Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars, whose adopted stage name suits a born performer to perfection, excels not merely as a magnetic live presence but equally as a tunesmith, beatmaker, multi-instrumentalist, and versatile studio partner whose Grammy nods and trophies have honored every facet of his craft. Infusing contemporary pop with elements drawn from classic rock & roll, R&B, new wave, and reggae, he surfaced in 2010 when his contributions placed him at or near the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 via B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You,” his own “Just the Way You Are,” and CeeLo Green’s “Fuck You”—each track bearing his writing and production imprint. These successes, together with the multi-platinum arrival of his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, earned him thirteen Grammy nominations and the Male Pop Vocal Performance victory. Momentum only accelerated from there. The 2012 follow-up Unorthodox Jukebox, the chart-topping Mark Ronson partnership “Uptown Funk,” his production work on Adele’s 25, and the 2016 release of his third album 24K Magic together yielded ten Grammy wins, three of them in the major categories. After refreshing shades of funk, mid-’80s pop, and new jack swing across 24K Magic, Mars joined forces with touring companion Anderson .Paak to cut a knowing set of retro-soul billed as Silk Sonic. Their 2021 LP An Evening with Silk Sonic marked Mars’ fourth platinum album, while the number-one pop single “Leave the Door Open” alone captured four Grammys. The pair’s 2022 rendition of Con Funk Shun’s “Love’s Train,” delivered by Mars with his signature raspy intensity, has since become a fixture on R&B radio. In 2024 he joined Lady Gaga and Rosé on separate singles.

Born Peter Hernandez in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1985, Mars launched his professional path at age four by fronting his uncle’s ensemble and thereby becoming Oahu’s youngest Elvis impersonator. A decade afterward he portrayed the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, within the Legends in Concert revue. Upon receiving his high-school diploma in 2003 he followed his uncle’s counsel and relocated to California in search of a music career. There he crossed paths with songwriter Philip Lawrence, who encouraged Mars to test his skills composing material for other performers. The two adopted the name the Smeezingtons and supplied Brandy with “Long Distance.” Their initial number-one hit arrived in 2009 when they co-authored Flo Rida’s international smash “Right Round.”

By 2010 Mars appeared ubiquitous, lending his voice to B.o.B’s chart-topping “Nothin’ on You,” co-writing “Billionaire,” and teaming with CeeLo Green on the Grammy-nominated “Fuck You.” He also began issuing his own recordings, commencing with the May 2010 drop of his debut EP It’s Better If You Don’t Understand. Doo-Wops & Hooligans surfaced later that year and swiftly generated the number-one single “Just the Way You Are.” He returned to the top with “Grenade” and stayed inside the Top Ten via “The Lazy Song” and “It Will Rain.” In 2012 Mars both hosted and served as musical guest on Saturday Night Live, unveiling material slated for his next album.

That album, the stylistically wide-ranging Unorthodox Jukebox, arrived later in the year and included the chart-topping single “Locked Out of Heaven” plus production input from Mark Ronson, Diplo, and additional contributors. “Locked Out of Heaven” led the Hot 100 while the album climbed to number two stateside. Follow-up single “When I Was Your Man” also reached number one. Unorthodox Jukebox subsequently earned the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Such achievements positioned Mars for one of music’s premier engagements—the halftime performance at Super Bowl XLVIII—where he shared the stage with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2014. He later fronted Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk,” a co-written track that ranked among the year’s biggest singles. It ascended charts worldwide, becoming his sixth number one, and collected multiple Grammys including Record of the Year.

Mars resurfaced in 2016 with the funk-tinged single “24K Magic” and its similarly titled parent album. Drawing from soul, funk, and ’90s R&B, 24K Magic reached number two on the Billboard 200, spawned his seventh chart-topper “That’s What I Like,” and yielded “Finesse” featuring rapper Cardi B plus “Versace on the Floor,” later remixed by David Guetta. The project received the Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. February 2019 brought another Cardi B collaboration, “Please Me,” which settled at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. That July he united with Ed Sheeran and Chris Stapleton for “Blow.”

Early 2021 saw Mars pair with Anderson .Paak—who had opened the European dates of the 24K Magic World Tour—under the Silk Sonic banner. Following the March release of their inaugural single “Leave the Door Open,” the duo made their television bow at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Twelve months later they swept the 2022 ceremony, securing Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song for “Leave the Door Open” from their global Top Ten debut An Evening with Silk Sonic. Also in 2022 the pair resurfaced on airwaves with a faithful take on Con Funk Shun’s 1982 deep quiet-storm classic “Love’s Train.” 2024 brought two prominent joint releases: “Die With a Smile” with Lady Gaga, which earned the pair a pair of Grammy nominations, and an October feature on Rosé’s hit single “Apt.”