 Peter Jean Hernandez, known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and choreographer. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age and performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. After being dropped by Motown Records, Mars signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2009. In 2009, he co-founded the production team The Smeezingtons, responsible for the singles Nothing on You by B.O.B. and Billionaire by Travi McCoy. He featured on the hooks for both singles, becoming recognized as a solo artist. His debut studio album Dewops and Hooligans, 2010, included the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles Just the Way You Are and Grenade, as well as the number four single The Lazy Song. His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox, 2012, peaked at number one in the United States. The album spawned the international singles Locked Out of Heaven, When I Was Your Man and Treasure. In 2014, Mars lent his vocals to Mark Ronson's Uptown Funk. In 2016, he released his third studio album 24K Magic with the lead single of the same title released on October 7, 2016. To date, he has sold over 100 million singles and albums worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. Mars has landed six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 since his career launched in 2010, attaining his first five faster than any male artist since Elvis Presley. Mars has received many awards and nominations, including five Grammy Awards, and was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2011. In December 2013, he ranked number one on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Mars is known for his stage performances and retro showmanship. He is accompanied by his band, The Hooligans, who play a variety of instruments such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, drums and horns, and also serve as backup singers and dancers. Mars performs in a wide range of musical styles. Life and Career 1985-2003, Early Life and Musical Beginnings Bruno Mars was born Peter Jean Hernandez on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. He is the son of Peter Hernandez and Bernadette San Pedro Bayo, 1957-2013. His father is of half Puerto Rican and half Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and is originally from Brooklyn, New York. His mother emigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii as a child, and was of Filipino, and some Spanish, ancestry.His parents met while performing in a show in which his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.At the age of 2, he was nicknamed Bruno by his father, because of his resemblance to professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino. Mars is one of six children and came from a musical family which exposed him to a diverse mix of genres including, reggae, rock, hip-hop and rand B. His mother was both a singer and a dancer, and his father performed little Richard Rock and roll music.Mars uncle was an Elvis impersonator, and also encouraged three-year-old Mars to perform on stage. Mars performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations.At age 4, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, and became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley. In 1990, Mars was featured in Midweek as Little Elvis, and later appeared in a cameo role in the film Hunnamoon in Vegas, 1992, and performed in the half-time show of the 1990 Aloha Bowl. The time Mars spent impersonating Presley had a major impact on his musical evolution and performing techniques. He later began playing guitar after being inspired by Jimi Hendrix. In 2010, he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, explaining, growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am. I used to do a lot of shows in Hawaii with my father's band. Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments, I've just been surrounded by it. When he attended President Theodore Roosevelt High School he performed in a group called The School Boys. In 2003, shortly after graduating from high school at the age of 17, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career.E adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him, adding Mars at the end because, I felt like I didn't have any pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I'm out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars. 2004-10, production work and it's better if you don't understand. Quote box align equals right width equals 30 m quote equals I'd always been a working musician in Hawaii and never had problems paying rent. And then it's like, now I'm in LA and my phone's getting shut off. That's when reality hit. I started DJing. It was something silly. I told this person I could DJ because they said they could pay me $75 cash under the table. I didn't know how to DJ. I lost that job pretty quick. Source equals Mars, speaking about his experiences of moving to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed with Motown Records in 2004, in a deal that went nowhere, and had a conversation with Will.i.m's management which turned out to be fruitless. However, Mars experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career when he met songwriter and producer Philip Lawrence, who was also signed to the label. After Mars was dropped by the label less than a year of being signed, he stayed in Los Angeles and landed a music publishing deal in 2005 with Steve Lindsey and Cameron Strang at Westside Independent. Quote box a line equals left with equals 30 m quote equals Bruno came to the conclusion that the best way to further his career was writing and producing hit songs. Source equals Cameron Strang, speaking about developing Mars career. Lindsey showed Jeff Basker and Mars the ins and outs of writing pop music, and acted as a mentor helping him to hone his craft. Basker met