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People are saying 2016 is back, so it makes a lot of sense that Bruno Mars has announced that he will be making his solo comeback with his fourth album, The Romantic.

The star announced the album’s February 27 release date on X on Wednesday, saying he will start releasing songs from the album on Friday (Jan 9).

The Romantic will be Mars‘ first solo project since 2016’s 24K Magic which reached the second spot on the Billboard 200 chart. 2016 was also the year he took home Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the Grammys with his hit single ‘Uptown Funk’ — a certified 2016 icon.

The musician announced on Tuesday that his album was done, and Wednesday’s post brought along cover art, which shows a black and white sketch of the artist with a bandana tied around his signature curls. The image is framed with a border of roses, a fitting touch for an album with romance in its name.

Although he hasn‘t released any solo music in 10 years, Mars hasn’t been missing from the scene for long. His song ’Die with a Smile‘ with Lady Gaga became the fastest song ever to cross one billion streams on Spotify in 2025 and spent five consecutive weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

His collab with Blackpink‘s Rosé, a catchy beat named ’APT.’ went internet famous, being used in countless Instagram reels and leaving users humming its tune for weeks after they first encountered it.

That song also performed well on the charts, peaking at number three on the Hot 100. It has been nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at next month‘s Grammys.