Profile of Bruno Mars
Name at birth: Peter Gene Hernandez
Pop singer/songwriter/producer Bruno Mars stormed the music scene with his 2010 debut album, Doo Wops and Hooligans. It included the hits “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade,” and earned 6 Grammy nominations.
Mars, born into a family of musicians, has been performing since early childhood and has a reputation as one of top live performers in pop music.
Early on he was an Elvis Presley impersonator, and right out of high school he left his home in Hawaii for the music business in Los Angeles.
Between 2003 and 2009, he played in bands and tried to get a record deal while honing his songwriting and recording skills. Atlantic Records signed him in 2009 and his first album was released in 2010. His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox shot to number one on the strength of single such as “Locked Out of Heaven” and “When I Was Your Man.”
Mars has since become one of the world’s best-selling recording artists, up there with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand.
His 2016 album, 24K Magic, won 6 Grammy awards in 2018, including Record of the Year.
Bruno Mars is of Filipino-Puerto Rican descent. He has said he changed his name from Peter Gene Hernandez to avoid being stereotyped as a “Latin singer.”
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