Happy birthday, Bruno Mars: 7 Diamond singles and the stories behind his biggest hits

Perfection is rarely glamorous. Bruno Mars, who turns 41 on October 8, has built his career on the unseen hours—the abandoned demos, the slowed tempos, the guitar line chased for months—and the numbers suggest it was worth the trouble. In 2022, he became the first artist to collect six Diamond-certified singles from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By October 2025, the tally had reached seven, from Just the Way You Are to The Lazy Song.

His latest album, The Romantic, marks his first solo release in a decade, with I Just Might, Risk It All, On My Soul and Dance With Me released from the set. The latest single, Dance With Me, arrived on October 1, with Karol G starring in its music video.

As Bruno Mars brings The Romantic Tour to Asia in 2027, here’s a look at the craft behind the seven songs that made Diamond history.

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What is the RIAA Diamond certification and how is it earned?

The RIAA introduced its Diamond Award in 1999 to recognise recordings reaching 10 million certified units in the United States. For singles, one unit equals one paid download or 150 eligible on-demand audio and video streams. If earned entirely through streaming, Diamond would equal 1.5 billion streams. Gold begins at 500,000 units and Platinum at 1 million, making Diamond—equivalent to 10× Platinum—a rare milestone. Mars’s hits straddled the download era and the streaming age. Which one is your favourite?

‘Just the Way You Are’ (2010): the simple love song that became the highest-certified single in RIAA history

'Just the Way You Are' is now 21× Platinum in the US

Released in August 2010 as the lead single from Doo-Wops & Hooligans, the song was written by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Khalil Walton and Needlz, and produced by the Smeezingtons and Needlz. Set to a classic romantic melody against modern hip-hop drums, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Certified Diamond in January 2019, Just the Way You Are reached 21× Platinum in October 2025, overtaking Post Malone and Swae Lee’s Sunflower as the highest-certified single in RIAA history.

‘Grenade’ (2010): the heartbreak anthem that began as an upbeat 1960s-style demo

Heartbreak anthem 'Grenade' was reworked from a surf-pop demo

The second single from Doo-Wops & Hooligans arrived in October 2010 and began as a breezy, 1960s-style surf-pop demo. Bruno Mars realised the lyrics of unrequited devotion clashed with the cheerful arrangement, so he stripped back the production, slowed the tempo and moved to a minor key, demanding a far more intense vocal. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Diamond certification in October 2020.

‘The Lazy Song’ (2011): the easygoing hit born on a day Mars didn’t feel like working

'The Lazy Song' is the singer's seventh Diamond-certified single

The third single from Doo-Wops & Hooligans grew out of a studio session in which Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine did not feel like working. Co-written with K’naan, it reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in the UK and Denmark. In October 2025, the RIAA certified it Diamond, making it Mars’s seventh single to reach the milestone.

‘Locked Out of Heaven’ (2012): the pop-rock lead single that made Bruno Mars the first artist with six Diamond singles

‘Locked Out of Heaven', his sixth Diamond-certified single, features a pop-rock sound

The lead single from Unorthodox Jukebox was written by Bruno Mars with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine. Its urgent pop-rock sound, which drew comparisons to The Police, introduced the album and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2022, the RIAA certified it Diamond, making Mars the first artist to collect six Diamond-certified singles.

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‘When I Was Your Man’ (2013): the stripped-back ballad that proved emotionally demanding to perform

Piano ballad 'When I Was Your Man' went against the tide of the dance-floor sound when it was released

The second single from Unorthodox Jukebox arrived in 2013, when radio favoured dance-floor electronics. Built on little more than piano and Bruno Mars’s voice, the song rose to No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, joining Adele’s Someone Like You among piano-and-vocal ballads that have topped the chart. Mars has acknowledged that its raw regret makes it emotionally taxing to perform live. It was certified Diamond in May 2021.

‘That’s What I Like’ (2017): the year-long production puzzle that won three Grammys

'That's What I Like' blends funk, New Jack Swing and R&B

The second single from 24K Magic blends mid-tempo funk, New Jack Swing and contemporary R&B. Bruno Mars is said to have spent more than a year refining its rhythm and drum programming. At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, it won Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. Directed by Mars and Jonathan Lia, its music video shows him dancing alone against a dark backdrop with hand-drawn animation. It was certified Diamond in May 2021.

‘Uptown Funk’ (2014): the 82-take studio marathon with Mark Ronson

Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson joins forces for the chart-topping 'Uptown Funk'

Released in November 2014 as the lead single from Ronson’s album Uptown Special, the song spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The collaboration reached Diamond status in October 2016, the earliest of Mars’s seven. Recording stretched across roughly eight months and several cities, and the final guitar part is said to have been captured on take 82.

Where is Bruno Mars performing in Asia on ‘The Romantic Tour’ in 2027?

Bruno Mars will bring The Romantic Tour, which follows his 2026 album The Romantic, to Asia in 2027. It begins in January with multi-night dates at Japan’s major domes, including Tokyo Dome, before moving to Singapore’s National Stadium, Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium, Kaohsiung National Stadium, Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium, the Philippine Arena in Bulacan and Goyang Stadium in South Korea, running into May 2027.

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Happy birthday, Bruno Mars: 7 Diamond singles and the stories behind his biggest hits