Lucky Daye Teams Up With Bruno Mars For A Dream Collaboration On New Album

R&B sensation Lucky Daye recently revealed the honor and excitement he felt working with Bruno Mars on his latest album, Algorithm, which dropped on June 28. The collaboration between the two music powerhouses has fans buzzing, especially with Mars contributing to the slow funk-inspired track, That’s You.

Lucky, 38, spoke to Variety about the project, expressing his admiration for Mars’ songwriting talent. “Bruno’s a genius, first of all,” he said. 

“I always looked up to Bruno, from the song with B.o.B [‘Nothin’ on You’] since way back. I always cherish the way he write. He’s the reason I started studying Motown, the way Motown music was written. Because I know it’s all his bars and stuff.”

The collaboration on That’s You was a dream come true for Lucky. Reflecting on their time together, he shared, “For me, being able to work with him was like a dream because I always imagined it.”

Lucky added, “Him coming with the idea trying to mimic my voice was very endearing, and I didn’t want to let him down. So I recorded his melody in the phone, and we threw that in ProTools, I took it home and threw some words on it.”

Known for writing hits for stars like Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Boyz II Men, Lucky emphasized that his goal was to make Bruno proud with their collaboration. 

Lucky also revealed that his album Algorithm features a slight homage to the late rapper DMX with the track Mary. Inspired by DMX’s 1999 hit with Sisqó, What These Bitches Want, Lucky explained, “I had the idea in my notes. I wrote literally DMX, DMX and Sisqó song, and I love concepts. I like to create a world around each song, and that was the world around that song.”

Algorithm features notable collaborations, including U.K. musician Raye and singer Teddy Swims. This new project comes over two years after Daye’s sophomore LP, Candydrip, which earned him a 2023 Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.

While Lucky has been busy creating new music, Mars has been relatively quiet on the solo front since his 2016 album 24K Magic. However, in 2021, he teamed up with Anderson .Paak to form the super duo Silk Sonic. Their debut album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, channeled the sounds of the ‘60s and ‘70s and included the award-winning single Leave the Door Open.