Bruno Mars facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bruno Mars
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Mars in 2017
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Peter Gene Hernandez
October 8, 1985 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
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| Years active | 2004–present |
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| Partner(s) | Jessica Caban (2011–present) |
| Awards | Full list |
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Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known as Bruno Mars, is an American singer and songwriter. He is famous for his amazing stage shows and for singing many kinds of music. These include pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. Bruno Mars performs with his band, the Hooligans. They play instruments like guitar, bass, piano, and drums. They also sing backup and dance with him.
Contents
Discovering Bruno Mars's Journey
Peter Gene Hernandez was born on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He grew up in the Waikiki area. His parents were both performers. His mom was a Hula dancer, and his dad played drums. When he was two, his dad nicknamed him "Bruno." This was because he looked like a famous wrestler, Bruno Sammartino.
Bruno Mars is one of six children. His family loved music, and he grew up listening to many different styles. As a child, he had small versions of drums, a guitar, and a piano. He learned to play these instruments early on.
His mom was a singer and dancer. His dad performed Little Richard's music, which inspired young Bruno. His uncle was an Elvis Presley impersonator. He encouraged three-year-old Bruno to perform songs by Elvis and Michael Jackson on stage. By age four, Bruno performed five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes. He became known in Hawaii for his Elvis Presley impersonations. He performed two shows a night with his family's band throughout elementary school. When Bruno was 12, his parents divorced, and The Love Notes band stopped performing.
Bruno's dad had various businesses that didn't do well. This meant there wasn't a steady income anymore. Bruno, his brother, and his dad moved out of their house. They lived in tough conditions, sometimes in a car or on rooftops. They even lived in an old bird zoo where his dad used to work. Bruno changed schools and was picked on at first. But he became popular in his later school days.
Performing as Elvis Presley greatly influenced Bruno's music and stage skills. He later started playing guitar after being inspired by Jimi Hendrix. In high school, he sang in a group called The School Boys. They opened for his dad's new band, singing songs by the Isley Brothers and the Temptations. While in high school, Bruno became well-known in Hawaiian entertainment. He opened for a big magic show and impersonated Michael Jackson. He earned $75 for each show.
Rise to Stardom and Hit Songs
Bruno Mars moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to start a music career. In 2009, he helped create a production team called The Smeezingtons. This team made many successful songs for Bruno and other artists. He became famous in 2010. This was thanks to his vocals on "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy.
That same year, Bruno released his first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. It mixed pop with reggae and R&B. This album had international number-one hits like "Just the Way You Are", "Grenade", and "The Lazy Song".
His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), was inspired by disco, funk, rock, reggae, and soul. It became his first number one album on the Billboard 200 chart. It also had two number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100: "Locked Out of Heaven" and "When I Was Your Man".
In 2014, Bruno Mars was featured on Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk". This song was a huge hit, topping music charts for weeks. His third album, 24K Magic (2016), focused on R&B. It won seven Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. The album also had top-five singles like "24K Magic" and "That's What I Like". A remix of "Finesse" featuring Cardi B was also very popular.
In 2021, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak formed a group called Silk Sonic. They released the album An Evening with Silk Sonic. This album explored 70s R&B and soul music. It featured the chart-topping song "Leave the Door Open". This album won four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year.
Bruno Mars continued his concert shows in 2022 and 2023. He performed in many countries like South Korea, Brazil, and Japan. In 2024, his tour included shows in Tokyo, Bangkok, and Singapore. It will end with a tour in Brazil called Bruno Mars: Live in Brazil.
In 2023, it was shared that Bruno Mars was working on his fourth solo album. He worked with other talented musicians like Philip Lawrence and James Fauntleroy. People in the music industry said the album was almost finished and would have a new sound. Bruno Mars is also planning a new look to go with the album. He is talking about a big tour for 2024 and 2025 with "large-scale" performances.
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Bruno Mars has sold over 130 million records worldwide. This makes him one of the best-selling music artists ever. Eight of his songs have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His concert tours are also some of the highest-earning in history. He has won 15 Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, and 11 American Music Awards. He also holds three Guinness World Records. He has been called a pop icon because of his successful career.
Bruno Mars's Music Style
Bruno Mars's music is known for having many different styles and influences. These include pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, and rock. His first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was mostly pop, reggae pop, and R&B. It was influenced by many of the genres mentioned. Many songs on this album have a "feel-good" and optimistic vibe. However, some songs also talk about sadder topics like failed relationships and loneliness.
