*Bruno Mars is a force within himself, but with a history of creating hits alongside various artists he is even more of a problem.
Chronicling the past six months, Vulture noted how potent his team approach is: multiple Diamond-selling singles, three Record of the Year Grammys, and one of the longest-running No. 1s in Hot 100 history.
The tune in question, Mars’ 2024 duet with Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile,” has been a monster hit since its release with the top-streamed song on Spotify for a record 148 non-consecutive days and counting, coupled with a number 1 debut on Billboard’s Global 200 chart, where it sat for eight weeks. The only song capable of dethroning it was another Mars team-up, ““APT” his international collab with Blackpink’s Rosé. In addition to another chart topper under his belt, Mars was able to make a mark in Asia’s often-siloed markets via his first No. 1s in South Korea and Japan, all while breaking the record for most weeks atop the Global Excl. U.S. chart.
Add all that together and the total amounts to a strong end to 2024 for Mars as the top artist on the Global 200. By November, he bested the Weeknd with his standing as Spotify’s top-streamed artist for the first time.
Mars may be prominently featured in the credits of popular match ups, but it’s a case of less is more with his collaborators dominating the respective tracks, as heard on the vintage rock ballad “Smile”(which throws back to Gaga’s music from the late 2010’s) and the K-pop single “APT” (a current day hit with shades of Toni Basil’s ‘80’s classic “Mickey” thrown in.
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In addition to those songs, Mars is low-key as he gives Sexyy Red room to flex on his latest single, “Fat Juicy & Wet.”
In a nutshell, teamwork is notable in Mars’ musical DNA. The “Just the Way You Are” singer owes his success to groundwork laid by his work with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine in the production group the Smeezingtons. The trio’s projects include hits from Flo Rida (“Right Round”) and Cee Lo Green (“Fuck You”).
Building off that, Mars transitioned into vocalist mode from singing the hook on songs for B.oB. (“Nothin’ on You”) and Travie McCoy (2010’s “Billionaire). Even his biggest hit, “Uptown Funk!,” was a work where his skills benefitted majorly from aligning with Mark Ronson. Yet it was a tune for Ronson’s fourth album, “Uptown Special,” not his own offering.
Need more proof of Mars’ golden collaborative touch? Silk Sonic, the group he formed with his friend and fellow hitmaker, Anderson .Paak. Yes, Mars could have continued traveling the solo road. But when that team jones hits…
Looking at collabs over the years, Mars is not the first, nor will he be the last, to master the art of working well with others. Nowadays, it’s the norm and a streaming plus to get musical gems within and outside the singer’s chosen genre.
In addition to Mars and Gaga, Beyonce and Post Malone have ventured beyond. Queen Bey and Malone have found success with their dips into country music, together (“Levii’s Jeans”) and apart (“Texas Hold ‘Em” and “I Had Some Help,” with Morgan Wallen, respectively). with Even Taylor Swift, who started in country before her pop takeover and resulting musical dominance, knows the upside of collaborating with her own Malone-assisted tune (“Fortnight”) to go alongside pairings with Kendrick Lamar (“Bad Blood” remix), T-Pain (“Thug Story”) and Ice Spice (“Karma” remix).
So, while we wait for another Silk Sonic album, we have a slew of song collabs from Mars to build a suitable playlist or two from.
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