Mars through Mike Lynn, the Ondar at Dr. Diaries Aftermath Entertainment who first heard Mars demo tape through his sister and flew him to LA, who explained, he'd mentor us, and kind of give us lectures as to what a hit-pop song is, because you can have talent and music ability, but understanding what makes a hit-pop song is a whole other discipline. The discipline Rs played cover songs around Los Angeles in a band with Basker and Eric Hernandez, Mars brother, who is now the hooligans. Drummer. When Lawrence was first told he should meet Mars he was reluctant to do so since he did not even have money for bus fare. Keith Harris, drummer for the Black Eyed Peas, told him, whatever it costs you to get out here, I'll reimburse you. He responded, just give me $5 back for the bus. The pair began collaborating, writing songs for Mars, but they received many rejections from labels. On the verge of giving up, they received a call from Brandon Creed, who was looking for songs for a reunited menudo. He liked their song Lost, which was written for Mars. The duo did not want to give the song away, but when they were offered $20,000 for it they agreed. The sale of this song allowed them to continue working and Mars and Lawrence decided that they would write and produce songs together for other artists. In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future on-dar manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bechook. After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bechook wanted to sign him immediately, but it took roughly three years for Atlantic Records to finally sign Mars to the label because they felt it was too early and that he still needed to develop as an artist. Before becoming a successful solo artist, Mars was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travi McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida. He also co-wrote the Suga Babes hit song Get Sexy and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet Seven. His first recorded appearance as a singer was on Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, on the track 3D. He was also featured on Pastor and hip-hop artist Jason Ma's debut single Love in August 2009. He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on, and C.O. Writing, B.O.B's Nothing on You and Travi McCoy's Billionaire, both songs peaked within the top ten on many charts worldwide. He said of them, I think those songs weren't meant to be full-sung songs. If I'd sung all of Nothing on You, it might have sounded like some 90s Rand B. Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play, EP, titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010. The EP peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and a music video was released for the song The Other Side featuring singers C.Lo Green and B.O.B. Mars collaborated with Green once more in August 2010 composing his single Fuck You with the Smeezingtons. 2010-12, Do Waps and Hooligans. After serving as guest vocalist on B.O.B's and Travi's McCoy's singles Mars released Just The Way You Are on July 19, 2010. The song was the lead single from his debut studio album, Do Waps and Hooligans, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as several other charts worldwide, in September. The song holds the record as the longest reigning debut format hit, spending 20 weeks atop adult contemporary. He also released two digital singles Liquor Store Blues featuring Damien Marley, and Grenade to promote the album before confirming Grenade as the album's second single on October 21, 2010. Grenade reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December and was also successful on other international charts. Released digitally on October 4, and physically on October 5, 2010, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 55,000 copies. It received generally positive reviews from music critics, and has since sold 6 million copies worldwide. In February 2011, the lazy song was released as the album's third single becoming the album's third consecutive top five on the Hot 100, peaking at number four on October 23, 2011. Mary U followed as the fourth single from Do Waps and Hooligans on August 22, 2011. Although it was not released as a single in the United States, it peaked at number 85 on the Hot 100 on January 15, 2011, thanks to strong digital sales.Since then it has sold 2.2 million digital copies. In November, Count on Me was released as the album's fifth single in Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, it was announced on Mars website, that he recorded and CEO wrote a new song titled It Will Rain for the Twilight Saga, breaking Don Part 1 original motion picture soundtrack. The song was released for purchase on iTunes on September 27, 2011. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.During this period, he appeared on a number of collaborative singles, including Lighters, A Duet with Bad Meets Evil released on July 5, 2011, Mirror, released on September 13, 2011, with Lil Wayne, and Young, Wild and Free with Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg from their Mac and Devon Go to High School soundtrack, which was available for purchase on October 11, 2011. The songs peaked at number 4, 16 and 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Casino for possession of cocaine.While talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly declared that what he did was foolish and that he has never used drugs before. Mars pleaded guilty to felony drug possession and in return was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year. He paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service, and completed a drug counseling course. Nevertheless, in a cover story for GQ Magazine in 2013, Mars said I was young, man. I was in Effing Vegas, I wasn't thinking, he added, I was given a number one record and I'm out doing dumb SH. Mars confessed