Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars , is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and choreographer. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. After being dropped by Motown Records, Mars signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2009.
In 2009, he co-founded the production team The Smeezingtons, responsible for the singles "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He featured on the hooks for both singles, becoming recognized as a solo artist. His debut studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010) included the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", as well as the number-four single "The Lazy Song". His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), peaked at number one in the United States. The album spawned the international singles "Locked Out of Heaven", "When I Was Your Man" and "Treasure". In 2014, Mars lent his vocals to Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk". In 2016, he released his third studio album 24K Magic with the lead single of the same title released on October 7, 2016. To date, he has sold over 100 million singles and albums worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. Mars has landed six number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 since his career launched in 2010, attaining his first five faster than any male artist since Elvis Presley.
Mars has received many awards and nominations, including five Grammy Awards, and was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2011. In December 2013, he ranked number one on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Mars is known for his stage performances and retro showmanship. He is accompanied by his band, The Hooligans, who play a variety of instruments such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, drums and horns, and also serve as backup singers and dancers. Mars performs in a wide range of musical styles.
Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985,[1] in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. He is the son of Peter Hernandez and Bernadette San Pedro Bayot (1957–2013).[2]
His father is of half Puerto Rican and half Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and is originally from Brooklyn, New York.[3][4][5] His mother emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii as a child, and was of Filipino, and some Spanish, ancestry.[4][6] His parents met while performing in a show in which his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.[5]At the age of two, he was nicknamed "Bruno" by his father, because of his resemblance to professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.[7][8][9]
Mars is one of six children and came from a musical family which exposed him to a diverse mix of genres including: reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B.[10][11] His mother was both a singer and a dancer, and his father performed Little Richard rock and roll music.[12] Mars' uncle was an Elvis impersonator, and also encouraged three-year-old Mars to perform on stage. Mars performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations.[8] At age four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, and became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley.[13] In 1990, Mars was featured in MidWeek as "Little Elvis", and later appeared in a cameo role in the film Honeymoon in Vegas (1992),[8][14] and performed in the halftime show of the 1990 Aloha Bowl.[15]
The time Mars spent impersonating Presley had a major impact on his musical evolution and performing techniques.[16] He later began playing guitar after being inspired by Jimi Hendrix.[17] In 2010, he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, explaining: "Growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am. I used to do a lot of shows in Hawaii with my father's band. Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments...I've just been surrounded by it."[18] When he attended President Theodore Roosevelt High School he performed in a group called The School Boys.[19] In 2003, shortly after graduating from high school at the age of 17, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career.
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed with Motown Records in 2004, in a deal that "went nowhere", and had a conversation with Will.i.am's management which turned out to be fruitless.[22][23] However, Mars' experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career when he met songwriter and producer Philip Lawrence, who was also signed to the label.[22]
After Mars was dropped by the label less than a year of being signed, he stayed in Los Angeles and landed a music publishing deal in 2005 with Steve Lindsey and Cameron Strang at Westside Independent.[24][25]
iting pop music, and acted as a mentor helping him to hone his craft. Bhasker, met Mars through Mike Lynn (the A&R at Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment who first heard Mars' demo tape through his sister and flew him to LA), who explained: "He’d mentor us, and kind of give us lectures as to what a hit pop song is, because you can have talent and music ability, but understanding what makes a hit pop song is a whole other discipline."[24][25][26] Mars played cover songs around Los Angeles in a band with Bhasker and Eric Hernandez, (Mars' brother), who is now The Hooligans' drummer.[27]
When Lawrence was first told he should meet Mars he was reluctant to do so since he did not even have money for bus fare. Keith Harris, drummer for The Black Eyed Peas, told him: "Whatever it costs you to get out here, I'll reimburse you." Lawrence responded: "Just give me five dollars back for the bus."[28] The pair began collaborating, writing songs for Mars, but they received many rejections from labels. On the verge of giving up, they received a call from Brandon Creed, who was looking for songs for a reunited Menudo. He liked their song "Lost", which was written for Mars. The duo did not want to give the song away, but when they were offered $20,000 for it they agreed. The sale of this song allowed them to continue working,[28] and Mars and Lawrence decided that they would write and produce songs together for other artists.[25]
In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future A&R manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck.[29] After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bay-Schuck wanted to sign him immediately, but it took roughly three years for Atlantic records to finally sign Mars to the label,[29] because they felt it was too early and that he still needed to develop as an artist.[30]
