(February 2, 2025). Just over three years ago, I took my mom, now 80, and six of her friends to see her favorite artist, pop/R&B superstar Bruno Mars, perform at the MGM Theater at National Harbor just outside Washington, DC. Back then he was in his pure R&B, Silk Sonic phase having just had a No. 1 hit with Anderson .Paak with the very ‘70s-soul throwback hit “Leave The Door Open.”
Now it appears Bruno is channeling a different soul legend. He’s like the Marvin Gaye of the 2020s, stacking hit duets with women as diverse as apple pie, beets, and green beans.
Okay, that analogy was random, and I should’ve known better than to use the D-word — diversity — since that’s apparently taboo in today’s America. But it’s the randomness of Bruno’s duet partners that’s making him headline news in 2025.
And it’s reminiscent of when late soul crooner Marvin Gaye had top 20 hits with multiple women during Mom’s era, like Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Diana Ross and, of course, Tammi Terrell, except those women were Gaye’s label mates and they were not released at the same time like our boy Bruno is doing today.
First, the “That’s What I Like” hitmaker teamed up last year with Grammy-winning pop icon and Oscar-nominated actress Lady Gaga for the sweeping ballad “Die With a Smile,” which is now heading toward its fifth week at No. 1 — tying it with “Born This Way” as Gaga’s longest-running chart-topper.
Then, just months later, he paired with K-Pop superstar Rosé for “Apt.,” a sleek dance-pop banger that’s on track to move from No. 3 to No. 2 next week. If that happens, Bruno will likely become the first male artist to ever hold the top two spots on the Hot 100 — each with a different female duet partner. It’s already the highest-peaking hit by a South Korean solo female on that chart.
And finally, earlier this month, Bruno linked up with hip-hop’s reigning ratchet queen, Sexyy Red, for a song that could describe the Granny Smith apples in my mom’s fruit bowl — “Fat, Juicy & Wet.”
That’s the metaphor I’m sticking with in my ongoing attempt to protect Bruno’s granny-friendly image — the same one that had my mom and her friends dancing in their seats three years ago at National Harbor.
Of course, we all know what the song’s really about. “F, J & W” is this year’s “WAP” — a full-throttle ode to the nether regions that makes Bruno’s past club bangers seem downright innocent. It’s the latest attempt by Sexyy to ramp up the ratchetness in hip-hop — and Bruno to regain some hip factor — and it appears to be working.
“F, J & W” is on track to debut in the top fifteen on next week’s Hot 100, which would make it Sexyy’s highest charting single yet as a lead artist — she’s previously reached Nos. 11 and 10 on songs by Drake and Tyler, The Creator, respectively (and, dare I say, disrespectfully). Its top-15 status would also likely make Bruno the first artist to simultaneously chart in that region on three duets with different women.
To further solidify its hit status, the music video for “FJW” features appearances by all three women. Lady Gaga and Rosé appear near the end of the song along with Sexyy and Bruno, weaving a common thread among his duet partners and lending some intentionality to Bruno’s latest show of versatility. Otherwise, the three songs — “FJW,” “Die With a Smile,” and “Apt.” — couldn’t be any further apart in style.
Of course, Bruno is no stranger to mixing it up with a variety of other artists. He’s had big hits with .Paak, Cardi B, Snoop Dogg, and the rapper with whom he had his very first chart entry (and No. 1), B.o.B. He’s even gone into the lyrical gutter on some of those songs, as in the “Finesse” remix featuring Cardi.
But “Fat, Juicy, and Wet” takes things to a very specific level. It makes “Finesse” seem like child’s play by comparison. It’s a far cry from the tender No. 1 love ballad “Die With a Smile.”
Indeed, Bruno’s tryst with Sexyy Red isn’t for the romantics — it’s for the twerkers. And while I’d love to believe it won’t end up on my mom’s Alexa playlist of Bruno Mars songs, I have to face reality.
She’s probably heard a lot worse by now.
DJRob
Ps. It’s unclear whether any of the three songs will appear on the next Bruno Mars album, but it’s worth noting that each song has become the female lead’s biggest hit yet on the Hot 100.
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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