Bruno Mars
Birth name : Peter Gene Hernandez
Born : October 8, 1985 (age 27)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Genres :
Pop,
reggae,
soul,
R&B,
funk,
jazz,
blues,
rock
Occupations : Singer-songwriter, record producer, model, dancer
Instruments : Vocals, drums, guitar, keyboard,
bass, piano, harmonica
Years active : 2006–present
Labels :
Atlantic,
Elektra
Associated acts :
The Smeezingtons,
Cee Lo Green,
Lil Wayne,
Eminem,
Royce da 5'9",
Bad Meets Evil,
Travie McCoy,
B.o.B
Website :
www.brunomars.com
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. 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 then moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, joining production team
The Smeezingtons.
Mars had an unsuccessful stint with
Motown Records, but then signed with
Atlantic in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "
Nothin' on You" by
B.o.B, and "
Billionaire" by
Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "
Right Round" by
Flo Rida featuring
Ke$ha, and "
Wavin' Flag" by
K'naan. In October 2010, he released his debut album,
Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number-one singles "
Just the Way You Are" and "
Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the
Billboard 200. Mars was nominated for seven
Grammys at the
53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are". His second studio album,
Unorthodox Jukebox, was released on December 11, 2012.
Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from various genres. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as
Little Richard,
Elvis Presley and
Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates
reggae- and
Motown-inspired sounds into his work. Worldwide, Mars became the best-selling digital artist in 2011. He had three singles in the top ten, including first place with "Just the Way You Are", which sold 12.5 million copies. Mars won Best International Male Solo Artist at the
2012 BRIT Awards. Bruno Mars has sold 6 million albums and 40 million singles worldwide.
Life and career
1985–2003: Early life and musical beginnings
Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985, in
Honolulu, Hawaii, and was raised in the
Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. He is the son of Peter Hernandez and Bernadette "Bernie" San Pedro Bayot. His father is of half
Puerto Rican and half Jewish (from Hungary and Ukraine) descent, and is originally from
Brooklyn, New York.
[9][10] Mars' mother immigrated to Hawaii from the
Philippines as a child, and is of
Filipino and some Spanish descent. His parents met while performing in a show, where 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 legendary professional wrestler
Bruno Sammartino.
Mars was one of six children and came from a musical family who exposed him to a diverse mix of
reggae, rock,
hip hop, and
R&B. In addition to being a dancer, his mother was a singer and his father used his musical ability to perform Little Richard rock n roll music. Mars' uncle was an Elvis impersonator, and encouraged three-year-old Mars to perform on stage as well. Mars also performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson,
The Isley Brothers, and
The Temptations. At age four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, in which he became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley. In 1990, Mars was featured in
MidWeek as "Little Elvis", going on to have a cameo in the film
Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992.
His time spent impersonating Presley had a major impact on Mars' musical evolution and performing techniques. He later began playing guitar after drawing inspiration from
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." In 2003, shortly after graduating from
President Theodore Roosevelt High School at the age of 17, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a musical career. He adopted his stage name from the 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."
Note :
1. He can play guitar, drums, bass, keyboards
2. He bled Puerto Rico and the Philippines
3. His talent in art was evident from a very early age. When he was 4 years old, dressed up as Bruno had Elvis Presley.
4. Bruno had claimed to have beat Eminem in a rap competition between himself and the rapper, who made Eminem's 'forced' to duet with him.
5. At an event Bruno Mars says his favorite food is chicken Adobo, a traditional food philippines
