20+ Unknown Facts about Bruno Mars

There is a Mars on Earth which is not a planet, but rather a star. Yes, it is Bruno Mars, the legend of the music industry. Let’s find out some unknown facts regarding him.

Some people are born to do music and create a legacy that can stay for centuries. One of the most versatile singers and performers in the music industry, Bruno Mars is the perfect example of such born talented person. This living legend and talented music artist is best known for his versatility and swagger that can tantalize all kinds of music lovers. Bruno is such a dynamic artist who can adapt to all kinds of musical arrangements whether it is pop, funk, or some indie-rap fusion. Starting from his older hits like, ‘24k Magic’, and ‘Uptown Funk’, to modern-day collaborations like ‘APT’; Bruno’s musical magic never seems to fade away and he made other artists' collaborations projects famous such as ‘Die With a Smile’ with Lady Gaga.

The fans of Mars might have already explored much about his professional and personal life but there are still some unknown facts that are not known to all. Let’s find out some funky facts about this highly talented singer.

20+ Bruno Mars Facts

    • Bruno is Actually a Wrestler’s Name

Peter Gene Hernandez is the real name of Bruno Mars and the nickname Bruno is given by his father to him. His father could find a resemblance to Bruno Sammartino in his son and Sammartino was one of the biggest wrestlers in the 60s and 70s. This is the reason why he was given that nickname and artists embraced it like a champ. In 2017, Mars finally got the chance to meet Sammartino in Pittsburgh and also took a photo with his namesake backstage. Other than their names, one thing was common in both men and that is their undivided passion for their craft.

    • Tribute to Winehouse

Back in 2011, Bruno Mars appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards and made a tribute performance for the then-deceased singer Amy Winehouse. He offered a very touching performance of the track “Valerie” which was originally performed by The Zutons. However, the cover version by Amy House was more hit at that time. In an interview in 2012, Bruno Mars revealed that Amy Winehouse means a lot to him as a creative influence who inspired him to pursue his passion for music. He said, “I’ve always wanted to make music like that—that could be spread out”.

    • Vocals that Do Not Need Instrumentals

Bruno Mars is vocally trained on a whole new level and he can hit the perfect notes without the need for any instrumental. Just like the perfection in ‘Die with a Smile’, Mars is best known for his high-pitched voice that can perform any composition. In the movie ‘Pitch Perfect(2012), they utilized Mars's hit “Just the Way You Are” and Flo Rida song “Right Round” and both of them were designed by Bruno himself along with Jeff Lawrence.

    • Dynamic Ancestry

Bruno Mars belongs to a much diversified range of ancestry which makes it hard to find his musical origin. His father and mother are namely Peter Hernandez and Bernadette San Pedro Bayot. His father is of Puerto Rican origin with an Ashkenazi Jewish descent who used to live in Brooklyn, New York. On the other hand, his mother has an origin in the Philippines who later on moved to Hawaii with her parents. The blended origins offered a talented young blood like Bruno.

    • The Family Full of Musicians

Bruno Mars belongs to a family with cultural practices where all of his siblings are part of the music culture and the industry. He grew up with his 5 siblings and all of the 6 children are quite talented in their craft. His brother Eric is a versatile drummer who used to work with him in the band called The Hooligans. He has a total of four sisters namely Tiara, Tahiti, Jaime, and Presley and they are part of a pop music group called The Lylas. Talk about a talented family!

    • Breakthrough with the Help of Sister

Mars’s sister helped him gain attention in the industry by playing one of his demo tapes for an A&R executive at Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre’s record label. The executive of the label, Mike Lynn was highly impressed by his voice and he convinced Bruno to move to Los Angeles to pave his professional musical career. After graduating, Bruno left Hawaii for Los Angeles when he was only 17 years old and that marked the initiation of his adventure for the Hollywood music industry. This is how he got his first break!

    • Struggles in Early Career

Bruno Mars was not a star kid and success came to him due to his sheer passion and love for music. His initial years in Los Angeles were not very fruitful. Although he signed under the label of Motown Records, there were no significant releases that could put him at the heights of success. He also met the representatives of the Atlantic Records but they also made him wait three years to finally sign him. And now, all the labels want to be part of his songs. Ironical isn’t it?

    • Paying Bills is Not Easy

Paying bills is never an easy task and emerging Bruno Mars also felt the struggle of this financial burden. Other than music, Mars had to opt for a secondary job in order to pay his bills. According to his 2010 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mars used to participate in DJing gigs for money but soon he lost the job. The humble and humorous man said later on, “I didn’t know how to DJ. I lost that job pretty quick.”

    • Heard about The Smeezingtons?

As mentioned before, Bruno was having a real struggle at the beginning of his career which did not allow him to establish himself as a solo music artist. He teamed up with Philip Lawrence for writing and doing workshops on songs. However, they also received rejection from different music labels. The duo later collaborated with Ari Levine who offered them the tools, studio, and creative space to work on new material. The three of them together formed The Smeezingtons, an official team for songwriting and production.    

