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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Works
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Discography |
| Partner(s) | Jessica Caban (2011–present) |
| Awards | Full list |
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Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. Mars 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.
Contents
Life and career
Peter Gene Hernandez was born on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Peter Hernandez and Bernadette San Pedro Bayot, and was raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. His father is of half Puerto Rican and half Jewish descent, and is originally from Brooklyn, New York. Mars has stated that his Jewish ancestors were from Hungary and Ukraine. His mother emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii, and was of Filipino and Spanish ancestry. His parents met while performing in a show in which his mother was a Hula dancer and his father played percussion. At the age of two, he was nicknamed "Bruno" by his father because of his resemblance to professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.
Mars is one of six children and came from a musical family which exposed him to a diverse mix of music genres, including first and foremost rock and roll, and later reggae, hip hop, and rhythm and blues. His mother was both a singer and a dancer, and his father performed Little Richard's music, which inspired him as a young child. His uncle was an Elvis Presley impersonator, and also encouraged three-year-old Mars to perform songs on stage by Presley 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 performed in the halftime show of the 1990 Aloha Bowl.
In 1992, he appeared in a cameo role in the film Honeymoon in Vegas and was interviewed by Pauly Shore on MTV. When Mars was six years old, he was featured on The Arsenio Hall Show and throughout grade school, he performed with his family's band, two shows a night, covering Frankie Lymon and Little Anthony. When he was a child he had a small version of a drum set, guitar, piano, and some percussion and learned to play the instruments. When Mars was 12, his parents divorced, ending The Love Notes act. His father's various businesses, ranging from temporary-tattoo parlors to memorabilia shops, failed. Consequently, there was no longer a steady source of income. He moved out of his parents' house along with his brother and father. They lived in the "slums of Hawaii", on the back of a car, on rooftops, and in an abandoned bird zoo, Paradise Park, where his father worked before it closed. Mars transferred schools and was bullied initially, but he became popular in his last school days.
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. 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." When he attended President Theodore Roosevelt High School in Honolulu he sang in a group called The School Boys, who did several shows including opening for his father's new band, performing songs by the Isley Brothers and the Temptations. The singer, while in high school, became well known in Hawaiian entertainment, becoming the opening gig for a huge magic show and impersonating Michael Jackson in a celebrity-impersonators show, making $75 per performance.
Mars moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a musical career. In 2009, he co-founded the production team The Smeezingtons, responsible for various successful singles for Mars himself and other artists. He rose to fame in 2010 buoyed by the success of "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy, both of which featured his vocals. That year, Mars released his debut studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, which blended pop with reggae and R&B. It spawned the international number-one singles "Just the Way You Are", "Grenade", and "The Lazy Song". Drawing inspiration from disco, funk, rock, reggae and soul genres, his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), was his first number one on the Billboard 200. It amassed two Billboard Hot 100 number-one songs, "Locked Out of Heaven" and "When I Was Your Man".
In 2014, Mars was featured on Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk", which topped various music charts, spending a total of fourteen and seven weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, respectively. Mars's third studio album, the R&B-focused 24K Magic (2016), received seven Grammy Awards, winning the major categories of Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. The album also yielded the top-five singles "24K Magic", "That's What I Like" (his seventh Billboard Hot 100 number-one single), and a remix of "Finesse" featuring Cardi B. In 2021, Mars and Anderson .Paak, as Silk Sonic, released the collaborative studio album An Evening with Silk Sonic, which delved into 70's R&B and soul and was led by the chart-topping single "Leave the Door Open". It received four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
In February 2023, it was revealed that Mars was working on his fourth solo studio album. The creation of the album is happening alongside a small world tour that will end in early April 2024.
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Mars has sold over 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Eight of his songs have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and his concert tours are some of the highest-grossing in history. He has received 15 Grammy Awards (including three Record of the Year wins), four Brit Awards, eleven American Music Awards, 13 Soul Train Awards and holds three Guinness World Records, among other accolades. He featured on Music Week's best songwriters (2011) and Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists (2019) lists and rankings such as the Time 100 and Forbes Celebrity 100. Mars became the first artist to receive six Diamond-certified songs in the United States and has been regarded as a pop icon due to his influential career.
