Bruno Mars has decided to record new music instead of performing a bunch of tour dates in the first half of the year, his bandmate revealed as part of an ugly court battle, In Touch can exclusively report.
Philip Lawrence, a music producer and songwriter who works closely with Bruno, 39, is in the middle of a bankruptcy along with a divorce from his ex.
Philip, 51, is a member of The Smeezingtons, which is Bruno’s writing and producing team, and has worked on a ton of his biggest hits.
In court documents filed by Philip on February 21 as part of his divorce, he revealed he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2023.
He explained, “All my assets were seized in order to pay liabilities which existed prior to August 2023.” He said he currently pulls in around $160,355 a month in self-employment and $774 in royalties.
Philip said he has had a change in his income recently due to his rate being lowered. He said, “My rate for all shows was reduced to $25k (from $50k per stadium/festival show or $30k per casino show) in June 2024.”
He added, “Additionally, I will not tour from 1/1/25 through 5/20/25 since Mr. Mars decided to focus on recording rather than touring. I am currently schedule to perform 18 shows through” September 30, 2025.
Bruno’s recording partner said he owes his bankruptcy attorney $757,000 and his divorce lawyer $240,000.
He said he also owes another $50k to his family for a loan used for rent. In the filing, Philip said he owes $17,191,718 to the IRS and $12,970,709 to the Franchise Tax Board.
Back in August 2024, Philip’s estranged wife demanded he pay $275,000 to her divorce lawyers.
She argued he had the ability to pay the requested fees “given his significant and rising income from touring with the band, Bruno Mars, as well as from his albums on which he is working at this time.”
At the time, his estranged wife’s lawyer wrote, “Philip is currently on tour with Bruno Mars, including international shows and a residency in Las Vegas. I am also informed and believe that he is working on a Disney project, a publishing deal and has also recently collaborated with the artist Bon Jovi on music.”
The divorce and bankruptcy are ongoing. Bruno launched his Vegas residence at Park MGM in 2022, along with a world tour.
In 2023, the musician said he was working on a new album with Philip as one of the producers.
In August 2024, Bruno released his duet with Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile.” A month later, he released another song with singer Rosé.
In January, he released a track with rapper Sexyy Red. The website to purchase tickets for Bruno’s concerts show dates in May at Park MGM, which lines up with Philips’ claims in court.
Bruno’s last album, 24K, was released in 2016, and sold over a million copies.