    • Making Way in the Industry

The Smeezingtons quickly gained attention from the industry with an increasing demand for writing tracks for a variety of artists. They wrote the track “Get Sexy” for British music group Sugababes which became highly famous and one of the biggest hits of the year. Do you know that they have also written the track “Wavin’ Flag” by K’Naan which quickly became a worldwide sensation? It was used in the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Coca-Cola’s official partnership campaign.

    • Becoming a Major Featured Artist

Collaboration is quite popular in the music industry and Mars stepped into the industry as a featured artist first then a solo artist. In 2010, he appeared on B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You” as a vocalist and created a sensation in the industry as well as all kinds of music lovers. The fans offered the same reaction when he featured in Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire.” A similar thing happened when he performed ‘Lighters’ with Eminem, ‘Mirrors’ with Lil Wayne, and the list goes on. All of the songs made their place at the top of the Hot 100 chart and paved the way for Bruno.

    • The First Album by The Hooligan

After a series of success with The Smeezingtons, Mars’ vocals became in high demand. Mars could finally sign an official deal with Atlantic and Elektra Records and thus, his solo career began. In May 2010, the singer-songwriter dropped his first EP project called ‘It’s Better If You Don’t Understand.’ Soon in October of the same year, the artist launched his debut music album called ‘Doo Wop and Hooligans’ and it was a massive commercial success for the artist. The album topped the charts in Canada, the USA, and the UK.

    • Creating Hits from the Debut Album

Mars is one of those music artists who have been winning since day 1. Although, his initial struggles were vivid; the artist made his breakthrough by offering some of the best hit projects through his debut album. “Grenade” and “Just the Way You Are” are the two most hit songs from Mars’ musical arsenal both of the tracks topped the Hot 100 chart. “The Lazy Song” also deserves a special mention that hit the rank four. Each of the three songs ranked at the top of the UK chart.

    • The Journey of Touring for Music

Bruno Mars is a natural performer and performing live is not a big deal for him as he has been doing since his childhood. He spent a lot of time in his childhood as a part of the family musical group The Love Notes. Mars’ first experience of touring as a solo music artist was when he opened for Maroon 5 in 2010 for the Hands All Over tour. Later on, he co-headlined a series of shows with Travie McCoy in Europe. His biggest music tour lasted more than a year.

    • Becoming a YouTube Sensation

One of the biggest factors behind Mar’s success was his music videos where audiences could witness his unwavering aura. He is a versatile performer who can sing, act, and dance as well. His charismatic skills on full display never failed to engage the audiences which made each of his music projects a big hit on YouTube. The artist has successfully gained more than a billion views on YouTube and one of his most hit music projects would be “Uptown Funk” where Bruno Mars could be seen with Mark Ronson. It is the sixth most watched video content in the history of YouTube. It goes without saying that the hook of funk in this track is truly irresistible.

    • Mars the Mumma’s Loving Boy

Bruno Mars definitely loves his mumma and his first-ever song was dedicated to his mum only. He made a career out of songs based on loving and wooing women with respect and guess what? His mumma raised him right. He wrote his first song when he was only 4 years old and the song was dedicated to his most loving woman of life, his mom. The title of the song was “I Love You Mom” which includes lyrics like, “My mommy helps me with my voice/ ’Cause a superstar singer is my first choice/ I love you, Mom, you are my favorite girl/ I love you.” Isn’t that adorable?

    • Making a Grammy Record

Winning a Grammy is not a big deal but Bruno made a rare distinction by winning all the major categories at a single Grammy Awards ceremony. He won the awards for the Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year at the 60th Grammy Awards in 2018. He made this record with the album ‘24K Magic’, the title track with the same name, and the song “That’s What I Like.” He is the only artist to make this rare achievement other than Eric Clapton, Christopher Cross, Paul Simon, The Dixie Chicks, Adele, Carole King, etc.

    • A Melodic Voice Like a Bird

Bruno has a truly magical voice like a bird he has also given his voice to the animated film Rio 2 released in 2014. He voiced over for the blue macaw character named Roberto and also performed the official soundtrack for the movie named “Welcome Back”. Other than Rio 2, there is another film that can be considered as Bruno’s film credit called ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’.

    • Double Duty at the SNL

A lot of artists come to Saturday Night Live but Bruno is someone who can do it all, whether it is being the guest or being the host. The SNL episode of October 20, 2012, showed how Mars can pull off a double duty at the SNL. He was the host as well as the musical guest for the night and he offered a spectacular performance.

    • A Veteran at Super Bowl Halftime 

The Super Bowl Halftime is best known for bringing some of the most iconic music artists in the industry and Bruno Mars is a veteran there. In 2014, he first appeared as the main performer at the Super Bowl Halftime XLVIII. He performed together with Red Hot Chili Peppers and offered a rendition of the track “Give It Away.” Soon enough, he also appeared at the Super Bowl 50, and during halftime, he performed with Beyoncé and Mark Ronson.

    • Bruno the Short King

Artists like Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar do not need to worry about their heights as no one can reach their heights of success. Mars might be short but he already knows how to be the kind of music industry.

With love, passion, and unbridled creative energy; Bruno Mars is still making music that can envelop all and there will be more amazing racks dropping in the coming days of his highly successful music career. Stay tuned to find out more!