Highly anticipated pop album almost here

Bruno Mars’ ‘The Romantic’ has the world on the edge of their seats awaiting his return

Momina Anwar, Staff Writer

February 11, 2026

After a nearly 10-year hiatus, Bruno Mars is releasing his fourth solo studio album, “The Romantic,” on Feb. 27. Mars’ last album, “24K Magic” won six Grammy awards and has 7.5 billion Spotify streams.

After spending nearly 10 years in the kitchen, Bruno Mars’ fans hope he has cooked up another banger album.

Bruno Mars’ fourth studio album “The Romantic” will be out Feb. 27. The lead single “I Just Might” was released Jan. 9.

While the full track list has not been finalized yet, reports indicate that there will be nine songs on the album. Fans are hoping that since there are only nine tracks, they have quality over quantity.

Fans are also hoping that since it took almost 10 years for a new album to be released, the songs are different and even more enjoyable than his last album.

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The album has been described as a genre-blend with pop, R&B, and soul. It has been almost 10 years since Mars released an album, the last one being the widely acclaimed “24K Magic,” which was released on Nov. 18, 2016. He released a collaborative album, “An Evening with Silk Sonic” in 2021.

“24K Magic” was a worldwide phenomenon, winning six Grammy awards, including “Album of the Year” and “Record of the Year.” The album has also reached 7.5 billion Spotify streams as of early 2026.

Fans all over the world have been talking about the new album, with reviews of Mars’ pre-released song being quite mixed. There are quite a lot of positive reviews from critics about Mars’ new song, “I Just Might,” with reviewers saying how he can deliver high-quality music while creating a feel-good aspect to it.

But, there are many negative reviews that say the song is just his old songs recycled into something new, or that his new music sounds synthetic and AI-made.

Lindsay Zoladz from the New York Times wrote in her article “7 albums I’m looking forward to in 2026,” that “The Romantic” is atop that list. Zoladz wrote that “I Just Might” “picks up right where he left off, offering up his signature blend of musical showmanship, charisma and wit, topped off with just the right amount of cheese.”

Although the album hasn’t been released yet, tickets for Mars’ upcoming tour are in high demand. His shows on Oct. 10-11 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara sold out quickly.

Although the album most likely won’t have any features, it has been announced that collaborators like Anderson Paak, Victoria Monet, Raye, and Leon Thomas will appear on select tour dates.

The anticipation for the new album is high, and fans hope that Mars’ new album is as good as his previous albums.

About the Contributors

Momina Anwar, Staff Writer

This is freshman Momina Anwar’s first year as a staff writer for The Californian. She is looking forward to bringing her ideas and her energy to the paper. She also is excited to interview and take photos of people around campus. Momina enjoys playing volleyball and listening to music. Her favorite artists being A$AP ROCKY and Travis Scott. She loves to go out with her friends and take care of her cats. This year she wants to work her hardest and not fail math (again).

Kate Blinston, Artist

Junior Kate Blinston has hit the newspaper team. This is their first year being in the newspaper team, so they are still getting the hang of having a hand on the deck. This year, they hope to contribute stunning artwork to The Californian, and look forward to getting along with the team and meeting new people. Their interests include drawing landscapes, character design, talking online with friends, and listening to rock music. Additionally, they are a big fan of fantasy and science fiction genres, and dream of being a comic creator and/or game developer. They keep a reserved and chilled attitude, but only if things are going the ideal way. In their future, they plan to go to St. Mary’s college and pursue a career of art and game development.