Bruno Mars has joked about the rumour that he is $50million in debt following his collaboration Sexyy Red climbing the charts.
The quip comes as the singer shared his new song, ‘Fat Juicy & Wet’, with the rapper last week, and dropped a music video which featured Lady Gaga and BLACKPINK‘s Rosé.
He dropped the track after teasing the collaboration just days before, describing it as an upcoming “strip club anthem”.
Now, following the track climbing up the charts and racking up huge numbers on streaming platforms, Mars has hit another big milestone – becoming the first artist to reach 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Celebrating the news, he took to Instagram Stories to make a lighthearted reference to past rumours that he was in huge levels of financial trouble in Las Vegas. “KEEP STREAMING! I’ll be out of debt in no time,” he quipped.
Bruno Mars reacts to himself becoming the first artist to reach 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify:
“KEEP STREAMING! I’ll be out of debt in no time 🕺🏽” pic.twitter.com/LNZMJtUV0T
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 28, 2025
The comment relates to the time last year when the MGM Grand denied that Mars reportedly owed the casino $50million (£39million) in gambling debt.
Amid his ninth year performing a residency there, a “well-placed Vegas insider” reported that Mars “owes millions” to them from gambling. They went on to claim that the artist apparently made $90million from the deal with the casino, but after paying off his debts and taxes, takes home $1.5million per night.
In their dismissal of the speculation, a spokesperson for MGM said: “We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers,” said a spokesperson from the MGM Grand. “From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe.
“MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests.”
At time of writing, ‘Fat Juicy & Wet’ is sitting at Number 48 on the Billboard 200 charts and has gathered over 10million streams on Spotify.
In other Bruno Mars news, the singer this week confirmed more dates for his ongoing Las Vegas residency. The singer will play seven additional shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM this May and June, continuing his long-running stint in Sin City, which began in 2016.
Other massive tracks he recently shared include his collaboration with Lady Gaga ‘Die With A Smile’, which recently reached the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 for a third week, and his collaboration with Rosé, ‘Apt‘, which landed on the 14th spot on NME‘s 50 Best Songs Of 2024 list.