Before becoming a successful solo artist, Mars was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida.[10][21] He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7.[31] His first recorded appearance as a singer was on Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, on the track "3D".[32] He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009.[33][34] He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on, and co-writing, B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire"; both songs peaked within the top ten on many charts worldwide.[35][36][37][38]
He said of them: "I think those songs weren't meant to be full-sung songs. If I'd sung all of "Nothin' on You", it might've sounded like some '90s R&B." Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010.[39] The EP peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and a music video was released for the song "The Other Side" featuring singers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.[40][41] Mars collaborated with Green once more in August 2010 composing his single "Fuck You" with The Smeezingtons.[42]
After serving as guest vocalist on B.o.B's and Travies McCoy's singles,[38] Mars released "Just the Way You Are" on July 19, 2010.[43] The song was the lead single from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as several other charts worldwide, in September.[44][45] The song holds the record as the longest-reigning debut format hit, spending twenty weeks atop Adult Contemporary.[46] He also released two digital singles—"Liquor Store Blues" featuring Damian Marley, and "Grenade" to promote the album,[47][48]—before confirming "Grenade" as the album's second single on October 21, 2010.[49] "Grenade" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December[50] and was also successful on other international charts.[51] Released digitally on October 4, and physically on October 5, 2010,[47][52] the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 55,000 copies.[53] It received generally positive reviews from music critics,[54] and has since sold six million copies worldwide.[55] In February 2011, "The Lazy Song" was released as the album's third single[56] becoming the album's third consecutive top five on the Hot 100, peaking at number four on October 23, 2011.[57]
"Marry You" followed as the fourth single from Doo-Wops & Hooligans on August 22, 2011.[58] Although it was not released as a single in the United States, it peaked at number 85 on the Hot 100 on January 15, 2011, thanks to strong digital sales.[59] Since then it has sold 2.2 million digital copies.[60] In November, "Count On Me" was released as the album's fifth single in Australia and New Zealand.[61] Additionally, it was announced on Mars' website, that he recorded and co-wrote a new song titled "It Will Rain" for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.[62] The song was released for purchase on iTunes on September 27, 2011.[63] It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.[59] During this period, he appeared on a number of collaborative singles, including "Lighters", a duet with Bad Meets Evil released on July 5, 2011,[64] "Mirror", released on September 13, 2011,[65] with Lil Wayne, and "Young, Wild & Free" with Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg from the Mac & Devin Go to High School soundtrack, which was available for purchase on October 11, 2011.[66] The songs peaked at number four, sixteen and seven on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.[67][68]
On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Casino for possession of cocaine.[23][69] While talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly declared that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before."[70][71] Mars pleaded guilty to felony drug possession and in return was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year. He paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service, and completed a drug counseling course.[72]Nevertheless, in a cover story for GQ magazine in 2013, Mars said "I was young, man! I was in f---ing Vegas...I wasn't thinking", he added: "I was given a number one record and I'm out doing dumb sh--." Mars confessed that he lied to the authorities about having done cocaine before, saying "I don't know where that came from", adding: "I was really intoxicated. I was really drunk. So a lot of that is a big blur, and I try every day to forget and keep pushing."[23]
He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of their Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010, and co-headlined with McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010.[47]From November 16, 2010,[73] to January 28, 2012,[74] Mars was on The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour, in support of the album.[75]
On February 13, 2011, Mars won his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, having received six nominations: Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Nothin' on You", Record of the Year for "Nothin' on You" and "Fuck You", Song of the Year for "Fuck You", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 53rd Grammy Awards.[76][77] At the 54th Grammy Awards, Mars was nominated in six categories: Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Grenade", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. However, Adele won all the categories in which he was nominated and he ended up by losing to Paul Epworth for Producer of the Year.[78]
On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US.[79] In September 2012, when interviewed by Billboard, Mars stated that his album would be more musically varied and refused to "pick a lane", adding: "I listen to a lot of music, and I want to have the freedom and luxury to walk into a studio and say, 'Today I want to do a hip-hop, R&B, soul or rock record' ". He announced the album title Unorthodox Jukebox along with the ten songs which would make the final cut on the album, and the title of the first single, "Locked out of Heaven", which was released on October 1, 2012.[80] The lead single from Unorthodox Jukebox reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in Canada and charted in the top ten in several countries worldwide.[81]