Musical style and themes
Mars's music has been noted for displaying a wide variety of styles, musical genres, and influences, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, and rock. His debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, is predominantly a pop, reggae pop and R&B record. It is influenced by most of the genres mentioned above. Many of his songs on the album, reflect "feel-good", carefree, and optimistic sentiments. However, darker subjects are addressed in his songs, detailing failed relationships, pain and loneliness. His subsequent release, Unorthodox Jukebox, as with his debut album, is infused with different influences including disco, funk, rock, reggae and soul, as well as balladry. Lyrically, the album is different from the former, addressing traditional notions of romance and male chauvinism. Mars has explained his writing process: "I don't sit down and think, 'I'm going to write a song'", since "You can't force creativeness" as inspiration comes out of the blue in different places. Ideas occur suddenly to him; and occasionally, he is able to materialize them into lyrics. He has stated that he typically writes songs by playing the guitar or piano first.
Mars possesses a three-octave tenor vocal range. Mars is also able to play drums, guitar, keyboard, bass, piano, ukulele and congas. Mars usually plays the instrumentation or part of it, on his albums and on the songs he composes for other artists.
Mars's concerts feature The Hooligans, a band that includes a guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, and a horn section. They also serve as dancers and background singers. Critics noted the difference the backup band and the arrangements made to the sound of the live versions of the songs compared to those on the album. The shows feature all-band choreographed dancing arrangements, including footwork inspired by James Brown and the splits. The shows are influenced by the disco era with a soul revue-inspired set. In addition, long, mellow, and soft interludes that echo the smooth contemporary R&B style which was popular during the 1990s are also part of the show. The set lists blend several genres of music, including pop, doo-wop, funk, R&B, soul and reggae. His shows usually feature pyrotechnics, strobe and laser lighting, and he typically plays the drums and guitar. In 2021, Pollstar named Mars the hip-hop/R&B touring artist of the 2010s decade.
Aesthetic
Mars not only wears outfits inspired by previous decades, but he also matches that aesthetic to his music. On his debut studio album, Doo-Wops and Hooligans, the singer wore '60s-inspired suits and presented faded hair. However, on his third studio album, 24K Magic, Mars was channeling the '80s and '90s in its sound and aesthetic. During the recording process of 24K Magic, Mars imposed a dress code in the studio, favoring jewelry and "fine clothes" over sweatpants to create "groovy, smooth and soulful songs". In 2021, he collaborated with Anderson .Paak on their supergroup, Silk Sonic, to release their debut studio album, An Evening with Silk Sonic. Mars wore "wide collars, leisure suits, and funky patterns", as was usual in the '70s, which was also paired with their sound. Tessa Petak writing for InStyle affirmed, "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)
Timeline
Other ventures
Endorsements and partnerships
In 2011, Mars appeared in two commercials for Bench. He and model Joan Smalls were photographed in 1950s influenced suits in Puerto Rico as part of the clothing line "La Isla Bonita" for Vogue. In 2012, Mars decided to invest in Chromatik, which makes digital versions of sheet music for the web and iPad. Mars said: "I love that Chromatik will bring better music education into schools. [...] And I'm happy to be a part of it." In 2013, Mars tweeted a picture of himself using an electronic cigarette. A press release was published reporting his investment in the NJOY Electronic Cigarette Company, "in order to quit smoking for his mother", as the singer "believes in the product and the company's mission."
In 2014, the small rum brand SelvaRey Rum began catering events and parties by Mars. In the following year, the singer was introduced to the brand by co-founder Seth Gold. At that point, Mars decided to invest an undisclosed amount for an equity stake in SelvaRey. In 2020, Mars decided to go global, after he and Gold tried multiple combinations with the bottles and flavors for years, the singer was responsible for the new taste, branding, and design of the packaging, with a 1970s style. The brand was founded and is co-owned by Mars, Seth Gold, Marc Gold, and Robert Herzig. Later, The Hooligans, along with Anderson .Paak, American record producer and songwriter D'Mile, American singer-songwriter James Fauntleroy, and Charles Moniz also became co-owners.
