Grammy-award winning singer Bruno Mars is currently on his “24k Magic” world tour, and he’s honoring friend Cardi B in a big way. According to Pop Sugar , the “Bartier Cardi” rapper was slated to join Mars on his tour, since the two recorded the hit song “Finesse”. But Cardi bowed out after she announced she was not ready to return from maternity leave after having her daughter, Kulture, who was born in July. Mars’ tour kicked off on September 7, and at each show, the singer has included a drum solo of Cardi’s hit, “Bodak Yellow”.
Cardi announced her departure from the tour on Instagram in July, shortly after giving birth.
“I thought that after giving birth to my daughter that 6 weeks would be enough time for me to recover mentally and physically. Not only am I just not ready physically, [but I’m also] not ready to leave my baby behind since the doctors explained it’s not healthy for her to be on the road.” The 25-year-old added that Mars was “supportive and understanding,” and promised to pay tribute to Cardi at each show.
According to Complex , Mars announced the rest of the lineup of his “24k Magic” tour at the beginning of August. The singer made the announcement on Instagram, saying, “I was trying really hard to make a cool tour poster once we got confirmation on who’s joining us on the finale of The 24k Magic Tour. But in my excitement, I forgot I suck at arts and crafts. Swipe left for the official announcement…” On the next screen was a video, and Mars announced the lineup, which includes Ciara, Ella Mai, Boys II Men, and Charlie Wilson.
Though many of the artists included have gone on tours of their own, the “24k Magic” tour is a big deal for artist Ella Mai, who broke out this year with the song “Boo’d Up”.
Mars has been on the road since 2017 supporting his 24k Magic album, which was released in 2016. The show will wrap with a trio of shows in Mars’ native Hawaii in November. By that time, the tour will have made 135 stops worldwide. As Complex reports, the tour has “sold over 2.3 million tickets and brought in $240 million, making Bruno Mars the highest-grossing artist at the time when it comes to touring revenue.”
Additionally, Mars released a special, 24k Magic: Live at the Apollo , which was filmed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The show has been nominated for an Emmy.
