Peter Gene Hernandez, known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and dancer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship and for performing in a wide range of musical styles, including R&B, funk, pop, soul, reggae, hip hop, and rock.
Background
Bruno Mars was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. His parents are of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent. He was given the nickname 'Bruno' as a child, after the wrestler Bruno Sammartino. Mars was one of six children and his family was a musical one. As a result, he grew up with a variety of music, such as Elvis Presley, The Isley Brothers and Michael Jackson.
At the age of four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes and became known in Hawaii for his impersonation of Elvis Presley. In 1990, Mars was featured in the Hawaiian tabloid shopper MidWeek as "Little Elvis", and later appeared in a cameo role in the film Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), and performed in the halftime show of the 1990 Aloha Bowl. When Mars was 12 years old, his parents divorced, thus ending The Love Notes act and consequently a steady source of income. He moved out of their parent's house along with his brother and father. They lived in the back of a car, on rooftops, and in an abandoned bird zoo, Paradise Park, where Mars' father worked before it closed.
Career
The time Mars spent impersonating Presley had a major impact on his musical evolution and performing techniques. He later began playing guitar after being inspired by American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
After Mars' sister in Los Angeles, California played his demo for Mike Lynn, (the head of A&R at Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label), Lynn summoned Mars to Los Angeles. In 2003, shortly after graduating from high school at the age of 17, Mars moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. He adopted his stage name from the childhood nickname his father gave him, adding "Mars" at the end because: "I felt like I didn't have any pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars." Moreover, the adoption of his stage name was also an effort to "avoid being stereotyped", as the music industry tried to pigeonhole him as another Latin artist. They even tried to convince Mars to sing in Spanish.
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed a record contract with Motown Records in 2004, but the deal "went nowhere", leading him to have a conversation with will.i.am's management, which also turned out to be fruitless. However, the singer's experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career. Songwriter Philip Lawrence was also signed to the label.
After Mars was dropped by the label less than a year after being signed, he stayed in Los Angeles and landed a music publishing deal in 2005 with American record producer Steve Lindsey and Cameron Strang at Westside Independent.
Lindsey showed Mars and fellow songwriters Brody Brown and Jeff Bhasker (who Mars met through Mike Lynn) the ins and outs of writing pop music and acted as a mentor, helping them to hone their craft. Bhasker explained that Lindsey would "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." In a different interview, Brown corroborated this story. During this time, Mars played cover songs around Los Angeles in a band called Sex Panther with Bhasker and Eric Hernandez (Mars' brother), who eventually became the drummer of Mars' main band, The Hooligans.
When Philip 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, the drummer for the American musical group The Black Eyed Peas, told Lawrence: "Whatever it costs you to get out here, I'll reimburse you." Lawrence responded: "Just give me five dollars back for the bus." The pair began collaborating, writing songs for Mars, but they received many rejections from record 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, and Mars and Lawrence decided that they would write and produce songs together for other artists. Eventually, Creed became Mars' manager for nine years.
In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future A&R manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck. 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 because they felt it was too early and that he still needed to develop as an artist.
Before becoming a successful solo artist, Mars was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for the likes of Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida. He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" (2009) and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7 (2010). His first recorded appearance as a singer was on Far East Movement's second studio album, Animal, on the track "3D" (2009). He was also featured on American pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009 and on Travie McCoy's "One At a Time" (2009), a charity single for MTV's Staying Alive foundation. He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on, and composing (as part of the production group The Smeezingtons) B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" (2009) and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire" (2010); both songs peaked within the top ten of many music charts worldwide, with the former charting at number one on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.
Then, on May 11, 2010, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand. The EP peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 US albums chart and a music video was released for the song "The Other Side" featuring Cee-Lo Green and B.o.B. Mars, under The Smeezingtons, composed Green's single "Fuck You" (2010).
After serving as guest vocalist on B.o.B's and Travie McCoy's singles, Mars released "Just the Way You Are" on July 19, 2010. The song was the lead single from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), and reached number one in the US, Canada, the UK, and several other countries worldwide. The song holds the record as the longest-reigning debut adult contemporary format hit, spending twenty weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States. Mars also released two promotional singles, "Liquor Store Blues" featuring Damian Marley and "Grenade", before confirming the latter as the album's second single on October 21, 2010. "Grenade" also reached number one on the US Hot 100, Canada, and the UK. It was also successful on other international charts. The album, released on October 5, 2010, debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 55,000 copies in its first week of release in the US. It charted at number one in Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and other international album charts. Doo-Wops & Hooligans received generally positive reviews from music critics and has since sold six million copies worldwide.
