Bruno Mars

Peter Gene Hernandez, known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, retro showmanship, and musical versatility, he performs alongside his band, the Hooligans. Mars has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His accomplishments include ten number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, 16 Grammy Awards, and a inclusion on Time's 2011 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Mars was born on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Peter Hernandez and Bernadette San Pedro Bayot, and was raised in Waikīkī. Raised in a musical family, he was exposed to rock and roll, reggae, hip-hop, and rhythm and blues. Nicknamed "Bruno" at age two, he began performing five days a week with his family's band, the Love Notes, at age four, becoming known in Hawaii for his impersonation of Elvis Presley. After his parents divorced when he was 12, his family faced financial hardship, living in vehicles, on rooftops, and in a closed bird zoo. He attended President Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he sang in a group called the School Boys, before moving to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a music career.

Upon moving to Los Angeles, Hernandez adopted his stage name to avoid being stereotyped as a Latin artist. After an initial 2004 contract with Motown Records ended, he landed a music-publishing deal with Westside Independent in 2005. Mentored by producer Steve Lindsey, Mars honed his songwriting skills and co-founded the production team the Smeezingtons. He wrote and produced songs for numerous artists, scoring a major hit co-writing Flo Rida's 2009 single "Right Round." Mars established himself as a solo artist after featuring on B.o.B's 2009 number-one single "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's 2010 single "Billionaire."

Mars released his debut extended play, It's Better If You Don't Understand, in May 2010, followed by his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, in October 2010. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and produced international hit singles such as "Just the Way You Are," "Grenade," and "The Lazy Song." He promoted the record through several concert tours, including the Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour and the co-headlining Hooligans in Wondaland Tour. The album earned Mars his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are."

Mars released his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox, in 2012, featuring hit singles including "Locked Out of Heaven" and "When I Was Your Man." In 2014, he featured on Mark Ronson's hit single "Uptown Funk." His third studio album, 24K Magic (2016), won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and spawned successful singles such as "24K Magic" and "That's What I Like." In 2021, Mars formed the superduo Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak, releasing the album An Evening with Silk Sonic, which featured the number-one single "Leave the Door Open."

Following two number-one duets in 2024—"Die with a Smile" with Lady Gaga and "APT." with Rosé—Mars released the album The Romantic (2026), led by the single "I Just Might." Over his career, Mars became the first artist to score six diamond-certified songs in the US and the only artist to surpass 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His 24K Magic World Tour ranks among the highest-grossing tours in history, and his accolades include 17 American Music Awards, 9 Billboard Music Awards, 5 Brit Awards, 7 MTV Video Music Awards, and 14 Soul Train Awards.