Bruno Mars released his single, “I Just Might,” on Jan. 9, giving fans their first taste of his long-awaited fourth solo album, The Romantic, which dropped on Feb. 27. Since these releases, Mars took his music on tour with The Romantic Tour in Las Vegas on April 10. And lately, I’ve been seeing videos of his concerts all over my social media, with people absolutely loving the ninth song on his album called “Dance With Me.”
But here’s the thing: what is with the sudden hype coming months after people hated and criticized the album when it first came out?
As a longtime fan of Bruno Mars, I have a lot to say about this.
For some context, I grew up listening to Bruno Mars, as I was introduced to his music by my mom, a fellow longtime fan. And, unlike many people, when The Romantic album dropped, I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the new vibes it brought, and it felt distinct, really from anything Mars has released as a solo artist before.
The album was a refreshing change of pace, and I was immediately hooked. The Latin influences, retro soul, funky tunes, rhymes and instrumental work on this album are truly one of a kind, and something you wouldn’t expect from Mars following his 24K Magic album. The new album is somehow still Bruno Mars-coded despite that.
I just love how the album has songs that make you want to get up and dance, to others that make you want to fall in love and just think of that special person who makes you feel that way.
At the time of writing this article, I’m listening to all nine songs on repeat, so yes, I’m still hooked almost eight months later.
But a song I especially loved from this album, and probably my favourite song right now, is “Dance With Me,” the ninth song on this album.
As someone who is now in their early 20s, I don’t know why, but that song triggers a certain happiness in me. It makes me think about the kind of love I want to experience in a relationship. The first time I listened to it, I already queued it as my future wedding song.
I know, I know. Planning your wedding around a song when you aren’t even engaged is probably a little dramatic. But if you listen to that song and don’t understand the vision, I genuinely don’t know what to tell you.
What I love about The Romantic is that it doesn’t need to sound like 24K Magic to be a good album. His 2016 record brought a different kind of energy, with its heavy funk, polished pop production and party-ready hits. But artists aren’t supposed to remain frozen in one era of their careers. They grow, experiment and explore different sounds. I like that each Bruno Mars album brings a different vibe and soundtrack without losing the essence of what makes his music so recognizable.
So, when I saw people criticizing The Romantic because it wasn’t “peak” Bruno Mars, I was very frustrated. Like, come on, not every artist can follow up one with another that sounds exactly the same. And why should they have to?
When The Romantic first came out, the response wasn’t entirely positive. Some listeners questioned whether Mars had lost the spark that made his previous music so memorable.
One Reddit commenter argued that Mars was “past his prime with this one,” adding that the album was missing the soul that made his earlier work special. Another described the album as feeling “generic even for Bruno.”
And the criticism wasn’t limited to mere comments.
In a review published by Spectrum Pulse, the reviewer criticized the album for being “too polished, too impersonal, too safe to take the risks” that might have made it more memorable. The review acknowledged Mars’ talent and the album’s consistency but questioned whether its familiar musical influences and polished production offered enough originality.
Although I strongly disagreed with all of these remarks, I understand that music is subjective, and it’s obvious this album didn’t hit everyone the same way it hit me, and I was happy to be the outlier — the one person who had to defend an album I loved against a lot of people who didn’t enjoy it.
But it was honestly nice to gatekeep something great that everyone hated, and in my opinion, a lot of people on social media likely just parroted what others said about the album without giving it a fair shot.
Then, out of literally nowhere, everyone started loving it.
Lately, my social media feed has been filled with people praising The Romantic, sharing concert clips and falling in love with the very songs that were dismissed so quickly when they first came out.
Especially with the song, “Dance With Me.” I’ve seen so many videos of people reacting the same way I did, and I can’t understand why this reaction was so incredibly late.
Like, are you kidding me? Where were y’all when this album was getting hated on?
One person posts about the song, then another, and another — and they are all literally doing the exact same thing.
Suddenly, I’m seeing videos of people adding it to their playlists, talking about how much they love it and acting as though it’s always been an incredible song.
And I’m sitting here thinking, I’ve been saying this!
I don’t know why seeing this shift has bothered me so much. On one hand, I’m genuinely happy that more people are appreciating the album. On the other hand, I can’t help feeling a little annoyed that the same music people criticized months ago is now receiving so much love.
I really had no idea where this irritation stemmed from, because should I be happy that the album I’ve always enjoyed listening to is getting the flowers it truly deserves?
I’ve thought about it, and maybe it’s because music can feel personal. When you discover a song that makes you feel something, it almost becomes your own little secret. You attach memories, emotions and experiences to it, and suddenly, it means more to you than just a few minutes of music.
That’s how I felt about the song “Dance With Me.” I connected with it before it became a hit that I kept seeing all over my feed. And now, watching everyone else discover that same feeling, I can’t help but feel a little protective of the connection I had with it.
Maybe I feel so passionately about the positive reception to The Romantic because I really did enjoy having that special connection to the music before it started trending out of nowhere. And despite realizing this, I’m still a little frustrated that people who seemed so quick to dismiss the album are now suddenly praising it.
But I also recognize that music is meant to be shared, and if more people are finally discovering the fantastic art and work put into this album, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe the live performances helped people hear it differently, or maybe the album simply needed more time to grow on them. Whatever the reason, I’ll take a positive response over a negative one any day.
But I’ll always remember who I was when The Romantic first came out: a longtime Bruno Mars fan who fell in love with the album from the start, defended it when everyone else seemed to be hating on it and, especially, the person who immediately clocked that “Dance With Me” encapsulated love in a beautiful way, solidifying it as my future wedding song.
So, to those who finally hopped on board with enjoying this new and unique Bruno Mars album, welcome to the club.
Just know that I was here first.