Bruno Mars Breaks Streaming Record, Jokes About Paying Off “Debt”

Bruno Mars is making history again, and he’s having fun with it! The Die with a Smile singer recently hit a massive milestone, becoming the first artist ever to reach 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify. To celebrate, he took to Instagram with his signature humor, joking, “Keep streaming! I’ll be out of debt in no time!”

His playful comment comes in the wake of persistent rumors that he owes MGM Resorts over $50 million in gambling debt. A report from NewsNation even claimed that Bruno was using his $90 million annual salary from his Las Vegas residency to pay off the supposed debt. However, MGM Resorts International quickly shut down the speculation, stating, “MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM.”

Bruno has been working with MGM since 2016, leading to his successful Park MGM residency and the launch of his Pinky Ring cocktail bar at Bellagio. Even with the rumors swirling, he continues to perform and embrace the Vegas lifestyle. When asked last year about the gambling debt claims, he laughed them off, saying, “Absolutely not! I love the lore that I am a Las Vegas lounge singer in debt to the mob. I can work with that.”

The Grammy winner has long been fascinated by Vegas, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “For the longest time, I’ve romanticized about Las Vegas and what it is. Maybe I just look at Vegas through a different lens..I look at it like ‘Casino’ and the Rat Pack, everybody in suits, gambling and going out. That’s how I see Las Vegas.”

Beyond his performances, the When I Was Your Man hitmaker has been busy collaborating with various artists. His latest track, Fat Juicy & Wet with Sexyy Red, just dropped, and the music video features Lady Gaga and Blackpink’s Rosé, both of whom he’s worked with before. Hyping up the new song, he excitedly posted, “THANK YOU ALL! I’m headed to the studio right now to make a strip club anthem so I can celebrate and properly act up this weekend. Someone please help me get in touch with Sexyy Red!”

With more plans in the works, the singer made it clear he’s far from done. “I’ve got a lot of plans, especially in regards to Vegas, and I’m just getting started,” he teased, adding, “Just wait to see what I do next.”