SINGAPORE – American pop star Bruno Mars is the latest marquee music act to headline multiple sold-out concerts at the National Stadium on April 3, 5 and 6, his biggest shows in Singapore.
The 55,000-capacity National Stadium also hosted other sold-out powerhouses such as British rock band Coldplay in January, English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran in February and American pop star Taylor Swift in March.
Mars, 38, a multi-award-winning artiste, played his first show in Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2014 and two nights at the same venue in 2018.
Judging from his recent shows in Tokyo and Macau, as well as his Las Vegas residency, fans can expect the Singapore concerts to feature plenty of songs from his third and most recent album, 24K Magic (2016).
He is also likely to include a medley of his collaborations with other artistes, including Silk Sonic, a duo comprising Mars and fellow American singer Anderson .Paak. Their debut single Leave The Door Open (2021) won four Grammys in 2022, including for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Mars is expected to perform with his backing band The Hooligans, who will bust out synchronised dance moves, on a big stage with kaleidoscopic lighting and gigantic LED panels showing flashy animation and close-ups of the performers.
Set list specials
1. 24K Magic
Mars usually opens his concert with this title track from his last album. An uplifting jam celebrating glamour and the party lifestyle, this amalgam of funk, R&B, disco and hip-hop sees him singing along with members of The Hooligans.
24K Magic won Record of the Year at the 2018 Grammy Awards and went to No. 1 in countries such as France, New Zealand and Argentina.
The audience often shouts “woo hoo” when Mars and the band point at them midway through the song.
2. Uptown Funk
Mars sings the main vocals on this major hit for British record producer Mark Ronson, released in 2014. A funky banger that incorporates disco, pop and soul, this infectious tune is the duo’s biggest hit to date, going to No. 1 in 19 countries.
It scooped several major awards, including British Single of the Year at the 2015 Brit Awards and Record of the Year at the 2016 Grammy Awards.
Uptown Funk has been used in advertisements for beauty giant L’Oreal, peanut butter brand Skippy and carmaker Cadillac.
Mars closes most of his shows with this track, and will start by encouraging fans to slide from side to side and clap along to the rhythm.
3. Just The Way You Are
Mars’ feel-good debut solo single from 2010 is one of his most recognisable tunes.
While he had scored hits as a guest artiste for other musicians, the lead single from his first album Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010) cemented his position as a solo star in his own right.
A critical and commercial hit, this sunshine-y ode to love hit the top of the charts in the United States, Britain and Australia.
Just The Way You Are earned him his first Grammy win, for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, in 2011. It was also the world’s best-selling digital single that same year.
Mars is likely to perform this closer to the end of the show.
4. Locked Out Of Heaven
The lead single from his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox (2012) saw Mars widening his musical palette, incorporating a reggae rock sound more rigorous than his previous smooth tunes.
It topped the charts in countries such as the US and Canada, and went on to be covered by British band Bastille and singer Leona Lewis. Mars has said the sensual lyrics were inspired by Hollywood actress Halle Berry.
At his Tokyo concerts in January, a confetti shower rained down on the crowd near the stage towards the end of the song.
5. Finesse
A song that harks back to the new jack swing genre popular in the mid-1980s, Finesse is typically the second song in Mars’ set. Like the show opener, it is also a single from the album 24K Magic.
A remix of Finesse features verses from American rapper Cardi B, but Mars usually sings the album edition live without her vocals.
A Top 10 hit around the world, the song also picked up various accolades, including Favorite Song Soul/R&B at the 2018 American Music Awards and Video of the Year at the 2018 Soul Train Music Awards.
Did you know?
- Mars’ real name is Peter Gene Hernandez. According to him, “Mars” became his stage name because “girls say I’m out of this world”. It was his father, who is half-Puerto Rican and half-Ashkenazi Jewish, who gave him the nickname “Bruno” because of his resemblance to Italian-American wrestler Bruno Sammartino. Mars’ mother emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii as a child.
- Mars’ brother Eric “E-Panda” Hernandez, who is 10 years older, plays drums in The Hooligans.
- The singer keeps his relationships private, but is reported to be in an on-and-off relationship with American model-actress Jessica Caban.
- Six-year-old Mars appeared in a brief scene as a young Elvis Presley impersonator in the 1992 romantic comedy Honeymoon In Vegas.
- Mars’ only other film credit is voicing Roberto, a charismatic blue macaw, in the animated film Rio 2 (2014). His song Welcome Back was used in the sequel and the movie’s soundtrack.
- In 2022, Mars became the first artiste to have six singles go Diamond, a certification by the Recording Industry Association of America for songs that have sold and streamed over 10 million copies. They are Just The Way You Are, Grenade, Uptown Funk, That’s What I Like, When I Was Your Man and Locked Out Of Heaven. American rapper-singer Post Malone has since broken this record with eight Diamond singles.
A hitmaker for other stars
Mars was part of songwriting and music-producing team The Smeezingtons, which also comprised Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine. The tracks they had worked on for other musicians included:
- Wavin’ Flag by K’naan (2009)
- Nothin’ On You by B.o.B featuring Mars (2009)
- Billionaire by Travie McCoy featuring Mars (2010)
- Forget You by CeeLo Green (2010)
- Young, Wild & Free by Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa featuring Mars (2011)
Mars by the numbers
- 5.1 billion views for the Uptown Funk music video on YouTube. It is Mars’ most-viewed music video on the platform
- 130 million records sold
- 15 Grammy Awards
- Eight No. 1 singles on the Billboard charts
- Four Guinness World Records: 2015 – first male artiste to have three 10-million-selling singles for Just The Way You Are, Grenade (2010) and Uptown Funk; 2015 – most-viewed half-time performance for his 2014 Super Bowl Halftime show; 2017 – Uptown Funk spends the most weeks, 13, at No. 1 on the US Digital Song Sales chart; and 2017 – most followed male chart-topper on Musical.ly, a short-form video platform that was eventually merged into TikTok
- Four years old when he started performing as an Elvis Presley impersonator
- Three solo albums: Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), Unorthodox Jukebox (2012) and 24K Magic (2016)
