Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter. 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 disco dancers. In 2021, he collaborated with Anderson .Paak, as the American musical superduo Silk Sonic.
Bruno Mars
- Singer
- songwriter
- musician
- record producer
- dancer
- director
2004–present
Jessica Caban (2011–present)
- Vocals
- guitar
- piano
- keyboards
- drums
- bass
- ukulele
- congas
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mars moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a musical career. Following a brief contract with Motown Records, he first established his name in the music industry as a songwriter as a co-founder of the production team The Smeezingtons, responsible for various successful singles for Mars himself and other artists. He rose to fame as a solo artist 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. In the same 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 1970s 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.
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.
Life and career
1985–2003: Early life and musical beginnings
Peter Gene Hernandez was born on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Peter Hernandez and Bernadette San Pedro Bayot growing up in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu.[1][2] His father has Puerto Rican and Jewish heritage, and is originally from Brooklyn, New York. Mars has stated that his Jewish ancestors were from Hungary and Ukraine.[2][3][4] His mother emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii, and was of Filipino and some Spanish ancestry.[2][5] His parents met while performing in a show in which his mother was a Hula dancer and his father played percussion.[4] At the age of two, he was nicknamed "Bruno" by his father because of his resemblance to professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.[6][7]
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.[8][9] His mother was both a singer and a dancer, and his father performed Little Richard's music, which inspired him as a young child.[4][10] His uncle was an Elvis Presley impersonator, and also encouraged three-year-old Mars to perform songs on stage by Presley and Michael Jackson.[7] 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.[11] When he was five he urinated on himself during a performance of Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1961), which led his parents to think they could be making a mistake. However, Mars never wavered.[4] 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.[7][12]
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 which ranged from temporary-tattoo parlors to memorabilia shops, failed. As a result, 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.[4][13] Mars transferred to another school and was bullied initially, but he became popular in the last days of school.[4]
The time Mars spent impersonating Presley had a major impact on his musical evolution and performing techniques.[14] He later began playing guitar after being inspired by American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.[15] 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."[16][2] 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.[4][7] 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.[4]
After his sister who lived in Los Angeles played his demo for Mike Lynn (the head of A&R at Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label), Lynn summoned Mars to Los Angeles.[17] In 2003, shortly after graduating from high school at the age of 17, Mars moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career.[7][18] At the time, he lived on Mansfield Avenue and was surprised by the poverty and squalor of the neighborhood.[4] He adopted his stage name from the childhood nickname his father gave him, adding "Mars" at the end because: "I felt like I didn't have no pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I'm out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars."[19] Moreover, the adoption of his stage name was also an effort to "avoid being stereotyped", as the music industry tried to pigeonhole him as another Latin artist. They even tried to convince Mars to sing in Spanish.[20]
Other ventures
Endorsements and partnerships
In 2011, Mars appeared in two commercials for Bench.[226] 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.[227] 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."[228] 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, "to quit smoking for his mother", as the singer "believes in the product and the company's mission."[229] Both Chromatik and NJOY have been acquired by TakeLessons and Marlboro, respectively.[230]
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.[231] 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.[231][232] The brand was founded and is co-owned by Mars, Seth Gold, Marc Gold, and Robert Herzig.[233] 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.[234]
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, 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.[235] When they started to work, Mars adopted "an alter ego to help him think as a designer."[236] 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).[237] On October 28, 2023, The Pinky Ring was announced to be opening in early 2024. It is set to include "moody" lighting, a specialty bar, live music and DJs.[238] The Pinky Ring opened on February 12, 2024. During the first two weeks of the bar's opening, The Hooligans will perform every night.[239]
