftime Show, ranks No. 12 on Billboard’s Music’s Top 40 Money Makers 2014: The Rich List with $18.8 million in reported earnings. He’s actually the only Latino to make this year’s list.

Before his unforgettable Super Bowl performance, Mars entertained fans during his sold-out Moonshine Jungle Tour, which finished at No. 23 on Billboard’s list of the top 25 tours of 2013, grossing $46.4 million.

In addition to Mars’ share of that revenue ($12.2 million), the previous year marked his chart-topping ascent with his Grammy-winning sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox.”

Selling 1.4 million in 2013 and charting four Hot 100 hits, including No. 1s “Locked Out of Heaven” and “When I Was Your Man,” these feats helped Mars earn the title of Billboard’s 2013 Artist of the Year.

The top five artists on the list include Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi and The Rolling Stones.

Click here to see the complete list.

Mars Announces Dates for the Second Leg of His “Moonshine Jungle” Tour

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is ready for a little more Moonshine…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer, who will be performing at this year’s Super Bowl with the Red Hot Chili Peppers as his special guest, has announced plans to launch the next leg of his popular Moonshine Jungle tour — and on select dates, he’ll be joined by fellow hitmaker Pharrell Williams.

Mars will kick off the newest set of concerts this May, following two April shows in Mars’ hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. Pharrell, a music producer and featured artist on two of 2013’s biggest songs, Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk‘s “Get Lucky,” will join Mars in five cities — Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal — while appearing behind his upcoming solo release with Columbia Records.

Panamanian American soul singer Aloe Blacc, best known in U.S. as the vocalist on Avicii‘s “Wake Me Up,” will open for Mars for majority of dates where Pharrell will not perform.

The Moonshine Jungle tour’s next leg will begin May 27 at Fresno, California’s Save Mart Center, running over 40 total dates before concluding Aug. 17 in Englewood, Colorado at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre.

Mars, Billboard’s Artist of the Year in 2013, is touring in support of his sophomore album, Unorthodox Jukebox, which was released in December 2012. The album has spawned two No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Locked Out of Heaven” and “If I Was Your Man,” as well as the No. 5-peaking “Treasure” and “Gorilla,” which hit No. 22.

He’s also received multiple nominations at the Grammys later this month, including nods for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for “Locked Out of Heaven.”

See the full list of tour dates at Mars’ official site.

Mars Named Billboard’s Artist of the Year

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Bruno Mars has had an incredible year in 2013…

Not only did the 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer earn four Grammy nominations earlier this month and land on three of Spotify’s year-end streaming charts, he’s just been named Billboard‘s top artist of the year.

Mars, the first man to claim the title since 2008, beat out several of this year’s breakout stars like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Imagine Dragons, pop divas like Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, and R&B stars like Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke for the honor.

Mars’ sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, which commanded a steady presence on the Billboard 200 following its No. 2 debut last December, is one of the main reasons he’s the artist of the year.

Remaining in the top 20 every week since then through the Sept. 14 issue, the Atlantic Records album hit No. 1 in its 12th week. To date, Unorthodox Jukebox has sold 1.8 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The year-end top artist tally also factors in activity on the Billboard Hot 100, where Mars landed three top 10 singles: “Locked Out of Heaven” (six weeks at No. 1), “When I Was Your Man” (No. 1 for a week) and “Treasure” (No. 5).

Also figured into the equation are social, ringtone and Billboard Boxscore data. In the lattermost instance, Mars’ Moonshine Jungle world tour finished at No. 23 on Billboard’s Top 25 Tours list. Kicking off June 22 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the sold-out arena trek has thus far logged 48 dates in North America-including two nights at the Staples Center-posting a total attendance of 667,000 with a gross of $46.4 million.

And Mars isn’t slowing down in 2014…

His world tour resumes on February 28 with 10 dates in Australia and New Zealand before heading to Asiaand later to Mexico City. Another North American leg, which starts this summer, will be announced shortly. In the meantime, Mars has several other engagements to fulfill.

First up, his two-day residency at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on December 29 and December 31. Next it’s on to the 56th annual Grammy Awards before playing the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show on February 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Mars: This Year’s Top Latino Grammy Nominee

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It comes as little surprise that Bruno Mars is this year’s Latino Grammy darling…

Following the release of his critically acclaimed sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, the 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer has received four Grammy nominations for the 56th annual awards, the most of any Latino artists this year.

Mars, a 19-time nominee who earned a Grammy in 2011 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his first career smash hit “Just The Way You Are,” is nominated in two major categories. He’s up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his No. 1 song “Locked Out of Heaven.”