Mars started to promote his debut album as the opening act for American bands Maroon 5 and One Republic on the fall leg of the former act's Hands All Over Tour (2010–11). Later, on October 18, 2010, the singer began a co-headlined European concert tour with Travis McCoy that lasted until early November. Doo-Wops & Hooligans received further promotion when the singer embarked on his first headlined concert tour, The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour, which ran from November 2010 to January 2012. Most shows took place on smaller venues, such as theaters and ballrooms, which narrowed down Mars' income in the short term, since he rejected various offers to open for notable artists on arena tours, but led to creating a substantial fan base.
In November 2011, "Count On Me" was released as the album's overall sixth single only in Australia, but charted in various regions. Additionally, Mars recorded and composed with The Smeezingtons a song titled "It Will Rain", the first single for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 film soundtrack (2011). The song was released on iTunes on September 27, 2011. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number two in New Zealand. During this period, Mars appeared on a number of collaborative singles, including "Lighters", with American hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, issued on July 5, 2011, "Mirror", with American rapper Lil Wayne, released on September 13, 2011, and "Young, Wild & Free" with American hip hop artists Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg, available for purchase on October 11, 2011. The songs peaked at number four, sixteen, and seven on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, and reached the top twenty of various music charts worldwide.
On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US. In September 2012, when interviewed by Billboard magazine, Mars stated that his next album would be more musically varied and that he refused to "pick a lane". It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Canada and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. It also charted within the top ten in various countries.
Unorthodox Jukebox, produced mainly by The Smeezingtons, was released on December 11, 2012, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, but eventually peaked at number one on the chart. It also charted at number one in Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and in the United Kingdom, where it became the third fastest-selling album by a solo artist in 2012. The album has since sold six million copies worldwide.
Mars ran his second headlining concert tour, the Moonshine Jungle Tour, from June 2013 to October 2014. He also announced a concert residency at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. The tour grossed $156.4 million.
"Locked Out of Heaven" was nominated for Record and Song of the Year, while "When I Was Your Man" earned a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance. In the same year, the album was recognized with the Juno Award for International Album of the Year. Aside from his music career, Mars played the role of a singing Spix's macaw named Roberto in the film Rio 2, which was released in theaters on March 20, 2014. He also contributed to the film's soundtrack with the song "Welcome Back". In October 2014, British musician Mark Ronson announced his new single, titled "Uptown Funk", to be released on November 10, 2014, featuring Mars' vocals. The song was a major commercial success, reaching number one in several countries worldwide, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US, where it spent a total of fourteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Its success led it to become a worldwide phenomenon with a major impact on pop culture.
After ending the Moonshine Jungle Tour, Mars began working on his third studio album, 24K Magic.
On December 2, 2015, it was announced that British rock band Coldplay would be headlining the Super Bowl 50 halftime show on February 7, 2016. Mars and Beyoncé were guest acts, the second time appearing on the Super Bowl halftime for both artists. They are only surpassed by Gloria Estefan and Justin Timberlake, with three appearances each. The halftime show for Super Bowl 50 became one of the most watched halftime shows in Super Bowl history. At the 2016 Grammy Awards, Ronson and Mars' single, "Uptown Funk", won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year. In the same year, Mars was seen in a recording studio with his band's bass player Jamareo Artis, engineer Charles Moniz, musician Brody Brown, singer-songwriter Andrew Wyatt and EDM producer Skrillex. Moniz confirmed the album was close to being finished and Artis claimed it was set to be released in 2016. The album was to be issued in March, but Mars' appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show led the release to be postponed several months. At that time, seven songs for the album had already been recorded. In May 2016, the singer split with his manager, Brandon Creed, and also starred in the second season of Jane the Virgin as a musical guest.
"24K Magic" was released as the lead single from 24K Magic on October 7, 2016. The single was promoted with a performance on Saturday Night Live and peaked at number four in the United States. It reached the top spot in Belgium (Flanders), France and New Zealand. In November, CBS broadcast an interview segment on 60 Minutes, presented by journalist Lara Logan, in which Mars talked about his new album and humble roots. This was his first television appearance in four years. 24K Magic, released on November 18, 2016, debuted at number two on the album charts of the United States, Canada, France and New Zealand. It received positive reviews from music critics and was composed mainly by Shampoo Press & Curl, a production team consisting of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Brody Brown, which replaced The Smeezingtons. "That's What I Like" was released as the album's second single on January 30, 2017, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it had less success in international markets.
