Bruno Mars Biography:

The multitalented singer, songwriter, producer, and musician was

born to a musical family, of six children, in Honolulu, Hawaii, on
October 8, 1985. He was originally born Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez
Jr., he says he changed his name to literally sound like he was from
another planet so record labels would stop trying to make him the next
Enrique Iglesias. He thought the best way to avoid being stereotyped
by race is to sound as though you come from a different planet
altogether. He got the nickname Bruno as a toddler, supposedly
because as an infant he looked like a famous wrestler, Bruno
Sammartino.
His parents are of Puerto Rican and Filipino decent. His father, A
Latin percussionist from Brooklyn, organized a Vegas-style revue that
featured the entire family, his mother Bernadette (Bernie), his
sisters Jamie, Tiara, Tahiti, and Presley, and his brother Eric. He was
four years old at the time, and he observed his family performing
Motown hits, doo-wop medleys and impersonations for the crowds.
Soon after, Bruno Mars became the worlds youngest Elvis Presley
impersonator performing in front of the same crowds on a nightly
basis. He was named Little Elvis in MidWeek magazine and tapped to
paly the younger version of the late singer in 1992 movie Honeymoon
in Vegas. As he continued to perform with his family throughout his
childhood, he added Michael Jackson to his impersonation repertoire.
Growing up around entertainers, Bruno Mars began picking up
musical instruments from early childhood. Ive always had a drum set,
a piano, a guitar and never got trained to play. It was just always
there, he later said. He learned by being surrounded by it his whole
life.
He was diverse in music from all over the globe. On one end, his
home was filled with the 1950s classics that were his fathers passion.
Meanwhile, the city is rick in traditional sounds, including reggae, rock,
and fold music, as well as the latest pop hits. Bruno Mars explained
that Hawaii is basically in the middle of the world, so youre exposed
to every type of music over there.
As soon as he graduated from Roosevelt High School, in 2002,
Mars left Hawaii for Los Angeles, California with the hope of launching
his career as a performer. His hopes got put on hold, when The
Smeezingtons (the songwriting/production team he founded with Philip
Lawrence and Ari Levine) suddenly took off. They began making major
hits for different talented people, like Flo Ridas Right Round, Travie
McCoys Billioaire, Brandys Long Distance and KNaans Waving
Flags, which was the theme song to the 2010 World Cup.
Mars first achieved worldwide visibility and success as a featured
writer/producer/singer on two summer hits in 2010, Travie McCoys
Billionairs, and B.o.B.s Nothin On You.

Doo-Wops & Holligans was release on October 5, 2010 and

named the years finest pop debut: 10 near-perfect songs, by Rolling
Stone. The album included the 12X platinum blockbuster single Just
the Way You Are, which hit number 1 in multiple countries, and won
the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Doo-Wops
& Holligans had two more additional hit singles, the 10X platinum
Grenade and 6X platinum The Lazy Song. Additionally, Doo-Wops &
Hooligans reach Number 3 on the Billboard album charts, and its
singles cracked the Top 10 on the singles chart. He had another hit
with It Will Rain, a song that he contributed to The Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack in late 2011.
Bruno Mars has received an abundance of rewards for his music,
and is continuing to receive more. This including ASCAP Song of the
Year, A Billboard Award for Top Radio Song for Just the Way You Are, a
BRIT Award for International Male Solo Artist, and American Music
Award for Favorite Male Artist in Pop/Rock, two MTV European Music
Awards including Best New Artist, and the Peoples Choice Award for
Favorite Male Artist.
In October 2012, Bruno Mars premiered the first single, Locked
Out of Heaven, from his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox. He
released his second studio album in December 2012. Although he
premiered the first single, Locked Out of Heaven in October 2012, the
albums lead single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive
weeks and landed in the Top 10 in 20 countries. The albums second
release, When I Was Your Man, reached number 1 on the Billboard
Hot 100.
He continued to thrive in his career. In September 2013, he was
selected to be part of the half-time entertainment at the next Super
Bowl, which later put him in the same league as past performers, like
Madonna and Justin Timberlake.
Bruno Mars is a 13-time Grammy Award nominee whose debut
album had been certified 39X platinum worldwide, had sold over 45
million singles worldwide, and has over 1 billion views on YouTube. He
says, everythings good right now, its really paying off because now
my songs are on the radio. It took me a while to finally get it, but when
I got it, I think I got it right. And Im very proud of how my songs are
representing me as an artist.