In addition, Mars’ latest studio effort is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and his ballad “When I Was Your Man” is up for Best Pop Solo Performance.

But Mars isn’t the only Latino artist to receive multiple nods this year…

Miguel, who won the award for Best R&B Song during the 2013 Grammys, is nominated for two awards.

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American R&B singer is up for Best R&B Performance for his duet with Kendrick Lamar, “How Many Drinks?,” as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his collaboration with J. Cole, “Power Trip.”

Paquito D’Rivera, meantime, is nominated for two awards.

The Cuban Grammy-winning alto saxophonist, clarinetist and soprano saxophonist is nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for the track “Song for Maura,” as well as Best Latin Jazz Album for the album of the same name.

Other Latino nominees include Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Intocable, Frankie J and Carlos Vives.

The nominations were announced during the Grammy Awards’ special on CBS on Friday night.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Grammys, used to announce the nominations through an ordinary news conference. But for the last six years, it has tried to stir excitement with a primetime TV special with the rapper and actor LL Cool J as host. Performers on Friday’s show included Lorde, Robin Thicke and, by satellite, Taylor Swift from Sydney, Australia, and Katy Perry from Toronto.

The 65th Grammy Awards, dubbed music’s biggest night, will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2014.

Here’s a look at this year’s Latino nominees:

Record of the Year
GET LUCKY  Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
RADIOACTIVE  Imagine Dragons
ROYALS Lorde
LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN Bruno Mars
BLURRED LINES  Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell

Song Of The Year
JUST GIVE ME A REASON  Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN  Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
ROAR  Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
ROYALS  Joel Little & Ella Yelich O’Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
SAME LOVE  Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis,  songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert)

Best Pop Solo Performance
BRAVE Sara Bareilles
ROYALS Lorde
WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN Bruno Mars
ROAR Katy Perry
MIRRORS  Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Vocal Album
PARADISE Lana Del Rey
PURE HEROINE Lorde
UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX Bruno Mars
BLURRED LINES Robin Thicke
THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE – THE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE  Justin Timberlake 

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
VIVA DUETS  Tony Bennett & Various Artists [Featured artists include Chayanne, Thalia, Christina Aguilera, Franco De Vita, Gloria Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra, Ricardo Arjona, Romeo Santos, Vicentico and Dani Martín)
TO BE LOVED Michael Bublé
THE STANDARDS Gloria Estefan
CEE LO’S MAGIC MOMENT Cee Lo Green
NOW  Dionne Warwick

Best R&B Performance
LOVE AND WAR  Tamar Braxton
BEST OF ME Anthony Hamilton
NAKAMARRA  Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip
HOW MANY DRINKS?  Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar
SOMETHING  Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
POWER TRIP  J. Cole Featuring Miguel
PART II (ON THE RUN) Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé
HOLY GRAIL Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake
NOW OR NEVER  Kendrick Lamar Featuring Mary J.
REMEMBER YOU  Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
DON’T RUN  Terence Blanchard, soloist
SONG FOR MAURA Paquito D’Rivera, soloist
SONG WITHOUT WORDS #4: DUET Fred Hersch, soloist
STADIUM JAZZ Donny McCaslin, soloist
ORBITS Wayne Shorter, soloist

Best Latin Jazz Album
LA NOCHE MÁS LARGA Buika
SONG FOR MAURA  Paquito D’Rivera And Trio Corrente
YO  Roberto Fonseca
EGGŪN Omar Sosa
LATIN JAZZ-JAZZ LATIN Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet

Best Latin Pop Album
FAITH, HOPE Y AMOR Frankie J
VIAJERO FRECUENTE Ricardo Montaner
VIDA Draco Rosa
SYNTEK Aleks Syntek
12 HISTORIAS Tommy Torres

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album
L OBJETO ANTES LLAMADO DISCO Café Tacvba  
OJO POR OJO El Tri
CHANCES  Illya Kuryaki And The Valderramas
TREINTA DÍAS  La Santa Cecilia
REPEAT AFTER ME Los Amigos Invisibles

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
EL FREE Banda Los Recoditos
EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN Intocable  
A MI MANERA  Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea
ROMEO Y SU NIETA Paquita La Del Barrio
13 CELEBRANDO EL 13 Joan Sebastian

Best Tropical Latin Album
3.0  Marc Anthony
COMO TE VOY A OLVIDAR Los Angeles Azules 
PACIFIC MAMBO ORCHESTRA Pacific Mambo Orchestra
SERGIO GEORGE PRESENTS SALSA GIANTS Various Artists  (Featuring
CORAZÓN PROFUNDO Carlos Vives