On November 7, 2023, it was announced Mars's partnership with Fender to release the "Bruno Mars Stratocaster", a limited edition Fender Stratocaster in an exclusive color "Mars Mocha Heirloom." The guitar design was inspired by Mars's "retro style and showmanship". It comes with a "'69 neck profile modeled on Mars's own '69 Strat" and includes "custom-voiced Fender Bruno Mars pickups" and "a leopard print strap, which pays homage to two of Mars's favorite guitar players, Jimi Hendrix and Prince".[240] In a statement of designing the guitar, Mars affirmed "I don't think of myself as a guitar player. Every song is like a puzzle you have to solve, and a good guitar can bring something out of you that can help take you to the finish line." Justin Norvell, EVP of Product at FMIC, said "We wanted to fashion a guitar that shows Fender's respect for the artists marking today's musical hall of fame, as well as displays Mars's supernova qualities".[241]
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.[242] On September 27, 2017, he expanded his camp scholarship to include applicants from all over the United States. The singer established the partnership in honor of his mother.[243]
In 2014, Mars donated US$100,000 to the orphans of Bantay Bata, who were among the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, raising the morale of those who lost their families and homes.[244][245] He performed at the Make It Right gala, whose campaign goal is to "help build homes for people in need."[246] 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."[247] In 2017, Mars and Live Nation donated a million dollars from the show at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, to help the victims of the Flint water crisis.[248] The singer participated in the "Somos Una Voz" relief initiative to help survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Mexico's earthquake.[249]
In November 2018, Mars donated 24,000 meals in aid to the Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division's 48th annual Thanksgiving Dinner.[250] In 2020, he donated $1 million to the MGM Resorts Foundation, to assist MGM employees with financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[120] 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.[251] 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.[252]
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.[253] 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.[254] 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. It allows 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".[255]
Impact
Bruno Mars has been cited as a "pop icon" by media outlets such as The Philippine Star,[256] Courier & Press,[257] The Dickinson Press,[258] and iHeartRadio.[259] 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.[260][261] Amanda Petrusich of The New Yorker described him as "arguably one of the most instinctive and enthralling showmen of his generation".[262] Fuse TV website has credited Mars for bringing the "funkalicious vibes" of retro pop and R&B back to modern music,[263] while The Independent writer Roisin O'connor has cited him as the "king of retro crooning".[264] In 2013, NPR Music writer Ann Powers defined Mars as "the most valuable pop historian" at the time.[147] In 2016, Damien Scott writing for BET called Mars "the prince of pop music".[265] In 2019, Margaret Farrell from Stereogum affirmed that "Uptown Funk"'s success solidified Mars's "kingly pop stature".[266]
Billboard has expressed that no male artist in contemporary pop music during the 2010s has enjoyed a longer success streak than Mars.[267] Similarly, Slate considered him "the most consistent male pop star of the 2010s".[268] In 2021, WBLS stated that Mars "has been a dominant force in popular culture for more than a decade".[269] In 2023, The Times ranked Mars as the thirteenth best vocalist of the 21st century among 20.[270] The New York Times and Toronto Star have described "Uptown Funk" as one of the most recognizable pop songs of the century.[271][272] 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.[273] Singers such as AJ Mitchell,[274] Thomas Rhett,[275] Dua Lipa,[276] Benny Dayal,[277] Rauw Alejandro,[278] KiDi,[279] Lee Brice,[280] Shawn Mendes,[281] Selena Gomez,[282] and Meghan Trainor[283] have cited his music and showmanship as an inspiration.
In 2013, Mars was named Artist of the Year by Billboard and in 2016 he became the recipient of NRJ Artist of Honor "in special recognition for his contribution to music".[193][284] The singer earned an Innovator Award at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards and a Visionary Award at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards.[285][286] 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.[287][288] In 2021, Billboard named Mars the third Top Artist of the 2010s and 14 on the list of Top Touring Artists of the 2010s.[289][290]
Personal life
Family and relationships
Eric Hernandez, Mars's brother, has continuously served as the drummer for his backup band, The Hooligans. Their sisters, Tiara, Tahiti, and Presley, as well as their cousin Jamie, make up the all-girl music group The Lylas. When she was young, Jamie moved in with the siblings due to parental issues.[327] Mars began dating model Jessica Caban in 2011.[328] The two remain a couple as of 2019, residing together in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills with a Rottweiler named Geronimo.[144]
