It’s been an insane 15-year run of hits for Bruno Mars in pop music, one that’s now accounted for a full 10 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. But of those 10, only one of them has debuted in the top spot: his latest, the funky new single “I Just Might.”
“Might” — which leads Mars’ upcoming The Romantic album, due out in late February — bows atop the Hot 100 this week, taking over from Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.” Remarkably, it’s the pop superstar’s first lead single from a solo project in nearly a decade, since the 24K Magic title track in 2016.
How big a deal is it for “Might” to debut atop the Hot 100? And where else would we like to see Mars go on his new album? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, dethroning Taylor Swift’s 10-week No. 1 “The Fate of Ophelia.” On a scale of 1-10, how impressive an achievement is this for Bruno?
Katie Atkinson: 10. And it’s his 10th Hot 100 chart-topper, and he dethroned a 10-week No. 1, so 10 is officially his magic number. Nothing should surprise us about Bruno’s immense success at this point, but this is the first time he’s ever debuted at the top of the Hot 100. His M.O. so far has been songs that build their way to No. 1 and stay on the chart for a long time, so he’s entered an especially rarefied air to have reached this level of instant impact. But I have to say: I saw this coming when I heard “I Just Might” playing at a sushi restaurant the same day it was released. You know it’s an immediate hit when it’s soundtracking your California-roll enjoyment hours after it drops.
Christopher Claxton: 9. This is a huge moment for Bruno Mars. “I Just Might” becomes his 10th career No. 1 and his first song to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, putting him in rare company as just the fourth solo male artist to reach double-digit chart-toppers, alongside Drake, Michael Jackso, and Stevie Wonder. On top of that, he dethroned Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia,” which had just wrapped up a career-best 10-week run at No. 1, and taking the top spot from someone widely considered the queen of the charts is an accomplishment in itself.
Kyle Denis: 8. A Hot 100 No. 1 debut will always be impressive, especially considering Bruno’s singles tend to grow into their domination rather than come out of the gate swinging. Also: after almost a decade of no proper solo Bruno Mars single, “I Just Might” instantly hitting No. 1 is an unmissable statement of dominance.
Rebecca Milzoff: I’ll give it a 6. No. 1s are nothing unexpected for Bruno at this point, whether he’s operating solo or alongside another artist; it’s more surprising to me that this is the first of his ten No. 1s to debut at the top spot. That it shot up there so fast and dethroned the omnipresent “Ophelia” in the process probably speaks more than anything to the fact that it ends a nearly ten-year solo Bruno drought (and maybe the way that literally anything he puts out would feel like a jolt of sunlight in the literal winter).
Andrew Unterberger: About a 7. And that might be one or two low even, but Bruno’s commercial dominance feels so inevitable at this point that it’s hard to act like any single accomplishment is really that big a deal for him currently.
2. Many onlookers expected Bruno to launch a new album era coming off the back-to-back smashes of “APT.” with ROSÉ and “Die With a Smile” with Lady Gaga, but he waited almost a full year after those songs’ peaks to release the first solo song of his new era. Based on the returns, do you think his more patient approach was justified, or would it have impacted close to the same no matter when it was released?
Katie Atkinson: It was completely justified. To be fair, those two songs still feel omnipresent on radio, and after taking home the best pop duo/group performance Grammy with Gaga last year, he’s up for three new Grammys next month with ROSÉ. So with The Romantic set to arrive later in February, he’s set himself up with the perfect, high-profile launchpad into his own personal era.
Christopher Claxton: I think the patience was absolutely justified. Bruno had no real incentive to rush out the first solo single of a new era while “APT.” and “Die With a Smile” were still making their rounds. Both songs were massive and kept his name firmly in the conversation, so dropping a solo track during that run could’ve forced unnecessary competition, splitting attention on playlists, radio, and even the charts. Waiting allowed those collaborations to fully breathe, especially with “APT.” earning Grammy nominations for record of the year, song of the year, and best pop duo/group performance. Even as the song cooled on the charts, its success kept Bruno top of mind. That kind of sustained visibility meant that when he finally did return solo, the audience was already primed. People were searching his name, and when the new music appeared, it was an easy tap-in. In that sense, the delayed rollout didn’t hurt the impact, it amplified it.
Kyle Denis: Probably justified – especially now that we’ve seen just how long “APT.” (45 weeks) and “Die with a Smile” (60 weeks!) ended up sticking around on the Hot 100. Allowing those songs to complete their runs kept the mystique and prestige of the “first proper solo Bruno Mars single in 10 years” sentiment alive. Had he dropped “I Just Might” closer to those monster hits, it likely would’ve been swallowed by songs with stronger hooks and more memorable melodies.
Rebecca Milzoff: It seems pretty well-justified to me. With “APT.” and “Die With a Smile,” he reminded the world of both the breadth of his talent — he can make a pop banger or a retro-classic ballad, and neither will leave your head whether you like it or not — and the fact that no matter who he’s paired with, the resulting track will feel like a Bruno Mars song. He’s primed the public for an actual solo Bruno Mars song — and “I Just Might” rides that wave of anticipation to the top.
Andrew Unterberger: I think Bruno Mars can basically come and go as he pleases at this point; I’m not sure this single would’ve met different results a year ago or a year from now. Maybe not even 10 years from now.
3. Hard to believe, but it’s been nearly a full decade since Bruno Mars’ last lead single from a solo album. Does “I Just Might” show a meaningful or significant evolution or change-of-direction coming out of that decade-long layover, or is it mostly Bruno playing the hits?
