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 | 1990–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, songwriter, and musician. He is famous for his amazing singing voice, exciting live shows, and ability to perform many different music styles. His band, the Hooligans, often performs with him. Bruno Mars grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a child, he became known for pretending to be Elvis Presley. In 2003, he moved to Los Angeles to start his music career.
Bruno Mars first became known in the music world as a songwriter and producer. He helped create the production team the Smeezingtons. He became a famous singer after being featured on the number-one song "Nothin' on You" (2009) by B.o.B. His first three albums, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), and 24K Magic (2016), were very successful. 24K Magic even won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. These albums had many hit songs like "Just the Way You Are", "Grenade", "The Lazy Song", "Locked Out of Heaven", "When I Was Your Man", "Treasure", "24K Magic", "That's What I Like", and "Finesse". He also sang on Mark Ronson's 2014 hit "Uptown Funk", which was one of the best-performing songs of the 2010s.
Bruno Mars continued his success into the 2020s. In 2021, he formed the musical group Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak. They released the 1970s R&B-inspired album An Evening with Silk Sonic, which included the number-one song "Leave the Door Open". In 2024, his popular duets "Die with a Smile" with Lady Gaga and "Apt." with Rosé were at the top of the Billboard Global 200 chart for many weeks.
Bruno Mars has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists ever. He has had nine number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His 24K Magic World Tour (2017–2018) is one of the highest-earning tours in history. He has won many awards, including 16 Grammy Awards. He was the first artist to have six songs certified diamond by the RIAA, meaning they sold over 10 million copies each.
Contents
Early Life and Music Start
Growing Up in Hawaii
Peter Gene Hernandez was born on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Peter Hernandez, had Puerto Rican and Jewish family from New York. His mother, Bernadette San Pedro Bayot, came from the Philippines and had Filipino and Spanish family. His parents met while performing in a show. When he was two, his father nicknamed him "Bruno" because he looked like wrestler Bruno Sammartino.
Bruno Mars was one of six children in a musical family. He grew up listening to many types of music, like rock and roll, reggae, hip hop, and rhythm and blues. His mother was a singer and dancer, and his father performed Little Richard's music. His uncle, who impersonated Elvis, encouraged young Bruno to perform songs by Elvis and Michael Jackson.
"Little Elvis" and Early Performances
At age four, Bruno Mars started performing five days a week with his family's band, the Love Notes. He became famous in Hawaii for his Elvis Presley impersonation. In 1990, he was called "Little Elvis" in a local newspaper and performed at the 1990 Aloha Bowl halftime show.
He had a small role in the 1992 movie Honeymoon in Vegas and appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show when he was six. Throughout elementary school, he performed two shows a night with his family's band. He learned to play drums, guitar, piano, and other instruments. When he was 12, his parents divorced, and his father's businesses struggled. Bruno, his brother, and his father sometimes lived in their car or on rooftops.
His Elvis performances greatly influenced his music and stage presence. He also started playing guitar, inspired by Jimi Hendrix. Bruno Mars has said that growing up in Hawaii and being surrounded by his musical family shaped him. In high school, he sang in a group called the School Boys and was well-known in Hawaiian entertainment.
Moving to Los Angeles
After high school, in 2003, Bruno Mars moved to Los Angeles to pursue music. His sister had played a demo of his music for a record executive. He adopted his stage name, Bruno Mars, because he felt he needed more "pizzazz" and girls would say he was "out of this world." He also wanted to avoid being labeled only as a Latin artist by the music industry.
Music Career Beginnings
Songwriting and Production Work
Bruno Mars signed with Motown Records in 2004, but the deal didn't work out. However, this experience helped him. After leaving Motown, he got a music-publishing deal in 2005. He realized that writing and producing hit songs for others was a great way to start his career.
He worked with songwriters Brody Brown and Jeff Bhasker, who taught him how to write pop hits. They learned what makes a song popular. Bruno Mars also played cover songs in a band with Bhasker and his brother, Eric Hernandez.
