Bruno Mars

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bruno Mars
Mars performing on the 24K Magic World Tour in 2017
Born
Peter Gene Hernandez

(1985-10-08) October 8, 1985 (age 38)
EducationPresident Theodore Roosevelt High School
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
  • dancer
  • director
  • actor
Years active1990–present
PartnerJessica Caban (2011–present)
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • keyboards
  • drums
  • bass
  • ukulele
  • congas
Labels
Member of
Formerly ofThe Smeezingtons
Websitebrunomars.com

Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer.

After an unsuccessful stint with Motown, Mars signed with Atlantic Records in 2002. 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 helped write the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Kesha, "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan, and "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green, also known as "Forget You". In October 2010, he released his album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. The album reached number three on the Billboard 200 chart.[1] He was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are". His singles "Just the Way You Are", "Nothin' on You", "Grenade", "Locked Out of Heaven", "When I Was Your Man", "The Lazy Song", "It Will Rain", "24K Magic", and "Finesse" have all reached the top five of the US Billboard Hot 100, with the first five reaching number one.

Mars has sold 10 million albums around the world.[2]

In 2013, his song "Locked Out of Heaven" was nominated for a Grammy Award.[3] He was featured on British producer Mark Ronson's song "Uptown Funk!", which became the number-one song of the year 2015 and the 2010s decade[4] in the United States. It spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Uptown Funk" won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Mars co-wrote the song "All I Ask" from English singer-songwriter Adele's third studio album 25 (2015). In 2016, Mars released the single "24K Magic" (pronounced "twenty-four-karat magic") from his album, also called 24K Magic. It has reached the top five of the Billboard Hot 100. The second single from 24K Magic, "That's What I Like", became Mars' seventh number-one song on the Hot 100. A remix of the 24K Magic song "Finesse", featuring rapper Cardi B, was released in January 2018 and reached the top five around the world.

In 2021, Mars collaborated with recording artist Anderson .Paak on the song "Leave the Door Open" as the duo Silk Sonic. The song became Mars' eighth and Paak's first number-one on the Billboard Hot 100.[5]

Early life[change | change source]

Peter Gene Hernandez was born on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. He is the son of Peter Hernandez and Bernadette "Bernie" San Pedro Bayot (died June 1, 2013).[6][7] His father is of half Puerto Rican and half Jewish (from Hungary and Ukraine) ancestry and is originally from Brooklyn, New York.[8][9] Mars' mother immigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child and was a Filipino.[8][10][11]

At the age of six, in 1991, Mars appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show as an Elvis Presley impersonator.[12] After performing many times in his hometown throughout his childhood, he decided to pursue a musical career and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school.

Artist influences[change | change source]

As a child, he was influenced by artists such as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often try to sing like these artists. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to Mars as "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop."[13]

Discography[change | change source]

Studio albums[change | change source]

  • Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
  • Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)
  • 24K Magic (2016)

with Silk Sonic[change | change source]

Awards[change | change source]

Grammy Awards[change | change source]

Mars has won 15 Grammys (10 solo, four as part of Silk Sonic, and one as part of The Smeezingtons) from 35 nominations.

References[change | change source]

  1. Caulfield, Keith (October 13, 2010). "Toby Keith's 'Gun' Fires at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  2. RIAA (28 August 2013). "Congratulations @BrunoMars & @AtlanticRecords! Love your new award".
  3. Agencies (7 December 2013). "Grammy nominations 2014: David Bowie among Robin Thicke and Jay-Z" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  4. "Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  5. Curto, Justin (2021-04-12). "Silk Sonic Charm Their Way to No. 1 With 'Leave the Door Open'". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  6. "Robert A. Bayot of Portland, Oregon. USA.:Information about Peter Hernandez". Familytreemaker.genealogy.com. August 15, 1996. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  7. "Baguio's 40 Artists Under 40 | Basta Pinas". TravelBook.ph. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Smolenyak, Megan (November 12, 2012). "What Race Is Bruno Mars?". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  9. Farber, Jim (October 3, 2010). "Bruno Mars follows his summer of hits with a big debut album 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans'". Daily News. New York City. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  10. "ACE Title Search: Hernandez Peter Gene". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  11. Jeffries, David. "Bruno Mars Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  12. Classic Hip Hop Storage Box (2018-02-16), Bruno Mars (Six (6) year old Elvis Impersonator) vs. Dancing Grannies in 1991 (RARE), retrieved 2018-03-21
  13. Caramanica, Jon (October 5, 2010). "Bruno Mars in Ascension". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  14. "Grammy Awards 2011: Winners and nominees for 53rd Grammy Awards". Los Angeles Times. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  15. "Grammy Awards 2012: Winners and nominees list". Los Angeles Times. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  16. Robertson, James (2013-02-11). "Grammy Winners 2013: The full list of winners at 55th annual Grammy Awards". mirror. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  17. CNN Staff. "Grammys 2014: Winners list - CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2018-01-30. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  18. Los Angeles Times Staff (7 December 2015). "2016 Grammy Awards: Complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  19. "60th Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  20. "Smeezingtons". GRAMMY.com. 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  21. France, Lisa Respers. "Grammy winners 2022: The full list". CNN. Retrieved 22 April 2022.

Other websites[change | change source]