After ten years away from solo albums, The Romantic is one of the most anticipated releases of 2026. Bruno Mars' first solo project since 24K Magic (2016) marks a moment of reinvention, rooted in nostalgic love, lush '70s instrumentation, and the richest Latin-influenced songs of his career. Mars' evolution has always been subtle, going from pop chart domination to funk and soul explorations, but on The Romantic he foregrounds Latin sounds with charm and confidence and a soulful statement of Latino pride.
The iconography evokes U.S. Hispanic Texas, with its cowboy hats, embroidered shirts, and pointed boots, while the color palette pulls equally from Mexico and the Caribbean of his father. Together, the visuals set the tone for a record that nods to both passion and tradition, grounding its romance in a distinctly Latin cultural landscape.
Risk It All, the first song and focus track, is a bolero-mariachi-infused ballad whose official video places Mars at the center of a vibrant, Catholic wedding scene filled with cultural symbolism. The track feels cinematic, classic love wrapped in memories of amor and nostalgia, a sibling of sorts of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl wedding scene.
It's less Bruno Mars and more Pete Gene Hernández.
On My Soul is a homage to Curtis Mayfield's Move on Up, spiced with bongos and a more heavy handed percussion. Something Serious echoes Carlos Santana's cover of the iconic Oye Como Va, and War's Low Rider. That spirit of 70s guitar sophistication, punctuated by brass and warm percussion, underpins several tracks, giving the album a retro-chic vibe without sounding dated.
God Was Showing Off opens in Spanish with "uno, dos, tres," as the lyric video holds a lingering close-up on what appears to be Mars' chest. A cross and a medal bearing the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe sway in rhythm, dangling from chains around his neck and moving almost like they are dancing with the song.
Another very Latino song is Cha Cha Cha, which is exactly what its name promises: a flirtatious nod to the Cuban-born genre that dominated dance floors in the mid-20th century. Originating in Cuba's vibrant music scene in the 1950s, cha-cha-cha is rooted in danzón and mambo rhythms and characterized by its saucy, syncopated "cha-cha-cha" step, inviting bodies to move and hearts to sway. Here, Mars blends it into a track that enfolds classic romanticism with irresistible dance energy, capturing a vintage feel adapted for today's audiences.
In between is I Just Might, the lead single that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, bringing disco and funk momentum with a cheeky lyric about loving and dancing your way into someone's heart.
While The Romantic has a wider reference frame than just Latino rhythms, it reframes Bruno Mars' artistry through a lens of love that's as lush as it is steeped in rich tradition, nostalgia and even identity. the album feels like a love letter not just to romance itself but to those sounds that could have come from the vinyl album at abuela's or papi's home.
The Romantic:
01 Risk It All
02 Cha Cha Cha
03 I Just Might
04 God Was Showing Off
05 Why You Wanna Fight?
05 On My Soul
06 Something Serious
07 Nothing Left
08 Dance With Me
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