that he lied to the authorities about having done cocaine before, saying I don't know where that came from, adding, I was really intoxicated. I was really drunk. So a lot of that is a big blur, and I try every day to forget and keep pushing. He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of their Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010, and CO headlined with McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010. From November 16, 2010 to January 28, 2012, Mars was on the The Dew Wops and Hooligans tour, in support of the album. On February 13, 2011, Mars won his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, having received six nominations, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Song Collaboration for Nothing on You, Record of the Year for Nothing on You and Fuck You, Song of the Year for Fuck You, and Producer of the Year, non-classical at the 53rd Grammy Awards. At the 54th Grammy Awards, Mars was nominated in six categories, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Dew Wops and Hooligans, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for Grenade, and Producer of the Year, non-classical. However, Adele won all the categories in which he was nominated and he ended up by losing to Paul Epworth for Producer of the Year. 2012-14, Unorthodox Jukebox and Super Bowl 48 halftime show On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US. In September 2012, when interviewed by Billboard, Mars stated that his album would be more musically varied and refused to pick a lane, adding, He announced the album title Unorthodox Jukebox along with the ten songs which would make the final cut on the album, and the title of the first single, Locked Out of Heaven, which was released on October 1, 2012. The lead single from Unorthodox Jukebox reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, in Canada and charted in the top ten in several countries worldwide. Unorthodox Jukebox was released on December 11, 2012 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with sales of 192,000 units. The album eventually peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, almost three months after its release. The album also charted number one in Switzerland and in the United Kingdom, becoming the fastest selling album by a solo artist in 2012 in the UK. When I Was Your Man, was released as the second single from Unorthodox Jukebox on January 15, 2013, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The third single Treasure peaked at number five in the United States but had less commercial success worldwide than the previous two. The album also charted number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which was released on January 15, 2013, and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making Elvis Presley the only male who has achieved five number one singles on the Hot 100 more quickly than Mars. It reached the top ten in 15 countries. The Billboard Hot 100 had less commercial success worldwide than the previous two. On May 24, 2013, Major Lazer released Bubblebutt as the fourth single from their album Free the Universe which featured Tyga, Mystic and Mars on vocals, becoming the band's most successful single to date in the US until the release of Lean On. In 2013, Gorilla and Young Girls followed as the album's fourth and fifth singles, and reached the top 35 on the Hot 100. Mars began his second headlining tour, The Moon Shine Jungle Tour, on June 22, 2013. It started in North America, and continued through Europe, and Oceania, before concluding in North America on October 18, 2014, with eight shows at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas performed between December 2013 and October 2014. On September 8, 2013, the NFL announced that Mars would headline the performance at the Super Bowl 48 halftime show on February 2, 2014. During the performance he was joined on stage by Red Hot Chili Peppers as musical guests. It was the first Super Bowl halftime headlined by a performer under 30, and of Puerto Rican descent. The show was the second most watched halftime show in the history of the Super Bowl, drawing a record rating of 115.3 million viewers, surpassed only by Katy Perry's halftime show which had 3.2 million more viewers. At the 56th Grammy Awards, Mars won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Unorthodox Jukebox and his single Locked Out of Heaven was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while When I Was Your Man earned a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance. Aside from his music career, Mars played the role of Roberto in the movie Rio II which was released in theaters on March 20, 2014. He also contributed the song Welcome Back to the soundtrack. Like its predecessor, Rio II was a financial success and panned by critics. In October 2014, Mark Ronson announced that he would release a new single on November 10, 2014, titled Uptown Funk, featuring Mars vocals. The song was a commercial success reaching number one in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and several other countries. According to Billboard Mars was the 12th highest paid musician of 2013, with earnings of 18,839,681 dollars. In December 2013, he was named Artist of the Year by Billboard and ranked number one on the 2014 Forbes list 30 under 30, a tally of the brightest stars in 15 different fields under the age of 30. In addition, he was 13th on the 2014 list of the world's most powerful celebrities with estimated earnings of 60 million dollars. 