Philip Lawrence met Bruno Mars and they started writing songs together. They faced many rejections from record labels. Lawrence introduced Mars to Aaron Bay-Schuck from Atlantic Records. It took about three years for Atlantic Records to sign Mars because they felt he needed more time to grow as an artist.
First Big Hits
In 2008, Mars and Lawrence sold a song they wrote for $20,000. This allowed them to keep working. They decided to write and produce songs for other artists. Bruno Mars wrote songs for artists like Alexandra Burke and Sean Kingston. He said their first "big hit" was "Right Round" by Flo Rida in 2009.
He became known as a solo artist after being featured on B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" (2009) and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire" (2010). Both songs were very popular, with "Nothin' on You" reaching number one in the U.S. and the UK.
Bruno Mars released his first short album, It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010. He and the Smeezingtons also wrote CeeLo Green's successful 2010 song, "... You".
Breakthrough Albums
Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
Bruno Mars released "Just the Way You Are" on July 20, 2010. This was the first song from his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. The album was mostly produced by the Smeezingtons. "Just the Way You Are" became a number-one hit in many countries.
The album was released on October 5, 2010, and sold 15.5 million copies worldwide. It also had other hit songs like "Grenade" and "The Lazy Song". "Grenade" reached number one in the U.S. and other countries, and "The Lazy Song" topped charts in the UK and Denmark. Other songs from the album, like "Talking to the Moon" and "Marry You", were also popular.
In 2011, Bruno Mars released "It Will Rain" for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 movie soundtrack. It reached number three in the U.S. He also appeared on songs with Bad Meets Evil, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, and Snoop Dogg.
Bruno Mars promoted his album by opening for Maroon 5 and OneRepublic. He also had his own tour, The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour, from 2010 to 2012. He chose to play in smaller venues to connect with more fans.
At the 2011 Grammy Awards, he won his first Grammy for "Just the Way You Are." He received many other nominations for his songs and production work. At the 2012 Grammy Awards, he was nominated for Album of the Year for Doo-Wops & Hooligans. He also won awards like the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist and the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist.
Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)
In March 2012, Bruno Mars signed a new publishing deal. He said his next album would have more musical variety. Unorthodox Jukebox was released on December 11, 2012. It quickly became a number-one album in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the UK, selling over six million copies worldwide.
"Locked out of Heaven" was the first song from Unorthodox Jukebox. It reached number one in the U.S. and Canada. Other popular songs from the album included "When I Was Your Man", "Treasure", and "Young Girls". "When I Was Your Man" also topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Bruno Mars' second major tour, the Moonshine Jungle Tour, ran from June 2013 to October 2014. This tour earned over $156 million. He also started his first concert series in Las Vegas.
Super Bowl Halftime Show
On September 8, 2013, Bruno Mars was announced as the main performer for the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show. The Red Hot Chili Peppers joined him as guests. This show was watched by 115.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched halftime show at the time.
At the 2014 Grammy Awards, Unorthodox Jukebox won the Best Pop Vocal Album award. In November 2014, Mark Ronson released "Uptown Funk" featuring Bruno Mars. This song became a massive hit, topping charts in many countries and staying at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for fourteen weeks.
24K Magic (2016)
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Bruno Mars started working on his third album in September 2014. At the 2016 Grammy Awards, "Uptown Funk" won two Grammy Awards. A week before, Coldplay headlined the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, with Bruno Mars and Beyoncé as special guests. This was his second Super Bowl appearance.
His album 24K Magic was released on November 18, 2016. It reached number two in the U.S. and other countries and sold over five million copies worldwide. The album's songs "24K Magic", "That's What I Like", and a remix of "Finesse" with Cardi B were all big hits. "That's What I Like" topped the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2016, Bruno Mars began a concert series at Park MGM in Las Vegas. His 24K Magic World Tour (2017–18) earned over $300 million. In November 2017, CBS aired a TV special called Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo.
He won many awards for 24K Magic and its songs. At the 2018 Grammy Awards, Bruno Mars won all the categories he was nominated for, including Album of the Year for 24K Magic and Record of the Year for the song "24K Magic."