Best World Music Album 
SAVOR FLAMENCO Gipsy Kings
NO PLACE FOR MY DREAM Femi Kuti
LIVE: SINGING FOR PEACE AROUND THE WORLD  Ladysmith Black Mambazo
THE LIVING ROOM SESSIONS PART 2 Ravi Shankar

Best Instrumental Composition
BOUND AWAY  Chuck Owen, composer (Chuck Owen & The Jazz Surge)
CALIFORNIA PICTURES FOR STRING QUARTET Gordon Goodwin, composer (Quartet San Francisco)
KOKO ON THE BOULEVARD  Scott Healy, composer (Scott Healy Ensemble)
PENSAMIENTOS FOR SOLO ALTO SAXOPHONE AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Clare Fischer, composer (The Clare Fischer Orchestra)
STRING QUARTET NO. 1: FUNKY DIVERSION IN THREE PARTS  Vince Mendoza, composer (Quartet San Francisco)

Mars Featured on DJ Earworm’s “United State of Pop 2013” Mash-Up

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

He registered one of the most iconic songs of the year… And, now Bruno Mars’ popular track is being immortalized in a special mix.

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer’s “When I Was Your Man” is included in DJ Earworm’s just-released “United State of Pop 2013,” an annual mashup of the year’s biggest pop songs.

Mars, whose songs were included in Earworm’s mash-up masterwork in 2011 and 2012, is the only Latino artist featured in the 2013 edition of the 25 biggest hits in the U.S.

Other artists featured in the five-minute mix include Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake.

Here’s the complete list of songs featured in the mix:

Avicii feat. Aloe Blacc – Wake Me Up
Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man
Capital Cities – Safe & Sound
Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky
Eminem feat. Rihanna – The Monster
Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly – Cruise
Imagine Dragons – Radioactive
Imagine Dragons – Demons
Jay-Z feat. Justin Timberlake – Holy Grail
Justin Timberlake – Mirrors
Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z – Suit & Tie
Katy Perry – Roar
Lady Gaga – Applause
Lorde – Royals
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can’t Hold Us
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz – Thrift Shop
Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball
Miley Cyrus – We Can’t Stop
OneRepublic – Counting Stars
P!nk feat. Nate Ruess – Just Give Me A Reason
Rihanna – Stay
Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell & T.I. – Blurred Lines
Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin – Don’t You Worry Child
Taylor Swift – I Knew You Were Trouble
Will.I.Am feat. Britney Spears – Scream And Shout

Mars to Reportedly Headline the 2014 Super Bowl Halftime Show

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It appears that Bruno Mars will be having a super February…

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer will reportedly perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2014, according to the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times.

The National Football League is expected to make an official announcement on Sunday during Fox’s pregame show at noon ET.

Mars, currently on tour promoting his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, would be a strong choice. He’s known for giving high-octane performances at awards shows like the Grammys and MTV VMAs.

His hit songs include “Locked Out of Heaven,” “Grenade,” “Just the Way You Are” and “When I Was Your Man.”

Mars would join Madonna, Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas with Usher and Slash, The Who and Bruce Springsteen with the E Street Band.

Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” Tops Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It took some time, but Bruno Mars has finally notched another No. 1 song on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer’s “When I Was Your Man” rises from 3-1 this week, making it Mars’ second Adult Contemporary No. 1.

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter returns to the chart’s summit for the first time since he led with “Just the Way You Are” in 2011.

“Just the Way You Are” sat atop the Adult Contemporary chart for a staggering 20 weeks back in 2011.

In between the two leaders, Mars added the Top 10 single “Locked Out of Heaven,” which reached No. 7 in late April (and ranks at No. 11 this week).

Mars Graces the Cover of GQ’s April Issue

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars has “the look” on the latest GQ cover…

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer graces the cover of GQ’s second annual “Style Bible” issue.

Mars looks oh-so-debonair in a sky blue shirt, tuxedo jacket by Neil Barrett, bow tie, Salvatore Ferragamo fedora, Brunello Cucinelli patent leather shoes and second skin grey trousers by John Varvatos.

The “When I Was Your Man” singer’s stylish look continues inside the magazine as Mars suits up, demonstrating how to rock a tuxedo jacket for almost any occasion.

Mars, whose sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox recently reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, has been dressing to the nines since his arrival on the music scene, complimenting his upbeat music with plenty of style and panache. His most recent single, “Locked Out of Heaven,” is a massive hit.

“I haven’t done a song like that,” he tells GQ. “And hopefully every album, I’ll get that feeling. And shock the world! Shock the world!”

The April issue of GQ hits newsstands on March 26th.

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