2015 present, Super Bowl 50 halftime performance and 24k magic. After ending the moonshine jungle tour, Mars began working on his third studio album, 24k magic. He wrote on his Facebook page, now it's time to start writing Chapter 3. The artist had not come up with a date for the release, stating, until it's done. It's gotta be just as good if not better. On March 25, 2015, the singer-songwriter was interviewed by That's Shanghai magazine and provided some details of the new album, confirming Mark Ronson and Jeff Basker as producers. He added, I want to write better songs, I want to put on better shows, I want to make better music videos. I want my next album to be better than the first and the second. In the same year, Mars was involved in the composition of All I Ask, a track from Adele's third studio album, 25. On December 2, 2015, it was announced that Coldplay would be headline performers on the halftime show for Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016. Mars and Beyonce were invited as guest acts on the show making them the third and fourth artists to have appeared on the Super Bowl halftime show twice, along with Justin Timberlake and Nelly, and surpassed only by Gloria Estefan with three appearances. Nielsen ratings confirmed that the show was watched by 111.9 million viewers, thus becoming the third most watched halftime show in its history after Katy Perry and Mars were headline performer. The 2016 Grammy Awards saw Mars featured single with Mark Ronson, Uptown Funk, win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Collaboration, and record of the year, bringing his total wins to four. Mars starred in the second season of Jane the Virgin as a musical guest. On May 10, 2016, Billboard reported that Mars and his manager, Brendan Creed, had split after nine years working together. In early 2016, Rolling Stone ranked Mars' third album as one of the 20 most anticipated of 2016. The singer has been in the studio with engineer Charles Moniz, who called it the next movement of Bruno and confirmed the album was close to being finished in February 2016. Mars also worked with Skrillex, who stated, What we're doing is so F-king different, awesome, and next level and sounds like nothing else that's happened before. Jamarillo Artis of the Hooligans, disclosed that he has been working on the album for about a year, trying different ideas and experimenting. He added it's going to have a new sound, the material is very groove-oriented, set to be released this year singer-songwriter Andrew Wyatt has also been working on the album. Mars' father confirmed the album was set to be released in March and seven songs have already been recorded, but his son's appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show led to the release being postponed for several months. Mars has also played some of his new songs to American hip-hop artist Missy Elliott. 24K Magic was released as the lead single from 24K Magic on October 7, 2016. It was promoted with his performance on Saturday Night Live and reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.In addition, it reached the top spot in Belgium, France and New Zealand. Mars performed in Las Vegas at the MGM's Park Theatre at Monte Carlo on December 30 to 31, 2016. 24K Magic was released on November 18, 2017. It received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. That's what I like was released as the second single on January 30, 2017. Artistry. Influences. As a child, Mars spent time impersonating Elvis Presley. This play act had a major impact on his musical evolution, he later reflected, I watch the best. I'm a big fan of Elvis. I'm a big fan of 1950s Elvis when he would go on stage and scare people because he was a force and girls would go nuts. You can say the same thing for Prince or the police. It's just guys who know that people are here to see a show, so I watch those guys and I love studying them because I'm a fan. He also impersonated Michael Jackson and Little Richard, both of whom who are major inspirations of his. Mars was raised on his father's doo-wop collection simple four-chord songs that got straight to the point and on Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Frankie Lyman. The hip-hop productions by the Neptune's and Timbaland, that were played on the radio constantly, also influenced him. Mars musical style gravitated initially towards Rand B. since he was influenced by artists such as Keith Sweat, Joda C. and R. Kelly. As a child he also took notice of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, new addition, Bobby Brown, Boys 2 Men, Teddy Riley and Babyface. At the same time, he also listened to 1950s rock and roll, doo-wop music and Motown. In high school, he listened to classic rock groups such as Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles, whose influences can be heard in Mars work as well as singers with high voices, like Stevie Wonder and Freddie Mercury. Bob Marley, and local bands in Hawaii, were a major influence and account for his reggae roots.Hip-hop acts like Jay-Z, The Roots and Cody Chestnut were among some of Mars favorites, and have influenced his composition skills.Each of these musical genres has influenced Mars musical style, he observed that, it's not easy to create songs with that mixture of rock and soul and hip-hop, and there's only a handful of them. Mars also admires classical music. Other artists Mars has said inspired his work include, Jimmy Hendrix Amy Winehouse, Sly Stone, Carlos Santana, George Clinton, Coldplay and Usher.Ars has also stated that he is a fan of, Alicia Keys, Jesse J, Jack White, The Saturdays and Kings of Leon. Musical Style and Themes Mars music has been noted for displaying a wide variety of styles, musical genres and influences, including pop, rock-reggae-rand-be, soul, and hip-hop.His debut album Do-Wops and Hooligans, a pop record, is influenced by these genres.His subsequent release, unorthodox Jukebox, as with his debut album, is infused with different influences including dance, rock-reggae and soul, as well as balladry. Lyrically, the album is different than the former, addressing traditional notions of romance, male chauvinism and sexuality.The explicit content in the song Gorilla caused a controversy in the