Recent Music and Tours
Silk Sonic and New Collaborations
Bruno Mars continued to collaborate with other artists. In September 2018, he released "Wake Up in the Sky" with rappers Gucci Mane and Kodak Black. In February 2019, he and Cardi B released "Please Me". Five months later, Mars, Ed Sheeran, and Chris Stapleton worked together on "Blow" for Sheeran's album.
On February 26, 2021, Bruno Mars and rapper Anderson .Paak announced they had recorded an album as Silk Sonic. Their album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, was released on November 12, 2021. It featured Bootsy Collins as a guest host. The album reached number two on the Billboard 200.
Songs from the album included "Leave the Door Open", "Skate", and "Smokin out the Window". "Leave the Door Open" topped the Billboard Hot 100. Silk Sonic won many awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2022 Grammy Awards for "Leave the Door Open."
World Tours and Future Plans
Bruno Mars continued his concert series at Park MGM in 2022. He also started a world tour with shows in Sydney and Tokyo. The tour continued in 2023 in places like South Korea, the Philippines, and Brazil. It ended in 2024 with many shows in Brazil. These tours have been very successful, earning millions of dollars.
In 2023, Bruno Mars was working on his next album with his longtime collaborators. In August 2024, he released "Die with a Smile" with Lady Gaga. This song was his first number-one hit on the Billboard Global 200 chart. A month later, Mars and Rosé released "Apt.", which also became a number-one hit on the Billboard Global 200. Both songs were among the most-streamed worldwide in late 2024 and early 2025.
In December 2024, it was reported that Bruno Mars is expected to release a new album and go on tour in 2025. He also produced a new version of "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley for the 2025 Lilo & Stitch movie.
Music Style and Performances
Musical Influences
Bruno Mars grew up listening to his father's 1950s doo-wop music and artists like Little Richard and Elvis Presley. He has said that watching Elvis perform and seeing how he excited the crowd influenced him. He also impersonated Michael Jackson, who was another big inspiration.
His music style was first influenced by R&B artists like Keith Sweat and Jodeci. He also listened to 1950s rock 'n' roll, doo-wop, and Motown music. In high school, he enjoyed Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, and singers with high voices like Stevie Wonder and Freddie Mercury. Bob Marley and local Hawaiian bands gave him his reggae roots. Hip-hop artists like Jay-Z also influenced his songwriting.
Bruno Mars combines different music styles like rock, soul, and hip-hop in his songs. Other artists who inspired him include Janet Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, and Amy Winehouse.
Singing and Songwriting
Bruno Mars has a wide singing range, known as a three-octave tenor voice. Critics have described his voice as smooth and soulful, fitting well into many different music styles. He can sing with tenderness and also with power.
He writes songs by playing guitar or piano. Ideas for songs often come to him suddenly. He usually plays some or all of the instruments on his albums and for songs he writes for other artists. He believes his work with other artists helped shape his unique music style. Growing up in Hawaii also influenced his music, giving his songs a reggae sound.
Amazing Live Shows
Bruno Mars is famous for his exciting and "retro" live performances. Critics have praised his showmanship, comparing him to Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. He puts on a fantastic show. Before his concerts, he sometimes watches videos of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, or Prince to get inspired.
His concerts feature his band, The Hooligans, who play instruments, dance, and sing backup. The band's energy and arrangements make the live versions of his songs even better than the album versions. The shows often include dancing, pyrotechnics, and special lighting. Bruno Mars also plays drums and guitar during his performances. His concerts blend many music genres, like pop, funk, R&B, and reggae, appealing to a wide range of fans.
Other Activities
Brand Partnerships
Bruno Mars has partnered with several brands. In 2011, he appeared in commercials for the clothing brand Bench. He also invested in Chromatik, a company that makes digital sheet music, and in NJOY electronic cigarettes.
In 2014, he became involved with SelvaRey Rum. In 2020, he helped redesign the rum's taste and packaging with a 1970s style. Bruno Mars and his band members are co-owners of the brand.
In March 2021, Bruno Mars released a luxury sportswear line called Lacoste x Ricky Regal with Lacoste. He was deeply involved in creating the collection, which blended his personality with Lacoste's style.
