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January 30, 2025 | 3:59pm
Bruno Mars performing in Philippine Arena
Philstar.com / Kristofer Purnell
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American musician Bruno Mars celebrated a new streaming milestone with a subtle reference to a rumor about him being millions in debt.
Bruno became the first artist to hit 150 million monthly listeners on the streaming platform Spotify, amplified by his latest release "Fat Juicy & Wet" with Sexyy Red.
Helping him reach the mark was his two previous collaborations, "Die With A Smile" with Lady Gaga" and "APT." with Blackpink's Rose.
The first song is currently the fastest track in Spotify history to hit a billion streams (96 days), while the latter also cracked the same number a few days ago to become the second fastest (100 days) and the quickest for a K-pop artist, beating BTS' Jungkook's "Seven."
Both add to at least 15 other songs by Bruno that have reached a billion plays on the streaming platform, including "Just the Way You Are," "When I Was Your Man," "That's What I Like," "Locked Out of Heaven," and "Uptown Funk."
On January 27, Bruno Mars became the first artist to reach 150 million monthly listeners in Spotify history pic.twitter.com/3KFaJ0PpXW
— Spotify (@Spotify) January 27, 2025The singer reposted the announcement in an Instagram story with added text saying, "Keep streaming! I'll be out of debt in no time."
The mention of debt was a reference to stories that circulated last year that Bruno owed as much as $50 million (P2.9 billion) to MGM Resorts International, though the latter refuted such claims.
In fact, Bruno recently extended his long-running residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, performing seven more shows later this year.
While he hasn't released a solo album since 2016, Bruno is up for Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the upcoming Grammy Awards, both for "Die With A Smile."
RELATED: Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga's 'Die With A Smile' fastest to billion Spotify streams