His next album, Unorthodox Jukebox, also mixed different styles. These included disco, funk, rock, reggae, and soul. The lyrics on this album were different, talking about traditional romance and male chauvinism. Bruno Mars has said that he doesn't force himself to write songs. He believes creativity comes naturally, often when he's not trying. Ideas come to him suddenly, and he turns them into lyrics. He usually starts writing songs by playing the guitar or piano.
Bruno Mars has a three-octave tenor vocal range. He can also play many instruments, including drums, guitar, keyboard, bass, piano, ukulele, and congas. He often plays instruments on his albums and for songs he writes for other artists.
Bruno Mars's concerts feature The Hooligans band. The band includes a guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboard player, and a horn section. They also dance and sing background vocals. Critics have noted that the live versions of his songs sound different from the album versions because of the band's arrangements.
The shows feature choreographed dancing by the whole band. This includes dance moves inspired by James Brown and even splits. The concerts are influenced by the disco era and have a soul revue feel. They also include long, smooth parts that sound like 1990s contemporary R&B. The songs performed mix many genres, such as pop, doo-wop, funk, R&B, soul, and reggae. His shows often use pyrotechnics (fireworks) and special lighting. Bruno Mars usually plays the drums and guitar during his performances.
Bruno Mars's Fashion Style
Bruno Mars not only sings music inspired by older decades, but he also dresses the part. For his first album, Doo-Wops and Hooligans, he wore 1960s-style suits and had a faded haircut. However, for his third album, 24K Magic, he channeled the 1980s and 1990s in both his music and his look. While recording 24K Magic, Bruno Mars even had a dress code in the studio. He preferred jewelry and "fine clothes" over sweatpants to help create "groovy, smooth, and soulful songs."
In 2021, he worked with Anderson .Paak on their group, Silk Sonic. For their album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars wore "wide collars, leisure suits, and funky patterns." These were common in the 1970s and matched their music style. A writer for InStyle magazine said that "Regardless of the decade he's emulating, Mars's fashion sense and stage presence make him larger-than-life."
The Hooligans – Band members
Current members
- Bruno Mars – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2010–present)
- Philip Lawrence – backing vocals (2010–2018, 2022-present)
- Phredley Brown – keyboard, rhythm guitar (2010–2012), lead guitar (2012–present), backing vocals (2010–present)
- Jamareo Artis – bass guitar (2010–present)
- Eric Hernandez – drums (2010–present)
- Kameron Whalum – trombone (2010–present), backing vocals (2018–present)
- Dwayne Dugger – saxophone (2010–present)
- James King – trumpet (2010–present), backing vocals (2018–present)
- John Fossit – keyboard (2012–present)
Former members
- Kenji Chan – lead guitar (2010–2012)
- Mateus Asato – rhythm guitar (2019), (2021)
Silk Sonic members
- All The Hooligans (excluding Phredley Brown) – same instruments (2022–present)
- Maurice "Mobetta" Brown – trumpet (2022–present)
- Mateus Asato – lead guitar (2022–present)
Bruno Mars's Other Work
Business Deals and Partnerships
In 2011, Bruno Mars appeared in commercials for a clothing brand called Bench. He also invested in Chromatik in 2012. This company makes digital sheet music for the web and iPad. Bruno Mars said he loved that Chromatik would help with music education in schools. In 2013, he invested in the NJOY Electronic Cigarette Company. He did this to try and quit smoking for his mother.
In 2014, a small rum brand called SelvaRey Rum started serving drinks at Bruno Mars's events. He later decided to invest in SelvaRey. In 2020, Bruno Mars helped redesign the brand's look and taste. He gave it a 1970s style. Bruno Mars is a co-owner of the brand, along with others, including members of The Hooligans.
On March 5, 2021, Bruno Mars released a luxury sportswear line with Lacoste. It was called Lacoste x Ricky Regal. He worked closely with Lacoste's creative director to make clothes that matched his personality. He even used a designer alter ego, Ricky Regal, to help him think like a designer. In July 2022, it was reported that Bruno Mars plans to open a lounge bar in Las Vegas. It will be called "The Pinky Ring," a nod to a lyric from his song "24K Magic".
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Bruno Mars is also known for helping others through charity work. He uses his fame to make a positive difference in the world. He is a role model not just for his music but also for his commitment to giving back.
In 2014, Bruno Mars partnered with the Hawai'i Community Foundation and the Grammy Foundation. They created a Grammy Camp Scholarship Fund for students from Hawaii who needed financial help. He expanded this scholarship in 2017 to include students from all over the United States. He started this partnership to honor his mother.
In 2014, Bruno Mars donated $100,000 to orphans affected by Typhoon Haiyan. This was to help cheer up those who lost their families and homes. In 2017, Bruno Mars and Live Nation donated $1 million from a concert to help victims of the Flint water crisis. He also joined the "Somos Una Voz" effort to help people affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and an earthquake in Mexico.