In February 2024, he opened a lounge bar called The Pinky Ring at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The name comes from his song "24K Magic." The bar features live music and DJs.
In November 2023, Fender released the "Bruno Mars Stratocaster," a limited-edition guitar inspired by his retro style. In August 2024, he appeared in a commercial for the Japanese discount store Don Quijote, for which he wrote the jingle. In September 2024, he partnered with Stetson to release a new hat collection. In December 2024, he collaborated with Hello Kitty for her 50th anniversary.
Helping Others
Bruno Mars is also involved in charity work. In 2014, he helped create a Grammy Camp Scholarship Fund for students from Hawaii, in honor of his mother. He later expanded this scholarship to students across the United States.
He donated $100,000 in 2014 to help orphans affected by Typhoon Haiyan. He also performed at concerts to help build homes for people in need and to fight poverty in New York City. In 2017, he and Live Nation donated one million dollars to help victims of the Flint water crisis. He also helped with relief efforts for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
In 2018, he donated 24,000 meals for a Thanksgiving dinner. In 2020, Bruno Mars donated $1 million to help MGM employees who were struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also donated autographed microphones to raise money for youth music education programs.
In 2021, he donated all profits from SelvaRey Rum to a music learning program at Honolulu Community College. In 2022, he became a co-chair for the Grammy Museum's Campaign for Music Education, which helps provide free admission and programs for young people. In 2024, he performed a charity concert in Brazil to help victims of floods.
Impact and Achievements
Bruno Mars is often called a "pop icon." He is known for bringing "retro pop and R&B" back to modern music. Many have called him the "king of retro crooning" and one of the most exciting performers of his generation.
He has been recognized as one of the most successful male pop artists of the 2010s. In 2019, Billboard ranked him among the greatest artists of all time. His music and performances have inspired many other artists, including Dua Lipa and Shawn Mendes.
Bruno Mars has received many awards, including 16 Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, and eight Guinness World Records. He was on Time magazine's "100" list of influential people in 2011.
His songs have achieved many milestones. "Just The Way You Are" spent 20 weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart. "When I Was Your Man" was only the second number-one song in the U.S. with just piano and vocals. He is the first male artist to have two songs in the U.S. top 10 at the same time. He has nine number-one singles in the U.S.
By 2022, he was the first artist to have six songs certified diamond in the U.S. His songs "Uptown Funk" and "Grenade" are considered among the best songs of their decade. In 2021, Billboard ranked him the third Top Artist of the 2010s.
Bruno Mars has broken concert records around the world. In 2024, he was the first artist since Michael Jackson to sell out seven shows at the Tokyo Dome. He also set records for ticket sales in South Korea and Taiwan. In early 2025, he had a record 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Personal Life
Family and Relationships
Bruno Mars' brother, Eric Hernandez, is the drummer for his band, The Hooligans. His sisters, Tiara, Tahiti, and Presley, along with their cousin Jamie, form an all-girl group called Lylas. Bruno Mars has been dating model Jessica Caban since 2011. They live together in Hollywood Hills.
On June 1, 2013, Bruno Mars' mother passed away at age 55 from complications of a brain aneurysm. He shared his sadness on Twitter, thanking fans for their support.
Background and Identity
Bruno Mars has spoken about how record executives sometimes had trouble figuring out his music style or audience because of his mixed background. He has always been open about his many musical influences, giving credit to many Black artists like James Brown, Prince, and Michael Jackson. He has said that his music comes from a place of love and respect for these artists.
Discography
Solo studio albums
- Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
- Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)
- 24K Magic (2016)
Collaborative studio 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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Band Members
- Bruno Mars – lead vocals, guitars, keyboards (2010–present)
- Philip Lawrence – backing vocals (2010–2018, 2022–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 Fossitt – keyboards (2012–present)
- Luke Kennedy Aiono – guitars (2023–present)
Former Members
- Kenji Chan – guitars (2010–2012)
- Phredley Brown – guitars (2012–2022), keyboards (2010–2012), backing vocals (2010–2022)
- Mateus Asato – guitars (2019, 2021, 2022–2023)
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
