I heart Him!!
Peter Gene Hernandez(born October 8, 1985),better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. He is known for lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy, as well as his own international number-one single "Just the Way You Are". He also co-wrote the international hits "Right Round" by Flo RidaKesha, "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan, and "Fuck You!" by Cee Lo Green. In October 2010, he released his debut, featuring
album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans.
Life and career
1985–2008: Early life and beginnings
Peter Hernandez was born and raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaiiby parents Pete and Bernadette "Bernie" Hernandez, of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent. At the age of two he was nicknamed 'Bruno' by his father, because he was a chubby baby and because there was a famous chubby wrestler at the time called Bruno Sammartino.Hernandez was one of six children and came from a musical family giving him a diverse mix of reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B. From a young age, he was impersonating and performing songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations.In 1990, Hernandez was featured in MidWeek as "Little Elvis", going on to have a cameo in the film Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992. "I watch the best. I'm a big fan of Elvis. I'm a big fan of 1950s Elvis when he would go on stage and scare people because he was a force and girls would go nuts! You can say the same thing for Prince or The Police. It's just guys who know that people are here to see a show, so I watch those guys and I love studying them because I'm a fan," he stated. In 2010 he said, "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. My uncle's an incredible guitar player, my dad's an incredible percussionist, my brother's a great drummer, he actually plays in our band. I've just been surrounded by it."He attended President Theodore Roosevelt High School, graduating in 2003 at the age of seventeen, and shortly after moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career.
2009–present: Commercial success and Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Before becoming a successful solo artist, Hernandez was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, and Sean Kingston, as well as Flo Rida in the international hit "Right Round". He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7. His first musical appearance as a singer was in Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, featured on the track "3D".He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009.He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on and co-writing B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire"; both songs peaked within the top ten of many charts worldwide. He said of them, "I think those songs weren't meant to be full-sung songs. If I'd sung all of "Nothin' on You", it might've sounded like some '90s R&B." Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010. The EP peaked at the ninety-ninth position on the Billboard 200 and produced one single: "The Other Side", featuring rappers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B Mars collaborated with Cee Lo Green once more in August 2010 by co-writing his single "Fuck You!". He performed a medley of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" with B.o.B and Hayley Williams at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.
Mars' debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was released digitally on October 4, and saw its physical release on October 5, 2010The lead single, "Just the Way You Are", was released on July 19, 2010,and has reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The music video was released on September 8, 2010. Two songs from the album, "Liquor Store Blues" featuring Damian Marley and "Grenade" were released to the iTunes Store as promotional singles. He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010. Mars will co-headline with Travie McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010.[
On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas for possession of cocaine. When talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly stated that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before".
On October 9, 2010, he appeared on NBC"s Saturday Night Live and performed his songs "Just the Way You Are", "Nothin' on You" and "Grenade".
Musical style
Although Mars has been referenced as "soft" because of his light falsetto voice, his co-producer says, "What people don't know is there's a darker underbelly to Bruno Mars." Mars himself says, "I blame that on me singing to girls back in high school."Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called him "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop, with a light, soul-influenced voice that’s an easy fit in a range of styles, a universal donor."Mars cites Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Prince, and Tupac Shakur as his influences.
Bruno Mars Talks Long Road To Success
Bruno Mars is the man of the moment as the Hawaiian-born singer is currently featured on two of the spring's biggest hits in B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire."
Now, Mars' debut project, It's Better If You Don't Understand, released May 11, should keep his momentum going long into the summer and fall with its mix of earnest lyricism and warm melodies.
But despite the usual overnight-star talk, the humble Mars appeciates his years-in-the-making rise to success, which he credits with developing his sound.
"It's great, man — I mean, the fact that it had to take this long, you know," he told MTV News. "When we wrote 'Nothin' on You' and 'Billionaire,' these are songs that are coming from special places. And the beauty of it is, I feel like I'm a unique artist because I like to dabble in a lot of things. The fact that "Nothin' on You" is working with me singing over this hip-hop track and 'Billionaire' is working with me singing over this reggae track, I think it opens up a lane and lets people know I'm not just gonna be coming to you with one sound."
Mars initially made his mark behind the scenes as a songwriter and producer — he was pursuing a recording career and lucked into an opportunity to turn over a song of his to an already signed artist. The chance encounter was so unexpected, though, that he actually wanted to decline the offer.
"At the time it was like, 'No way, this is my art and this is my music,' " Mars explained. "They said, 'We'll give you $20,000,' and I said, 'Here you go, hold that.' And I kind of became this producer overnight. I never wrote a song before, especially for somebody else — I started writing and producing because I had to eat."
Eventually he joined forces with Phillip Lawrence and later Ari Levine, and now the production trio are known as the Smeezingtons. Prior to scoring back-to-back hits for B.o.B and Travie McCoy, the collective laid down numbers for Flo Rida and Brandy, among others.
With Mars' profile increasing, the Smeezingtons will flex their muscles throughout It's Better If You Don't Understand, a four-song EP that features collaborations with Cee Lo and B.o.B.
"The journey wasn't short at all — it was trial and error and trial and error," Mars said. "It was just back and forth, man. But once 'Nothin' on You' blew up, I had these songs in my back pocket and the label thought it'd be a good time to give people a little taste of what they're gonna get with the album. The EP came together real nice; you're gonna get a nice effect of what's in store."
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