Bruno Mars is to release his first album for four years in the coming months.
Bruno Mars
The 'Uptown Funk' singer's third studio album - a follow up to 2012's 'Unorthodox Jukebox' - has been in the works for the last year, but his long-term bass player Jamareo Artis has confirmed the record is to drop by the end of 2016 which will lead to a tour.
He said: "We've been working on it for about a year, trying different ideas and experimenting. I don't know what's going to be included in the final version, but it's going to have a new sound, and so far the material is very groove-oriented.
"It'll be out sometime this year, and then we'll hit the road again."
The 26-year-old bassist revealed Bruno regularly plays the piano when he is on the phone to him to gauge his opinion on a song, but admitted he finds it "challenging" when the superstar singer asks him to play a random tune on the spot.
Speaking to Bass Player magazine, he added: "Bruno will call me up and play some piano over the phone to see what I think of his ideas, and he'll ask where he should go from there.
"Or I'll go into the studio and he'll have basic parts that he wants me to jam out on and do my thing. Most challenging is when he has me start a song out of nowhere, in any key with any groove or vibe.
"He'll say to me, 'Hey Jam, I need 'Billie Jean'.' That's a lot of pressure, you know? You don't just come up with 'Billie Jean' off the top of your head.
"All you can do is play what you're feeling in that moment and hope it works. But Bruno knows how to make a hit, so if the part works for him, I know I'm in good hands."
Last month, Bruno, 30, was said to be in talks over a Las Vegas residency for which he could earn a huge £750,000 per show.
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