Entertainment

The Romantic by Bruno Mars: Album Review

By: Brandon Barroso 

Editor’s Note: Views expressed in this article are

solely the author's opinions and beliefs.

On February 27th, 2026, Bruno Mars, an American singer-songwriter and pop icon, released his fourth solo album called The Romantic after nearly a decade since his last album, 24K Magic, was released in 2016.

The album is themed around the basis of love, and its concatenation through how love can be viewed, ranging from basic to complex. It explores the textbook definition of romance and how it can be contrasted with every other definition showcased with different songs in this album.

The album opens with its first song, “Risk It All”. This  latin-inspired instrumentmental music song tells the story about devotion. The lyrics showcase how one person can risk everything to stick with the very person he or she loves. “It’s Crazy, but it’s true / There’s nothing I won’t do / I’d risk it all for you.” These lyrics show commitment and dedication to one who they truly love..

The second song, “Cha Cha Cha”, follows a groovy, rhythmic beat inspired by Cuban dance traditions.  A It tells the story of how love can be hooked by the power of music. The third song, “I Just Might”, which was released early in January, was a tease to this album and shows how dancing can be playfully expressed by showing how they can groove and determine if they’re worthy to be loved. It also provides, instrumentally, a disco-funk type of groove to the song.

  “God Was Showing Off,” the fourth song on the album, captures the belief that beauty is divinely created, all while wrapping the listener in the soothing nostalgia of classic soul.

The fifth song on the album,“Why You Wanna Fight?”, is charged with conflict and a fatalistic relationship with words that convey how much that person means to them. The instrumental  blends R&B and soul, which is charming to the tone of this song.  

“My Soul”, the sixth song, utilizes retro soul and fast paced rhythm to catch up with a decree of love to the lyrics “On my soul / I’ll love you like you’ve never been loved before”.

The seventh song, “Something Serious”, featuring the use of Latin-inspired instruments,  conveys a stronger urge than ever to hold on to a relationship. 

The eighth song, “Nothing Left”, showcases how a breakup can feel, a relationship drifting away from you, with a somber R&B tone added to it. 

The ninth and final song, “Dance With Me”, is a ballad rekindling love with   an upbeat instrumental sound.

The Romantic can be viewed as a storyline to love itself, with the vibe to retro soul added to ooze with the never ending charisma of dance, funk, and the beauty of a relationship. Without a doubt, Mars does a marvelous job in defining romance, along with adding well blended elements especially Latin influences to flavor the pristine instruments and noteworthy lyrics to harmonize with what makes this album romantic. 

If you’re a new Bruno Mars fan, or if you are a loyal fan, I'd absolutely recommend checking out The Romantic, an album you’ll never forget.

Winter Olympics: Figure Skating 

By: Tazrian Taimur

This past February, Milano Cortina hosted the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. A total of 93 countries and over 2,800 athletes participated in the 116 events: sliding sports, ice sports, skiing, snowboarding, and the biathlon. One prominent sport that will be highlighted in this article is the figure skating portion of the Olympic Games. 

There were five events held under figure skating: Men's Singles, Women’s Singles, Pairs, Ice Dance, and the Team Event. All these events had two main segments: a Short Program/Rhythm Dance and a Free Skate/Free Dance. In the individual program, judges focused on the athlete’s number of jumps, spins, or technical steps like a double or triple axel and a flying spin. Similarly, for the pairs, there is a requirement for a twist lift and jump throw. Finally, in ice dance, judges looked out for technical skills such as a series of twizzles and dance spins. 

Mikhail Shaidorov made history by winning Kazakhstan's first-ever Olympic gold medal in figure skating. Also on the podium were Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato, both from Japan, who won silver and bronze medals. Additionally, Alysa Liu won the United States’ first  Women’s Singles medal since 2006. Kaori Sakamoto and Ami Nakai, both Team Japan, won silver and bronze medals. 

Social media played a big role in the Olympics, as it showcased many different factors. The “Blade Angels”, also known as the female players that represented the U.S. Women’s Singles (Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito, and Alysa Liu), used their platforms to bring attraction to the sport. In addition, a Sports Business Journal article by Rachel Axon, “How social media creators help NBC, Team USA, IOC boost interest in Milan Cortina Olympics”, shares, “We really are coming from a social-first perspective and just getting people to relate to these athletes. And then from there, it’s a gateway into the sport of figure skating.” 

With the massive growth of attention towards figure skating came the critics. In the ice dancing competition, people felt that the French judge gave Team France a higher score, in bias of the country. According to a Forbes article, “Olympic Ice Dancing Scandal: Judging Discrepancies Spark Call For Investigation”, Caroline Price writes, “When compared to panel averages, fans alleged the French judge dramatically ‘underscored’ the American pair while ‘overscoring’ the French pair. The judge gave Chock and Bates a 129.74 in the Free Dance, the lowest score awarded by the nine-judge panel. This score wasn’t just the lowest – it was over 5.20 points below the average score posted by the remaining eight judges.”

With the spotlight on the figure skaters by the public eye, some Bayside High School students have shared their own opinions about the event. Eleventh grader Amina Diallo shared, “I thought her [Alysa Liu] performance was very impressive! She was very free and captivating, and with every move she showed her passion. Her performance was quite unique because figure skaters are known for their precision and calculated rigidity, but she seemed to follow wherever her legs took her.” Another eleventh grader, Selina Wu, mentioned, “I love Alysa’s performances of Laufey and ‘Stateside' by Pink Pantheress and Zara Larsson. I love the spin she did with her leg up.”

The figure skaters in the 2026 Winter Olympics have illustrated their artistic and athletic abilities while remaining polished and skilled. With such growing fanfare and attention amongst the public, fans and critics alike look forward to the figure skaters of the 2030 Winter Olympics.