The Romantic is the fourth solo studio album and fifth overall by the American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, released by Atlantic Records on February 27, 2026. It marks his first album in five years following the collaborative album An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021) with Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic, as well as being his first solo album in over nine years since 24K Magic (2016). The lead single, "I Just Might", released on January 9, 2026, debuted atop the US Billboard Hot 100, whilst the second single, "Risk It All", released concurrently with the album on February 27, 2026. A concert tour in support of the album, the Romantic Tour, is scheduled to take place from April to October 2026, consisting of 71 shows across North America and Europe. The album was met with generally favorable reviews from critics, who primarily praised Mars' vocals but some were divided on its musical style as being more unoriginal than his previous works. == Background == In 2023, Mars was reportedly working on his next album with Brody Brown, Philip Lawrence and James Fauntleroy. The album was reportedly near completion that May, with a new sound and a tentative release date. Mars was in early talks with Live Nation Entertainment for a 2024–2025 tour. In 2024, it was revealed that D'Mile was involved on the singer's follow up album. In 2025, this information was confirmed by D'Mile. In December 2024, Mars appeared on the covers of Hits and Las Vegas Magazine. According to Hits, he was expected to release an album and tour in 2025. Ken Miller of Las Vegas Magazine said that Mars has been working on a new album since early 2023. In 2025, Andrew Watt and Andrew Wyatt said they had worked on a song with Mars. == Development == On January 5, 2026, Mars announced on his Twitter account that his album was finished. Around this time, "industry chatter" said that Mars worked with Lawrence and there were no guest appearances on the album. Two days later, on January 7, Mars announced the album title The Romantic, revealed the album cover, and that a new single would be released on Friday, January 9, 2026. It would be Mars's first album since the collaborative project, An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021) with American singer and rapper Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic, while also being his first solo release in nearly a decade, following 24K Magic (2016). The gap in releases between 24K Magic and The Romantic makes Mars have the third-longest stretch between winning a Grammy Award and releasing a follow-up album, behind Robert Plant and Allison Krauss, as well as the Chicks. On January 30, Mars was announced as the 2026 Record Store Day ambassador. He partnered with more than 200 record stores in the U.S. to hold listening parties of The Romantic on February 25, 2026. In addition, these listening parties will also be held in different continents, including Australia, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Fans can also received exclusive giveaways alongside a pre-order copy of the album. "Risk It All" was released as the second single alongside the album. == Release and promotion == After Mars announced that his album was finished, "industry chatter" affirmed that an upcoming single would be released two days later. It was also stated that the album was supposed to be released in mid-to-late March. On January 9, 2026, "I Just Might" was released as the lead single of the album. Mars will embark on his 71-show-long fifth headlining stadium tour, The Romantic Tour. It will begin on April 10, 2026, in Las Vegas, and conclude on October 14 in Vancouver. The album will be released in three different vinyl issues. One is a numbered "first pressing edition" vinyl, a second will be a webstore exclusive with a velvet sleeve, and the third is a regular vinyl edition. On February 16, 2026, Mars unveiled the tracklist. Mars took over iHeartRadio on February 26 with a live stream on TikTok to promote The Romantic. == Critical reception == According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Romantic received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 from 5 critic scores. AllMusic's Andy Kellman gave The Romantic 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as "a well-dressed set of nine finely crafted love songs". Andrew Unterberger of Billboard called the album Mars' "most straightforward throwback yet", noting that despite its concise tracklist after a decade-long hiatus, Mars was "intent on making them count". Nick Levine of NME gave the record four stars, calling it a "laser-focused collection" that positions Mars as a "silver-tongued loverman"; though he noted the singer favors "romantic clichés" over soul-baring lyrics, he praised the "fantastic" production and Mars's "terrific, raspy voice". Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani gave the album three out of five stars, praising its "mercifully succinct" production and nostalgic charm, though he criticized the reliance on lyrical clichés and felt the record "ultimately comes up a little short" after a decade-long wait. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave the album two stars, dismissing it as "fundamentally lazy songwriting." While praising Mars's vocals, he argued the record relies on "blatant homages" to 20th-century classics rather than offering new ideas. == Track listing == "Cha Cha Cha" contains a sample of "Slow Motion, written by Terius Gray and James Tapp, Jr. == Personnel == Credits adapted from Tidal. === Musicians === === Technical === Bruno Mars – production D'Mile – production Charles Moniz – recording (all tracks), engineering (1, 2, 4–9) Anthony Masino – recording, engineering (1, 4, 9); horns engineering (2, 3, 6, 7) Gabriel Roth – recording, engineering (1, 4, 9); horns engineering (2, 3, 6, 7) Bryce Bordone – engineering Jeff Chestek – additional engineering (1), strings engineering (4–6, 9) Alex Resoagli – engineering assistance (1, 2, 4–9) Michael Rodriguez – engineering assistance (1–4, 6, 7, 9) Matthew Ticcino – engineering assistance (1, 5, 9), strings engineering assistance (4, 6) Serban Ghenea – mixing Randy Merrill – mastering == Notes == == References == == External links == The Romantic at Discogs