In November 2018, Bruno Mars donated 24,000 meals for the Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division's Thanksgiving Dinner. In 2020, he gave $1 million to the MGM Resorts Foundation. This helped MGM employees who faced financial problems because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That same year, he and other artists donated signed microphones for a charity sale. All the money went to youth music education programs affected by the pandemic.
Until the end of 2021, Bruno Mars donated all profits from SelvaRey Rum to a music program in Hawaii. In 2021, he was part of a gala that raised money to fight brain diseases. In 2022, Bruno Mars was named a co-chair for the "Grammy Museum's Campaign for Music Education." This campaign aims to raise millions for music education programs. It will also allow young people free entry to the Los Angeles Grammy Museum.
Awards and Achievements
Bruno Mars has won many awards throughout his career. These include 15 Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, and 11 American Music Awards. He also holds four Guinness World Records. In 2011, Time magazine included him on their list of the 100 most influential people. In 2014, Forbes magazine put him on their '30 Under 30' list.
At the 2018 Grammys, he made history by winning Record and Song of the Year with two different songs from the same album. In 2022, he became the second artist ever to win Record of the Year three times. In 2019, Billboard ranked Bruno Mars at number 41 on their list of Greatest of All Time Artists. As a songwriter, he was named one of the best by Music Week in 2010.
"Just The Way You Are" holds the record for being the longest-running debut song on the Adult Contemporary chart in the U.S. "When I Was Your Man" was the second number-one song in the U.S. to feature only piano and vocals. He is the first male artist to have two songs in the U.S. top 10 at the same time as the main artist. He has nine number-one singles in the U.S.
In 2018, he became the first solo male artist with nine number ones on the U.S. Mainstream Top 40 chart. "Uptown Funk" and "Grenade" were listed by many publications as some of the best songs of their decade.
In 2012, "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade" were the best-selling digital songs of the year. This helped Bruno Mars become the biggest-selling artist that year. His songs "Just The Way You Are", "Grenade", "Locked Out Of Heaven", and "When I Was Your Man" have each sold over 4 million digital copies. This made him the first male artist to do so as the lead singer. Six of his singles are among the list of best-selling singles of all time.
Worldwide, Bruno Mars had sold 26 million albums by 2016 and 200 million singles by 2020. In 2022, he became the first artist to have six diamond-certified songs in the United States.
After Bruno Mars's performance at the Super Bowl, there was a lot of ticket reselling. To stop this, the Hawaii Senate tried to pass a law called the Bruno Mars Act. This law would limit ticket purchases to the box office for the first 48 hours. This would help ensure that people who went to the box office could get tickets and discourage ticket scalping. The law passed the State Senate but did not become a full law. As of September 2021, Billboard reported that Bruno Mars had earned $604.4 million from concerts. He is one of fewer than 30 artists to earn over $600 million from concerts.
In 2022, Bruno Mars became the fastest-selling artist for his five shows in Japan. He sold about 210,000 tickets very quickly. In 2023, he sold 101,000 tickets for two concerts in Seoul. In 2024, Bruno Mars became the first artist since Michael Jackson to sell out seven shows at the Tokyo Dome. He also had the biggest international attendance during his two concerts in Taiwan, with 157,000 people. That same year, he performed 14 concerts in Brazil. He broke the record for the biggest tour in Brazil by an international artist.
As of January 2025, Bruno Mars reached over 148.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He became the first artist to achieve this on the platform. He is also the second artist to replace himself at number one on the Billboard Global 200 chart. His song "Apt." became the first song to have over 200 million streams globally for multiple weeks on these charts.
Bruno Mars's Personal Life
Bruno Mars started dating model Jessica Caban in 2011. They are still a couple and live together in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. They have a Rottweiler dog named Geronimo.
Bruno Mars's Wealth
Billboard estimated Bruno Mars's earnings at $18.8 million in 2013. In 2019, he was number 54 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. His estimated earnings were $51.5 million between June 2018 and June 2019.
Discography
Studio albums
- Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
- Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)
- 24K Magic (2016)
Collaborative albums
- An Evening with Silk Sonic (with Anderson .Paak, as Silk Sonic) (2021)
Filmography
- Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
- Rio 2 (2014)
Tours and Residencies
Concert ToursHeadlining
Co-headlining
Opening act
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Concert ResidenciesHeadlining
Co-headlining
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See also
In Spanish: Bruno Mars para niños
- List of best-selling singles in the United States
- List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones
- List of highest-certified music artists in the United States
- List of highest-grossing concert tours
- List of most-followed Twitter accounts