On May 31, 2013, Mars was returning to Los Angeles from an overseas gig when he learned in the airport that his mother was gravely ill. He immediately got on a plane to Hawaii. The following day, his mother died at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, aged 55, from complications of a brain aneurysm.[144][5][329] On June 7, 2013, the singer wrote about the loss of his mother on Twitter: "So thankful for all the love during the most difficult time in my life. I'll be back on my feet again soon. That's what mom wants, she told me."[330]
Race
In 2013, Mars told Rolling Stone that record executives "had trouble categorizing him", and were consequently unsure which radio stations would play his songs, or to which ethnic group (black or white) he would appeal.[4] In the same month, he confessed that "Nothin' on You" was rejected by a "music industry decision-maker" because of his race. That experience made him feel like a "mutant", and he says that was his lowest point. "Even with that song in my back pocket to seal the deal, things like that are coming out of people's mouths. It made me feel like I wasn't even in the room."[331]
In 2018, Mars was accused during The Grapevine, a series that explores African-American issues, of cultural appropriation on social media for using his racial ambiguity to profit from black music, and was criticized for mimicking the sound of past artists. Various black celebrities, including Stevie Wonder, Charlie Wilson, 9th Wonder, Marjua Estevez, and Stereo Williams dismissed the accusations.[332][333][334] Mars has spoken often about his influences and has given credit to several black artists including Babyface, Teddy Riley, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.[332][335] In 2021, during an interview on The Breakfast Club, Mars responded to the criticism, "The only reason why I'm here is because of James Brown, is because of Prince, Michael [Jackson] ... that's it. This music comes from love and if you can't hear that, then I don't know what to tell you."[336]
Legal issues
On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Casino for possession of cocaine. While talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly declared that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before."[20] Mars pleaded guilty to felony drug possession and in return was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year. He paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service, and completed a drug counseling course.[20][337] Nevertheless, in a cover story for GQ magazine in 2013, Mars said: "I was young, man! I was in fucking Vegas ... I wasn't thinking". He added: "I was given a number one record and I'm out doing dumb shit." Mars confessed that he lied to the authorities about never having done cocaine before, saying "I don't know where that came from", adding: "I was really intoxicated. I was really drunk. So a lot of that is a big blur, and I try every day to forget."[20]
On January 28, 2014, Demetrius Orlandus Proctor filed a lawsuit, claiming he holds the copyright for the McCoy and Mars track "Billionaire". Proctor claimed he owned the copyright to the music and lyrics of the track since March 31, 2011, though the song was released a year before. As evidence, Proctor has submitted a United States Copyright Office registration certificate for "Frisky Vol. 1 to 30 (Tapes)", issued in 2000. Proctor accused McCoy and Mars of "willful and intentional" infringement of copyright, seeking the destruction of all copies of the recording. Proctor claims he has exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the song.[338]
"Uptown Funk" by Ronson and Mars has received various accusations and lawsuits over copyright infringement. In 2015, similarities with "Oops Up Side Your Head" (1979) by The Gap Band led them, along with keyboardist Rudolph Taylor, and producer Lonnie Simmons to be added as co-writers of "Uptown Funk" and receive publishing royalties.[339] In the same year, Serbian artist Viktorija argued that "Uptown Funk" infringed on one of her tracks. She decided not to sue Mars and Ronson.[340] In 2016, electro-funk band Collage sued Ronson and Mars for copying their single, "Young Girls" (1983), while The Sequence, a rap group, claimed it infringed their single "Funk You Up" (1979) and sued a year later.[341][342] In 2017, Lastrada Entertainment filed a lawsuit due to similarities with "More Bounce to the Ounce" (1980) by Zapp. The company seeks damage, a jury trial and prevent Ronson from profiting with "Uptown Funk".[343] In 2018, the Collage and Zapp lawsuits were dropped; it was not revealed if there had been any financial settlement.[344][345]
"Treasure" was re-registered with new writing credits, which included Thibaut Berland and Christopher Khan, due to the similarities with Breakbot's "Baby I'm Yours".[346]
Wealth
Billboard estimated Mars's earnings at $18,839,681, making him the twelfth-highest-paid musician of 2013.[347] 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.[348] 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.[349] 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.[97] 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.[350]
In March 2024, it was alleged that Mars is $50 million in debt due to gambling losses, which would explain why Mars has had a 9-year Vegas residency at Park MGM.[351][352] However, on March 18, 2024, MGM Resorts denied the allegations, with senior vice president of public relations Jenn Michaels asserting that Mars "has no debt with MGM... speculation otherwise is completely false."[353][354]
Studio albums
Collaborative albums
