Maps of Music

24K Magic (2016)

Where the lyrics of 24K Magic take you, and where it was really made.

Mars had to win Atlantic Records over to the album's sound, and the label was at first hesitant about it.

Key places

Where 24K Magic was recorded (2016)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — The album was recorded at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California, during sessions that ran from late 2015 to September 2016. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• 24K Magic is the third studio album by Bruno Mars
• Released by Atlantic Records on November 18, 2016
• Composed by Mars with Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown under the joint alias Shampoo Press & Curl
• New composers included the Stereotypes and James Fauntleroy
• Draws on R&B, funk, pop and new jack swing
• Lyrics explore money and sex, themes close to those of the predecessor Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)

Background

• Mars wanted to capture the 1990s R&B he listened to and danced to as a child
• Aim was to make people dance and to share the same enjoyment he had
• Mars said the album contrasts with his earlier albums, which experimented with genres
• Mars convinced Atlantic Records of the sound, but the label was initially hesitant
• Album was due in March 2016, but release was postponed for several months because of his Super Bowl half-time show appearance
• Seven songs had been recorded at that time

Recording

• Recorded at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California
• Sessions ran from late 2015 to September 2016
• Mars returned to the studio in early October to complete the album
• Mixing stage began in August 2016

Cover

• Mars and Greg Burke created the artwork, shot by Chinese photographer Kai Z. Feng
• Cover styled to resemble a 1990s album, with song titles in a basic font

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Raised in a musical family; performed with the family band the Love Notes from age four.
• Gained recognition in Hawaii as an Elvis Presley impersonator as a child.
• Nicknamed Bruno by his father; stage name also adopted to avoid stereotyping.

Career

• Moved to Los Angeles in 2003; became a songwriter and producer with the Smeezingtons.
• Breakthrough came with featured spots on B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" (2009), a US number-one.
• Debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010) was followed by Unorthodox Jukebox (2012) and 24K Magic (2016), which won Album of the Year.
• Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak released An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021).
• Known for a three-octave tenor range, retro showmanship, and his band the Hooligans.
• Solo album The Romantic was released in 2026.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critical reception was generally favorable; reviewers noticed the change of style toward R&B and the improved production
• Some critics faulted the album for its detachment from the casual listener and the lack of vulnerability found in his earlier ballads
• Patrick Bowman of Idolator gave four and a half stars out of five, writing that Mars relishes playing the golden-voiced lothario
• HipHopDX's Carl Lamarre gave 4.3 out of 5
• Nolan Feeney of Entertainment Weekly gave a B+, calling it a fusion of 70s funk and 90s R&B
• Nick Levine of NME gave four out of five stars
• Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave four stars out of five, calling it the sequel to Uptown Funk
• Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club gave a B, calling it his most cohesive and enjoyable collection
• Karen Gwee of Consequence gave a B−
• Andrew Unterberger of Billboard said it pays homage to a number of pop performers from his catalogue
• Katherine St. Asaph of Pitchfork gave 6.2 out of 10, describing it as a theme-park version of funk and R&B
• Daniel Bromfield of Spectrum Culture gave 3.25 out of 5
• Jim Carroll of The Irish Times, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian and Victoria Segall of Q each gave three stars out of five
• Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone gave three stars out of five
• Patrick Ryan of USA Today called it Mars's most polished album yet
• Andy Gill of The Independent gave two stars out of five and criticized That's What I Like and Chunky

Reappraisal

• Metacritic average of 70 based on 14 reviews
• AnyDecentMusic? gave 6.5 out of 10 based on critical consensus
• The Associated Press named it the tenth-best album of the 2010s

Records

• Debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 231,000 first-week equivalent album units
• First number-one album on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
• Peaked at number two in Canada, France and New Zealand
• Sold five million units globally
• Triple platinum from the RIAA, five times platinum from Music Canada, seven times platinum from RMNZ
• Won seven Grammy Awards at the 2018 ceremony, including Album of the Year and Best R&B Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• In 2014 Mars hinted at new work by tweeting that it was time to start writing chapter 3.
• The album's due date of March 2016 slipped because of his Super Bowl half-time show appearance.
• Finesse went through twenty different versions before it was finished.
• Too Good to Say Goodbye was not complete until Babyface heard the chorus and encouraged Mars to finish it.
• Mars used a flexatone, a percussion instrument, on the album, given to him by DJ Quik.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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