The details of his life that you do not know
Bruno Mars is one of the most important international artists in today’s music scene, but what do you really know about him?
Last June Bruno Mars visited our country with two concerts in Madrid and Barcelona. The only two concerts held in Spain this year brought thousands of fans to the two capitals to enjoy his live performance. Surely you know many of his songs, but do you really know who Bruno Mars is? We encourage you to keep reading to learn some of the lesser-known facts about his career.
Bruno Mars was a gifted child
His meteoric career began many years ago, specifically when he was only 4 years old. He was a gifted child who composed his first song at the age of 4. It was titled I love you mom and was dedicated to his mother.
He was raised in Hawaii in the heart of a large family; he has 1 brother and 4 sisters. All of them are part of musical groups, and when Bruno was 5 years old he already began to take his first steps in the family band called The Love Notes.
His real name is Peter Gene Hernández Jr. His father nicknamed him Bruno when he was 2 years old because he physically reminded him of the professional wrestler Bruno Sanmartino. His stage name was completed a few years later when his friends and schoolmates constantly reminded him that he was on Mars. He has Filipino ancestry on his mother’s side and Puerto Rican on his father’s side.
Music has been very present in his life since he was a child, and he plays several instruments. You may have seen him play the piano, but he also plays the guitar (electric and acoustic), the harmonica, the drums, and the ukulele.
At only 6 years old, he participated for the first time in a film, sharing the screen with Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker in the movie Honey Moon in Las Vegas. In it, he performed songs by Elvis Presley; in the film, you can see him sing the song Can’t help falling in love. His performances as Elvis did not end there, as that same year he took part in the recording of the British documentary Viva Elvis.
Years later, in his teenage years, he fell in love with his teacher and to show her his love he gave her a ring that belonged to his mother. The 32-year-old teacher contacted the family to return it to its rightful owner.
The death of his mother
Bruno Mars was always very close to his mother, and her death from a brain aneurysm in July 2013 left a mark on the whole family. To remember their mother, all the siblings got a tattoo. Bruno’s is a red heart with a yellow band on which you can read Bernadette; he wears it on his right arm. This same design adorned his drum set during his participation in the Super Bowl, with which he wanted to pay tribute to her before millions of people.
This edition of the Super Bowl was the most watched of all time, surpassing the 114 million viewers achieved by Madonna two years earlier. Bruno Mars managed to gather 115.3 million people in front of the television.
Before dedicating himself to singing as a soloist, Bruno Mars was a songwriter for other artists and has written songs for Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Sean Kingston, Adele, Alicia Keys, Flo Rida, The Vamps, and Adam Lambert among others.
The dark side of this spectacular musical career came in 2010 when Bruno Mars was arrested by the Las Vegas police for possession of cocaine. Finally, after paying a bail of 2,000 dollars, he was released.
Now you know a little more about your favorite artist. If you couldn’t attend the concerts in our country, surely this summer you will refresh yourself during your holidays with some of his greatest hits.
