Relive Brunos Mars’ “Finesse” ft Cardi B at the 60th Grammys

“Finesse” is a song by American singer Bruno Mars from his third studio album, 24K Magic (2016). The song was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray McCullough II. The former three produced it under the name Shampoo Press & Curl, along with the latter four, as The Stereotypes. The song was composed after a jam session as Mars wanted to recreate the “new jack swing sound”. Atlantic Records released a remix version, featuring verses from American rapper Cardi B, as the album’s fifth and final single on January 4, 2018, to digital download and streaming services. Musically, it is a new jack swing, hip hop soul and funk song with a light influence of R&B. The lyrics demonstrate the happiness of being with who one loves and the positive outcome of that for them and others.

Cardi B opened the 2018 iHeart Music Awards with a medley of her biggest hits, including a verse from the remix of “Finesse”. Hilary Hughes from Billboard found the performance of the “Finesse” remix to have “shined on its own”. On May 20 at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards, Kelly Clarkson performed a medley of various Billboard Hot 100 hits during her monologue, including Cardi B’s verse from the remix of Mars’ “Finesse”. On Mars’ third tour, the 24K Magic World Tour (2017–18), “Finesse” was the opening act of the setlist. Paste’s Ellen Johnson considered the performance at the Grammys one of the best of all time, ranking it at number seven, saying that the nostalgia along with Mars’ charisma and Cardi B’s personable rapping couldn’t go wrong. Pentatonix, an American a cappella group, recorded a cover of the single for their 2018 album PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. I. It was part of the soundtracks for the video games Just Dance 2019 and NBA 2K19. The remix was also used as the background music for the swimsuit competition of Miss Universe 2018, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand in December of that year.

Watch the performance here.

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