Bruno Mars, real name Peter Gene Hernandez, became recognised for his musical talent after signing to Atlantic Records in 2009. Over the years, his music has become notorious for embracing a wide variety of genres and influences such as Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Little Richard.
The same year as he signed to his new record label, Mars contributed vocals to and co-wrote for songs Nothin’ On You with B.o.B and Billionaire with Travie McCoy, which saw the talented singer, songwriter and producer step into the limelight. With collaborations on chart-topping hits under his belt, 2010 became the year in which Mars was to release his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. On the back of worldwide number one singles Just The Way You Are and Grenade, the album peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200.
The success of his debut album in 2010 saw the young performer nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Just The Way You Are. In addition to this, Mars won the prize for Best International Male Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards in 2012.
Following Mars’ success at the 2012 BRIT Awards he released his second studio album, titled Unorthodox Jukebox. The first single to be released from the album was Locked out of Heaven, which basked in a new wave reggae vibe that was directly influenced by the band The Police. The single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and charted in the top ten worldwide. The second single from Unorthodox Jukebox was titled When I Was Your Man and astounded music critics by its vulnerable and emotional ballad undertones.
Mars took centre stage during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLVIII, where he was joined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The show is noted as the second most watched Super Bowl ever, drawing in 115.3 million viewers. Mars sung vocals on Mark Ronson's 2014 commercial hit Uptown Funk.
After ending his second headlining tour in 2014, Mars started work on his third studio album.
