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

In 2013, his song "Locked Out of Heaven" was nominated for a Grammy Award.  He was featured on British producer Mark Ronson's song "Uptown Funk", which became the number-one song of 2015 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.

Early life
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). His father is of half Puerto Rican and half Jewish (from Hungary and Ukraine) ancestry and is originally from Brooklyn, New York. Mars' mother immigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child and was a Filipino.

At the age of six, in 1991, Mars appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show as an Elvis Presley impersonator. 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
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."

Discography

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

with Slik Sonic 

 An Evening with Slik Sonic (2021)

Awards

Grammy Awards 
Mars has won 11 Grammys (10 solo and one as part of The Smeezingtons) from 24 nominations.

References

Other websites

Official website

American R&B singers
American pop singers
American hip hop singers
American singer-songwriters
Grammy Award winners
Singers from Hawaii
Writers from Hawaii
1985 births
Living people
People from Honolulu
Atlantic Records artists