Katie Atkinson: “I Just Might” is squarely in Bruno’s sweet spot of being instantly familiar and vaguely referential to a previous musical era while also fitting like a glove on modern radio. It remains to be seen if he takes any left turns on the album, but if “I Just Might” is representative of the full project, then it feels like Bruno is leaning into his personal brand ahead of his biggest tour ever, filling up stadiums worldwide with the songs people know and love.
Christopher Claxton: It really is wild to think that Barack Obama was still president when Bruno Mars last released a lead single from a solo studio album. That said, I’m not sure “I Just Might” represents a major change in direction for him. The track feels more like Bruno being Bruno — and that’s not a knock at all; you don’t go to the best burger spot in the city and suddenly order pasta. Bruno knows what works, and he leans into it. Even after a decade-long gap between solo lead singles, his commercial appeal clearly hasn’t faded. “I Just Might” sitting at No. 1 on the Hot 100 right now proves that playing to his strengths is still a winning formula. Rather than signaling reinvention, the song reinforces just how durable and reliable his sound has been over time.
Kyle Denis: It’s definitely just Bruno playing the hits, which makes sense; he’s hitting the reset button for his fans (and the general public) after years of collaborations. Another inescapable wedding smash has arrived!
Rebecca Milzoff: Oh, this is very much paint-by-numbers Bruno, from the midtempo pop-soul groove to the reunion with frequent production/writing partner D’Mile to the dance moves in the video (a really smart one, by the way, in which five different Brunos sing and play instruments — reminding us he can literally do everything) to the overall gist (which I’d summarize as “Oooh, you lookin’ good, lady. But can you dance?”). Do I, or millions of other people for that matter, have a problem with that? Clearly not! This may not be the most out-of-the-box Bruno Mars song by a longshot, but it’s a clear statement of the Bruno Essence, which after ten years isn’t necessarily un-useful, even for a superstar.
Andrew Unterberger: One thing Bruno Mars will do is play the hits.
4. “I Just Might” is Mars’ first song to debut atop the Hot 100. Do you have confidence that it will stick around for a long run in the chart’s top tier, or do you see it receding from the top a little more quickly?
Katie Atkinson: I don’t think this is the song’s last week on top. I can definitely see it giving up the top spot to the Harry Styles song arriving this week, but knowing Bruno’s track record, it just might find its way back.
Christopher Claxton: This is a tough one, but I’d expect a strong and long run. I think “I Just Might” stays in the top 10 for around four weeks. While Bruno has the star power, momentum and fan interest to keep it high, the timing is tricky. A lot of major artists are gearing up for album rollouts, which usually brings heavy competition in streaming, radio and playlist placement. That said, debuting at No. 1 shows there’s real demand, so even if it doesn’t dominate the top spot for an extended stretch, it should remain in the chart’s upper tier for a solid run.
Kyle Denis: Outside of “Choosin’ Texas,” “What You Saying,” “Where Is My Husband,” “Stateside,” and “Die on This Hill,” there aren’t too many contenders for the first new hits of Spring 2016. “I Just Might” has already outpeaked all those songs, and Mars is a bigger name than all of those artists combined; so, with The Romantic (and its massive stadium tour) coming in just a few weeks, I expect “Might” to be parked in the Hot 100’s top 10.
Rebecca Milzoff: I can certainly see it hanging around the top 10. But as the new year gets into gear, it’s going to face some tough competition for No. 1, at the least from Harry Styles’ “Aperture” this Friday (another global superstar who’s stayed out of the spotlight lately and could debut at the top), and the skies could certainly look “Opalite” for Swifties soon.
Andrew Unterberger: I could see it amassing another couple weeks at No. 1, but it will probably give way sooner or later to a song with a more spectacular streaming performance. But the song taking up semi-permanent residence in the top 10 feels beyond inevitable; if you thought top 40 couldn’t get enough of “Smile” or “APT.,” just try prying this one away from it once it gets its teeth fully in there.
5. What’s one thing you’d like to see Bruno do on upcoming album The Romantic that he’s maybe never done before?
Katie Atkinson: Honestly, does he need to do anything differently? It seems like when he does things exactly his way, he sees pretty impressive results.
But OK, I’ll bite: He was so successful in invoking the late-’70s sound of The Police back in 2012 with “Locked Out of Heaven” that I would love to see what he could do in the style of late-’70s Talking Heads, a la “Psycho Killer.” We’re so used to him referencing funk and R&B that a return to art rock could feel brand-new.
Christopher Claxton: What I’d love to see isn’t something Bruno has never done, but it’s definitely something he doesn’t do often: collaborating with rappers. Across his career, there are only about nine official tracks where he’s teamed up with a rapper — either as a featured hook singer or bringing a rapper onto his own song — and none since “Please Me” with Cardi B in 2019. So it would be exciting to see 2–3 tracks on The Romantic featuring rappers. It could bring a fresh sound to his album while still feeling authentically Bruno.
Kyle Denis: He’s dabbled in reggae before, but I’d love to hear what Bruno could bring to a soca track. He has the perfect sunny energy and soaring vocals for a groovy soca hit. Somebody ring Kes!
Rebecca Milzoff: I’m not sure a wild sonic swerve is what I want (or need) from Bruno, but I’d love to see him lean into his rock influences a little harder and maybe get a little psychedelic and weird. And lyrically, it would be interesting to see a more introspective side of a star who’s easily identifiable but also pretty unknowable, even this far into his career.
Andrew Unterberger: How has his retromania not yet reached the mid-’90s? Who in their right mind would say no to Bruno putting his updated spin on “Freak Like Me” or “This Is How We Do It”?
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