Bruno Mars

The new King of Pop
He's the talented showman who's had five Number Ones. Meet the new king!

for BIG SUCCESS
In just three years, Bruno Mars has become one of the biggest names in pop music. He has sold more than eight million albums around the world, and is now Hawaii's most popular export...

for ROCK, RAP, R&B, REGGAE
Bruno has many musical styles. There's work, rap, R&B and reggae. Hawaiians love reggae music, and many of Bruno's songs have reggae sound. Another influence on his music is "Doo-Wop", a type of rhythm and blues from the 1950s. It inspired the title of his first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans.

for UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX
That's the name of Bruno's second album. He wrote the songs, but he didn't have a clear plan for the album. "It turned into this soulful, experimental, electronic, hard-to-explain thing," he says.

for NICKNAME
Bruno's real name is Peter Gene Hernandez. "Bruno" is his nickname that his father gave him when he was two years old. Bruno chose the "Mars" part later. He thought it sounded exciting and energetic, and was sure that a cool name would help his music career.

for ORIGINS
Bruno has Puerto Rican, Jewish, Filipino and spanish origins. He says growing up in Hawaii made h im the man he is. "Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments," he says. By age four, he played in the family band. Soon he became known for this Elvis Presley impersonations.