Bruno Mars may have sparked a mixed reaction with his raunchy Sexyy Red collaboration, with some fans speculating that he made the song to pay off a massive gambling debt—but he’s having the last laugh over the controversial single.
The singer went viral after dropping his provocative track “Fat, Juicy and Wet,” last week, with fans shocked at the explicit lyrics. However, the attention propelled the song to reportedly rack up over two million streams on Spotify in a single day.
The song’s music video, which features cameos from Lady Gaga and Blackpink singer ROSÉ, has also gained significant attention, reaching 12 million views on YouTube within six days of its release.
Days after the release of “Fat, Juicy and Wet,” Spotify announced Mars had become the first-ever performer to hit a monthly total of over 150 million listeners on the platform.
Celebrating the historic accolade on his Instagram Story, Bruno Mars poked fun at the speculation over his alleged gambling debt.
Urging his fans to “keep streaming,” Mars jokes, “I’ll be out of debt in no time.”
CONRATULATIONS, BRUNO 😎
— NewsWatch Plus PH (@newswatchplusph) January 29, 2025
LOOK: American singer Bruno Mars is the first artist to reach 150 million monthly listeners in Spotify history.
"KEEP STREAMING! I'll be out of debt in no time," Bruno wrote in an Instagram story.
📸 brunomars/Instagram pic.twitter.com/5Q49r2Yrjr
The speculation Mars owed a fortune to a casino originated from a report by NewsNation in March 2024. A “well placed Vegas insider” claimed Bruno Mars owed MGM Resorts over $50 million in gambling debt.
The source alleged that MGM “basically own” Mars due to his debt. It was claimed that Mars was using his $90 million a year salary from his Vegas residency to pay off the debt.
However, MGM promptly denied these claims, confirming Mars had no debt with them.
“We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars,” MGM stated. “Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM.”