On March 5, 2021, Mars, under his designer alter ego, Ricky Regal, released a luxury 1970s-inspired sportswear with Lacoste, entitled Lacoste x Ricky Regal. He worked with Louise Trotter, Lacoste's creative director, in order to create a clothing line that matched his personality with Lacoste's sportswear. According to Trotter, the singer was involved with every aspect of the collection from concept to fittings. When they started to work on the design process, Mars adopted "an alter ego to help him think as a designer." On July 29, 2022, it was reported that Mars is set to open a lounge bar on the Las Vegas Strip, replacing the Lily Bar & Lounge at the Bellagio. It will be named "The Pinky Ring", a reference to a lyric from his song "24K Magic" (2016).
Philanthropy
In 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 for qualified needs-based applicants from Hawaii. On September 27, 2017, he 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.
In 2014, Mars donated US$100,000 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. The singer 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 to "fight poverty in New York City by supporting nonprofit organizations with financial and technical assistance." In 2017, Mars and Live Nation 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 to help survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Mexico's earthquake.
In November 2018, Mars donated 24,000 meals in aid to the Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division's 48th annual Thanksgiving Dinner. In 2020, he donated $1 million to the MGM Resorts Foundation, in order to assist MGM employees with financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same year, Mars and other artists donated autographed or unique microphones to Reverb.com, a music gear online marketplace, for a charity sale "with all proceeds going to ten youth music education programs" affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also created a protest placard with an Angela Davis quote for an online auction called Show Me the Signs to help families of black women killed by police.
Until the end of 2021, Mars donated all the profits earned with SelvaRey Rum to the Honolulu Community College's Music & Entertainment Learning Experience program, in Hawaii. In the same year, the singer was part of the "Keep Memory Alive Power of Love" gala. The event's proceeds support services, care, and resources to patients and their caregivers to combat neurocognitive diseases. In 2022, Mars alongside Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Shawn Mendes, and Rosalía were named co-chairs for the "Grammy Museum's Campaign for Music Education". The aim is to raise between 3-$5 million for the Grammy's educational programs. This will allow people, who are 18 and under as well as college students, free entrance to the Los Angeles Grammy Museum and access to various "music education programs" in the US.
Impact
Bruno Mars has been cited as a "pop icon" by media outlets such as The Philippine Star, Courier & Press, The Dickinson Press, and iHeartRadio. The Guardian writer Michael Cragg deemed "the Bruno Mars strategy" the career path of "songwriter turned popstar", as he became known within the music industry by writing and producing hit singles for other artists, and eventually appearing as a featured artist on them—with The New Yorker stating that he overshadowed the lead artists on those songs. Amanda Petrusich of The New Yorker described him as "arguably one of the most instinctive and enthralling showmen of his generation". Fuse TV website has credited Mars for bringing the "funkalicious vibes" of retro pop and R&B back to modern music, while The Independent writer Roisin O'connor has cited him as the "king of retro crooning". In 2013, NPR Music writer Ann Powers defined Mars as "the most valuable pop historian" at the time. In 2016, Damien Scott writing for BET called Mars "the prince of pop music". In 2019, Margaret Farrell from Stereogum affirmed that "Uptown Funk"'s success "solidified Mars' kingly pop stature."
Billboard has expressed that no male artist in contemporary pop music during the 2010s has enjoyed a longer success streak than Mars. Similarly, Slate considered him "the most consistent male pop star of the 2010s". In 2021, WBLS stated that Mars "has been a dominant force in popular culture for more than a decade". The New York Times and Toronto Star have described "Uptown Funk" as one of the most recognizable pop songs of the century. Speaking on his Puerto Rican roots and ethnic labels, Remezcla website argued that Mars is "the first proud Latino artist to make it" to the "top of international pop culture" while not following the music industry's "cynical labels game" to be pigeonholed. Singers such as AJ Mitchell, Thomas Rhett, Dua Lipa, Benny Dayal, Rauw Alejandro, KiDi, Lee Brice, Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez, and Meghan Trainor have cited his music and showmanship as an inspiration.
