Bruno Mars
Mars is a multitalented singer, songwriter, producer and musician who feels most at home when he's performing. Born to a musical family in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was practically raised on the stage. His father, a Latin percussionist from Brooklyn, organized a Vegas-style revue that featured the entire family, including his mother, a talented vocalist. When a four-year-old Mars observed his family performing Motown hits, doo-wop medleys and impersonations for enthusiastic crowds all over his native Waikiki Beach, "I was jealous!" says Mars with a laugh. "My dad put me on stage and I remember singing an Elvis song and that was it. Ever since that moment, I've been addicted."
Rich in diverse music from all over the globe, Honolulu was an exciting hometown for the budding singer/songwriter. On one end of the spectrum, his home was filled with the 1950s classics that were his father's passion. Meanwhile, the city is rich in traditional sounds, including reggae, rock and folk music, as well as the latest pop hits. "Hawaii is basically in the middle of the world, so you're exposed to every type of music over there," explains Mars.
As soon as he graduated high school, Mars left Hawaii for Los Angeles with dreams of launching his career as a performer. Those dreams got put on hold, however, when The Smeezingtons, the songwriting/production team he founded with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, suddenly took off. The pair has crafted major hits for a diverse roster of talent, including Flo Rida's "Right Round", Travie McCoy's "Billionaire", Brandy's "Long Distance" and K'Naan's "Waving Flags", which is the theme song for the upcoming World Cup.
Mars describes his time behind the scenes as important to his development as an artist. "I realized that you have to go into this industry as an artist with a clear vision and understanding of who you are. Being so young when I was first signed, I never really had a sense of who I wanted to be. Now things are really working out because everything that I'm singing, writing and composing is really me."
On the heels of "Nothin' on You" and "Billionaire" and as a preview of what's to come from Bruno Mars, Elektra Records is releasing a 4-song EP aptly titled "It's Better If You Don't Understand". The title is taken from a lyric to "The Other Side"; one of the songs included that features Cee-Lo Green and re-teams Mars with B.o.B. The song depicts the musician's current routine. "It's basically a story of the lifestyle you end up living as an artist and how I would describe it to a girl I just met to try and explain, but in the end… It's better if you don't understand."
When asked to describe the music he's about to release Mars says "it's hard to put myself in a box. I just write songs that I strongly believe in and that are coming from inside. There's no tricks. It's honesty with big melodies. And I'm going to be singing the s— out of them." The collection of songs on the EP are written from various real-life experiences, where Mars blends his buoyant voice with purposefully simple production. All of the songs are produced and written with his Smeezingtons partner Philip Lawrence.
Although he's incredibly proud of the recordings, Mars feels the best way to experience the sound is to see him perform live with his band. "That is what I'm most excited for – taking these songs and traveling them around the world." The only place he would rather be than in the recording studio, is with his band on stage – where he grew up. "I think people are really going to gravitate towards the live show. We turn it into a party."
Bruno Mars All Music Guide Biography
After working a string of behind-the-scenes jobs -- including writing songs forBrandy, singing backup for the Sugababes, and impersonating Elvis -- songwriter/producer Bruno Mars put his name on top of the charts in 2009 by co-writing Flo Rida's hit song "Right Round." One year later, he collaborated with rapper B.o.B on “Nothin’ on You,” and co-wrote Travis McCoy's "Billionaire,"both of which became Top Ten hits. Mars used that momentum to launch a solo career, quickly becoming the first male vocalist in two decades to crack the Top Ten with his first four singles. Born Peter Hernandez in Honolulu, Hawaii, Marskicked off his career at the age of four by fronting his uncle’s band, becoming Oahu's youngest Elvis impersonator in the process. Ten years later, he was impersonating the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as part of the Legends in Concert show. After graduating high school in 2003, he took his uncle's advice and moved to California to pursue a music career. After months of frustration, he met songwriter Phillip Lawrence, who convinced Mars to try his hand at writing songs for other artists. The two dubbed themselves the Smeezingtons and co-wrote “Long Distance,” which was recorded in 2008 by R&B singer Brandy. More offers arrived after that, and Mars and Lawrence scored their first number one hit in 2009, when they co-authored Flo Rida's international smash "Right Round." By 2010, Mars seemed to be everywhere: singing alongside B.o.B on the chart-topping "Nothin' on You," co-writing Travie McCoy's "Billionaire," and collaborating with Cee-Lo Green on the Grammy-nominated hit "F*ck You!" He also began issuing his own material, starting with the May 2010 release of his first EP, It's Better If You Don't Understand. Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Mars' full-length debut, appeared later that year and quickly produced a number one single, "Just the Way You Are." In 2012, Mars both hosted and performed as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, debuting tracks from his upcoming album. That album, the genre-jumping effort Unorthodox Jukebox, was released that same year, and featured the lead-off single "Locked Out of Heaven," along with production from Mark Ronson, Diplo, and others. "Locked Out of Heaven" topped the pop charts, and the album reached number two in the U.S. (The second single, "When I Was Your Man," also hit number one.) All that success madeMars a natural for one of the world's most prestigious gigs, the halftime show for Super Bowl XLVIII in February 2014, where he performed with Red Hot Chili Peppers as a musical guest and drew record ratings. Also in 2014, Unorthodox Jukebox won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. ~ David Jeffries & Andrew Leahey, Rovi
