Bruno Mars is tapping into his Latin roots like never before on The Romantic, his fourth album and first solo LP in a decade. Born Peter Gene Hernandez in Hawaii to a Filipino mother and Puerto Rican father, Mars has infused soul, funk, and old-school R&B into shimmery, love-laden pop songs in the past. But on this project, Mars is leaning into his Latin side in his music.
Across the album, he taps into Mexican and Cuban-inspired sounds like boleros, mariachi, and salsa. Here’s a few highlights off the album and a breakdown of its Latin music inspirations.
“Risk It All”
Mars kicks off The Romantic with a cinematic roar of trumpets and delicate strings. Immediately, it evokes a Mexican bolero, which is a romantic ballad that originated in Cuba and became popularized by Mexican musicians like Agustín Lara and, later, Javier Solís. The track credits a bevy of session musicians, including a saxophonist, a whopping six violinists, two viola players, a couple of trumpet players, a cello player, and conga player Daniel Rodriguez, who played alongside Mars at his 2025 New Year’s Eve show in Las Vegas. In the music video for “Risk It All,” Mars incorporates a ton of visual nods to Mexican culture, including a full-on mariachi band and a Virgen de Guadalupe gold chain.
“Cha Cha Cha”
For the second track off The Romantic, Mars brings mellowed-out salsa rhythms with Rodriguez’s conga drums as he urges listeners to dance along with him. “Cha Cha Cha” is more expansive across Latin genres, making a literal nod to the Cuban dance rhythm of the same name and incorporating those distinctive cowbell chimes. Just like on “Risk It All,” there’s plenty of trumpet and string moments that bring a sensual feel to the song. Mars also interpolates lyrics from rapper Juvenile’s “Slow Motion” — proving he can still blend genres of all kinds together.
“Something Serious”
This funky track brings to mind famous Chicano-inspired songs like War’s “Lowrider” and Tito Puente’s “Oye Cómo Va,” which was famously covered by Santana in 1970. Just like “Cha Cha Cha,” this Mars song also has roots in Cuban and Puerto Rican music: Puente, a Nuyorican songwriter and Latin music legend penned “Oye Cómo Va” in 1962 as a typical cha-cha-chá. Once again, the cowbells come out, but paired against lively guitar riffs and trombone bursts (courtesy of Silk Sonic’s Kameron Whalum) “Something Serious” offers a high-spirited party vibe.
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