The singer's third headlining concert tour, the 24K Magic World Tour, began in March 2017 and ended in December 2018. The tour grossed more than $300 million worldwide.
In early 2018, according to singer Jackie Jackson, Mars had worked on Michael Jackson's music. However, Mars denied any involvement in Jackson's music. Despite Nile Rodgers stating that Mars would be featured on Chic's studio album It’s About Time (2018), he wasn't. Singer Charlie Wilson also admitted that he and Mars were working on a collaboration. In the same year, Forbes reported that Mars left Brandon Creed's management company due to the latter selling half of it. Mars took his business affairs under his own management company, Gorilla Management, which is operated by Aaron Elharar. Mars and rapper Kodak Black were featured on Gucci Mane's single "Wake Up in the Sky", which was issued in September 2018. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
On February 5, 2019, Mars announced his second Las Vegas concert residency, which is set to launch at Park MGM's Park Theatre on April 29, 2019. On February 15, Cardi B released a single alongside Mars called "Please Me", which peaked at number three on the US Hot 100 chart.
Views
On February 26, 2014, it was announced that Mars had partnered with the Hawai'i Community Foundation and the GRAMMY Foundation to establish a GRAMMY Camp Scholarship Fund, in order to support the next generation of music makers with funds to provide financial assistance for qualified needs-based applicants from Hawaii. On September 27, 2017, Mars expanded his camp scholarship in order to include applicants from all over the United States. The singer established the partnership in honor of his mother.
Mars' donated $100,000 (US) to the orphans of Bantay Bata, who were among the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, in order to raise the morale of those who lost their families and homes. Mars performed at the Make It Right gala, whose campaign goal is to "help build homes for people in need." He also performed at the Robin Hood Foundation's 2014 annual benefit in New York, whose goal is to "fight poverty in New York City by supporting more than 200 nonprofits with financial and technical assistance." A day before a concert in the Philippines the singer donated $100,000 (US) to the "Typhoon Yolanda" survivors.
In 2017, Mars donated 1 million dollars from the show at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan to help the victims of the Flint water crisis. The singer participated in the "Somos Una Voz" relief initiative, created by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, in order to help survivors of the Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Mexico's 7.1 earthquakes. In November 2018, Mars announced he will donate 24,000 meals in aid to the Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division's 48th annual Thanksgiving Dinner.
On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Hard Rock Casino for possession of cocaine. While talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly declared that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before." 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.
In 2013, Mars confessed that "Nothin' on You" was rejected by a "music industry decision-maker" because of his race. That experience made him feel like a "mutant", and he says that was his lowest point. "Even with that song in my back pocket to seal the deal, things like that are coming out of people's mouths. It made me feel like I wasn't even in the room." In 2018, Mars was accused of cultural appropriation on social media for using his racial ambiguity to profit from black music and was criticized for mimicking the sound of past artists. Various black celebrities, including Stevie Wonder, Charlie Wilson, 9th Wonder, Marjua Estevez, and Stereo Williams dismissed the accusations. Mars has spoken often about his influences and has given credit to several black artists, such as Babyface, Teddy Riley, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
Quotations:
"I guess if I'm a product, either you're chocolate, you're vanilla or you're butterscotch. You can't be all three.
I've learned people are watching, so don't do anything stupid."
"When it's your time, it is your time."
Personality
As a child, Mars spent time impersonating Elvis Presley.
He also impersonated Michael Jackson and Little Richard, both of whom are major inspirations of his. Mars was raised on his father's doo-wop collection — "simple four-chord songs that got straight to the point" and on Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Frankie Lymon.
The hip-hop productions by The Neptunes and Timbaland, that were played on the radio constantly, also influenced him.
Mars' musical style gravitated initially towards R&B since he was influenced by artists such as Keith Sweat, Jodeci, and R. Kelly. As a child, he also took notice of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, New Edition, Bobby Brown, Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley, and Babyface.
The total lack of information regarding Bruno Mars’ religion and political beliefs is so staggering, that one speculates that Mars completely lacks depth and maybe even intelligence. Or, he just doesn’t want people to know anything about him outside of his music career. He said:
"I’m not gonna preach that I’m a role model. I’m a fucking musician! But I’ve learned people are watching, so don’t do anything stupid."