Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B | Finesse (2018)
"Finesse" is a song by American singer Bruno Mars from his third studio album, 24K Magic (2016).
2018-01-04 19:00:00 - Bruno Mars
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. 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.
"Finesse" was well received by music critics, who complimented Cardi B's verses, on the remix, and compared them to the old-school hip hop flow. Moreover, according to critics, the song evokes the sound of Bobby Brown's album Don't Be Cruel (1988), Bell Biv DeVoe's track "Poison" (1990), and Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" (1992).
The song was a commercial success, peaking at number two in New Zealand, number three in the United States and Canada. It has also entered the top ten of Australia, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The song was certified four and three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), respectively. It was also certified platinum by both the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ).
The accompanying music video, which was directed by Florent Dechard and Mars, pays homage to the popular FOX sketch comedy television series In Living Color (1990–1994). To promote "Finesse", Mars and Cardi B performed it at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2018, the song was included on a medley of hits performed by Cardi B at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and by Kelly Clarkson at the Billboard Music Awards.
It received several awards, including Favorite Song Soul/R&B at the 2018 American Music Awards, Video of the Year at the 2018 Soul Train Music Awards, as well as Best Collaboration at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. It was also nominated for Video of the Year at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.