Unorthodox Jukebox was released on December 11, 2012,[80] and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with sales of 192,000 units.[82] The album eventually peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, almost three months after its release.[83] The album also charted number one in Switzerland and in the United Kingdom, becoming the fastest selling album by a solo artist in 2012 in the UK.[84] "When I Was Your Man", was released as the second single from Unorthodox Jukebox on January 15, 2013, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100,[59] making Elvis Presley the only male who has achieved five number one singles on the Hot 100 more quickly than Mars.[85] It reached the top ten in fifteen countries. The third single "Treasure" peaked at number five in the United States[59] but had less commercial success worldwide than the previous two. On May 24, 2013, Major Lazer released "Bubble Butt" as the fourth single from their album Free the Universe which featured Tyga, Mystic, and Mars on vocals, becoming the band's most successful single to date in the US until the release of "Lean On".[86][87] In late 2013, "Gorilla"[88] and "Young Girls"[89] followed as the album's fourth and fifth singles, and reached the top 35 on the Hot 100.[59]
Mars began his second headlining tour, The Moonshine Jungle Tour, on June 22, 2013. It started in North America, and continued through Europe, and Oceania, before concluding in North America on October 18, 2014, with eight shows at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas performed between December 2013 and October 2014.[90] On September 8, 2013, the NFL announced that Mars would headline the performance at the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show on February 2, 2014.[91] During the performance he was joined on stage by Red Hot Chili Peppers as musical guests.[92] It was the first Super Bowl halftime headlined by a performer under 30, and of Puerto Rican descent.[93] The show was the second most watched halftime show in the history of the Super Bowl, drawing a record rating of 115.3 million viewers, surpassed only by Katy Perry's halftime show which had 3.2 million more viewers.[94][95]
At the 56th Grammy Awards, Mars won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Unorthodox Jukebox and his single "Locked Out of Heaven" was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while "When I Was Your Man" earned a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.[96] Aside from his music career, Mars played the role of Roberto in the movie Rio 2 which was released in theaters on March 20, 2014.[97] He also contributed the song "Welcome Back" to the soundtrack.[98] Like its predecessor, Rio 2 was a financial success[99] and panned by critics.[100] In October 2014, Mark Ronson announced that he would release a new single on November 10, 2014, titled "Uptown Funk", featuring Mars' vocals.[101] The song was a commercial success reaching number one in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and several other countries. According to Billboard Mars was the twelfth highest paid musician of 2013, with earnings of $18,839,681.[102] In December 2013, he was named Artist of the Year by Billboard[103] and ranked number one on the 2014 Forbes list 30 Under 30, a tally of the brightest stars in 15 different fields under the age of 30.[104] In addition, he was thirteenth on the 2014 list of The World's Most Powerful Celebrities with estimated earnings of $60 million.[105]
After ending the Moonshine Jungle Tour, Mars began working on his third studio album, 24K Magic. He wrote on his Facebook page: "Now it's time to start writing chapter 3".[106]The artist had not come up with a date for the release, stating: "Until it's done ... It's gotta be just as good if not better".[107] On March 25, 2015, the singer-songwriter was interviewed by that's Shanghai magazine and provided some details of the new album, confirming Mark Ronson and Jeff Bhasker as producers. He added: "I want to write better songs, I want to put on better shows, I want to make better music videos. I want my next album to be better than the first and the second".[108] In the same year, Mars was involved in the composition of "All I Ask", a track from Adele's third studio album, 25.[109]
On December 2, 2015, it was announced that Coldplay would be headline performers on the halftime show for Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016.[110][111] Mars and Beyoncé were invited as guest acts on the show making them the third and fourth artists to have appeared on the Super Bowl halftime show twice, along with Justin Timberlake and Nelly, and surpassed only by Gloria Estefan with three appearances.[112] Nielsen ratings confirmed that the show was watched by 111.9 million viewers, thus becoming the third most watched halftime show in its history after Katy Perry and Mars were headline performer.[113] The 2016 Grammy Awards saw Mars' featured single with Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk", win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Collaboration, and Record of the Year, bringing his total wins to four. Mars starred in the second season of Jane the Virgin as a musical guest.[114] On May 10, 2016, Billboard reported that Mars and his manager, Brendon Creed, had split after nine years working together.[115]
In early 2016, Rolling Stone ranked Mars' third album as one of the 20 most anticipated of 2016.[116] The singer has been in the studio with engineer Charles Moniz, who called it "the next movement of Bruno" and confirmed the album was close to being finished in February 2016.[117] Mars also worked with Skrillex, who stated: "what we're doing is so f--king different, awesome and next level and sounds like nothing else that's happened before."[118] Jamareo Artis of The Hooligans, disclosed that he has been working on the album for about a year, "trying different ideas and experimenting." He added "it’s going to have a new sound...the material is very groove-oriented", set to be released this year[119] Singer-songwriter Andrew Wyatt has also been working on the album.[120] Mars' father confirmed the album was set to be released in March and seven songs have already been recorded, but his son's appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show led to the release being postponed for several months.[121] Mars has also played some of his new songs to American hip hop artist Missy Elliot.[122]
"24K Magic" was released as the lead single from 24K Magic on October 7, 2016.[123] It was promoted with his performance on Saturday Night Live and reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.[124][59] In addition, it reached the top spot in Belgium, France and New Zealand.[125] Mars performed in Las Vegas at the MGM’s Park Theater at Monte Carlo on December 30-31, 2016.[126] 24K Magic was released on November 18, 2016. It received positive reviews from critics[127] and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.[128] "That's What I Like" was released as the second single on January 30, 2017.
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