In 2013, Mars was named Artist of the Year by Billboard, while in 2016 he became the recipient of NRJ Artist of Honor "in special recognition for his contribution to music". The singer earned an Innovator Award at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards and a Visionary Award at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards. In 2019, iHeartRadio Canada placed Mars on theirs "Icons of the Decade" of the 2010s, while Insider gave him an honorable mention on their 2010s list. In 2021, Billboard named Mars the third Top Artist of the 2010s and ranked him at number 14 on the list of Top Touring Artists of the 2010s.
Awards and achievements
Mars has earned numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including 15 Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, four Guinness World Record 11 American and 13 Soul Train Music Awards. In 2011, he made Time magazine's 100 list and his former songwriting and record producing team, the Smeezingtons, earned several accolades. In 2014, Mars topped Forbes magazine's '30 Under 30' list, a tally of the brightest stars in 15 different fields under the age of 30 in the US. At the 2018 Grammys, he became the second artist to win Record and Song of the Year with two different songs from the same album. At the 2022 Grammys, Mars became the second artist to win Record of the Year three times. In 2019, Billboard ranked Mars at number 41 on its list of Greatest of All Time Artists. As a songwriter, Mars has been honored, as part of the Smeezingtons, by Music Week as best songwriters of 2010 and by Billboard as he ranked at number six on their 2013 list of Hot 100 Songwriters.
"Just The Way You Are" holds the record as the longest-reigning debut on adult contemporary, spending twenty weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart in the U.S. "When I Was Your Man" became the second number one song in the U.S. to feature only piano and vocals. He is the first male artist to place two titles as a lead act in the U.S. top 10 simultaneously. In total, he has eight number-one singles in the U.S. In 2018, he matched Beyonce and Mariah Carey as the only artists with three top-five singles in the U.S. from their first three studio albums. In the same year, he became the first solo male artist with nine number ones in the U.S. Mainstream Top 40 chart. Mars, Sheeran and Jewel are the only artists with two songs to spend at least half a year in the U.S. top 10. In 2019, Mars was one of the few artists who have spent at least 241 weeks among all their U.S. Billboard Hot 100 top 10s. "Uptown Funk" and "Grenade" were listed by several publications as being among the best songs of the decade.
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade" are two of the most successful digital singles of all time, with sales of 12.5 million and 10.2 million, respectively. This contributed to Mars becoming the biggest selling artist of 2012. 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, making him the first male artist to do so as a lead singer. Six of his singles are counted among the best-selling singles of all time. Worldwide, Mars has sold 26 million albums as of 2016, and a total of 200 million singles as of 2020. In 2022, he became the first artist to receive six diamond certified songs in the United States.
Due to the ticket reselling that occurred during the week after the performance of Mars at the Super Bowl, and in order to limit that kind of profiteering, Hawaii Senate President Donna Mercado Kim introduced Senate Resolution 12, also known as the Bruno Mars Act. It limits all ticket purchases within 48 hours of the on-sale date to the physical box office. This ensures that anyone who comes to the box office to buy tickets for a show should almost certainly be guaranteed a ticket and discourages ticket scalping. The State Senate in Hawaii passed the law. However, the bill died at the conference committee. As of September 2021, Billboard reported that Mars has earned $604.4 million from concerts. He is one of fewer than 30 artists to cross the $600 million threshold in Boxscore history. In 2022, Mars became the fastest-selling artist for his five shows in Japan, selling approximately 210.000 tickets in record time.
Personal life
Mars began dating model Jessica Caban in 2011. The two remain a couple as of 2019[update], residing together in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills with a Rottweiler named Geronimo.
Wealth
Billboard estimated Mars's earnings at $18,839,681, making him the twelfth highest paid musician of 2013. Forbes magazine began reporting his earnings in 2014, calculating that the $60 million earned between June 2013 to June 2014, for his music and tour, made him thirteenth on the list of the Celebrity 100 list. In June 2017, Mars ranked sixth on the Forbes World's Highest Paid Celebrities, earning an estimated $39 million from June 2016 through June 2017. In July 2018, Forbes announced that Mars was America's highest-paid musician of 2017, with an estimated total of $100 million. This, in turn, placed him at number 11 on the Celebrity 100 list as well as being his highest yearly earnings to date. In 2019, he was placed at number 54 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, with estimated earnings of $51.5 million between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 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)
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
