'The Romantic': Bruno Mars tops Billboard 200 for first time
What's the story
Bruno Mars's latest album, The Romantic, has debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. This marks the singer's first full-length project to debut at No. 1. The album entered with 186K equivalent album units, surpassing his previous best debut of number two with 24K Magic in 2016 and An Evening With Silk Sonic in 2021. He previously reached No. 1 with Unorthodox Jukebox in 2013, when it took him three months.
Chart history
Mars breaks records with No. 1 debut
Mars's 13-year wait for a number one album is the longest gap for any living solo male artist since Paul McCartney returned to the top in 2018 with Egypt Station after a 36-year hiatus. The Romantic also benefited from its 10 vinyl variants, accounting for 48K of the album's first-week sales.
Hit single
'The Romantic' follows hit single 'I Just Might'
Mars teased The Romantic with its first single, I Just Might. The song became his 10th number one on the Hot 100 and is expected to return to the top when the chart is unveiled on Tuesday. The success of The Romantic further cements Mars's status as one of the most successful artists in the music industry today.
Chart performance
Other albums on the Top 5 of Billboard 200
Apart from Mars, Bad Bunny's Debi Tirar Mas Fotos continues to hold the second spot on the Billboard 200 chart. It is followed by Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem, Don Toliver's Octane, and Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving. Megan Moroney's Cloud 9, which debuted at number one last week, has dropped to number six. Gorillaz's new album The Mountain enters at number seven while Blackpink lands its third top 10 with Deadline at number eight.