UK. Many of his songs, particularly Leon Do-Wops and Hooligans, reflect feel-good, carefree and optimistic sentiments. However, darker subjects are addressed in his songs, detailing failed relationships and self-destructive behavior.Mars has explained his writing process, I don't sit down and think, I'm going to write a song, inspiration hits me always unexpectedly, on a plane, when I'm out or just before I go to bed. An idea will suddenly come to my mind, and sometimes I manage to turn it into lyrics the next day. Sometimes it'll take me one year to get something real out of it. You can't force creativeness. Mars claims that his work with other artists has influenced his musical style, nothing on you had a Motown vibe, Billionaire was a reggae acoustic guitar-driven song, though one of my favorites is the Silo Green song. I don't think anyone else could have sung that song. And there's just the way you are. If you know my story, you know I love all different genres of music. Mars states that growing up in Hawaii influenced his style, giving the songs a reggae sound. He explains, in Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. That music brings people together. It's not urban music or pop music. It's just songs. That's what makes it crossover so well. The song comes first. Philip Lawrence, one of his music partners from the Smeasingtons, stated, What people don't know is there's a darker underbelly to Bruno Mars. Nevertheless, most of his music is romantic and Mars himself says, I blame that on me singing to girls back in high school. Mars possesses a three octave tenor vocal range.John Caramanica of the New York Times commented that he is one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop, with a light, soul-influenced voice that's an easy fit in a range of styles, a universal donor while Tim Sendra from all music described Mars vocals on do-waps and hooligans as the kind of smooth instrument that slips into your ear like honey. Jody Rosen from Rolling Stone called Mars a nimble, soulful vocalist on unorthodox jukebox. Jim Farber of the New York Daily News praised Mars voice due to the purity, cream and range of mid-period Michael Jackson in a review of a concert promoting unorthodox jukebox. Mars is also able to play drums, guitar keyboard bass and piano.Ars usually plays the instrumentation or part of it, on his albums and on the songs he composes for other artists. Showmanship Mars is known for his retro showmanship which is widely acclaimed by tour critics and reviewers. A journalist from Mirrors magazine says that the showmanship on Bruno's stage was like none other that I've ever seen comparing him to Michael Jackson. Kevin C. Johnson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called Mars a consummate performer. The Boston Globe music critic, Sarah Rodman, said that Mars shows an indefatigable ecstatic approach to performing and classic showmanship. In the same vein, Jim Farber of the Daily News stated of the halftime show at Super Bowl 48 that Mars brings old-school showmanship to dynamic performance. Rolling Stone magazine placed Mars at number 35 on its list of 50 best live acts right now in 2013, he is the youngest act besides Janelle Moni and Lady Gaga on the list. They wrote, Anyone from the age of 5 to 95 can walk out of a Bruno Mars concert feeling like the show was designed just for them. Mars walks the old-school walk and talks the sexy talk, but he also nails the hits, leads a super energetic nine-piece soul band, and rips a mean drum solo, praising the spectacular version of Gorilla. Jason Lipschitz of Billboard described Mars' performance as entertaining, keeping smiles plastered on the faces of his own lookers, and he does a better job at it than almost anyone working in music right now. NFL executives Sarah Mall and Tracy Perlman stated that, if you go to his concerts, it's 11-year-old girls to 65-year-old women it's everyone, after seeing the moonshine jungle tour several times during the summer of 2013. At most of his concerts Mars is accompanied by the hooligans, a band that includes a guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist and a horn section. They also serve as dancers and background singers.Mars shows feature all-band choreographed dancing arrangements, which include fancy, slick and fantastic footwork that is inspired by James Brown and the splits.His shows are heavily influenced by the disco era with a soul-review-inspired set.An edition, long, mellow and soft interludes that echo the smooth contemporary R&B style which was popular during the 1990s are also part of the show.I.S. set list blends several genres of music such as pop, doo-wop, funk, r&b, soul and reggae.Ars shows usually feature pyrotechnics, strobe and laser lighting.Andy he typically plays the drums and guitar. Other Ventures Endorsements On May 12, 2013, Mars tweeted a picture of himself using an electronic cigarette.On May 30, 2013, a press release was published reporting Mars' investment in the NJOY electronic cigarette company, in order to quit smoking for his mother, since the singer believes in the product and the company's mission.Mars decided to invest in Chromatic, which makes digital versions of sheet music for the web and iPad.Mars said, I love that Chromatic will bring better music education into schools. A&E I'm happy to be a part of it.In 2014, Bruno Mars teamed up with three partners to launch the Salvery Rum brand which includes Salvery White, made of blended three- and five-year aged Panamanian rums and the aged natural cacao rum Salvery Cacao. Philanthropy On February 26, it was announced that Mars had partnered with the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Grammy Foundation to establish a Grammy Camp Scholarship Fund, in order to support the next generation of music makers with funds to provide financial assistance for qualified needs-based applicants from Hawaii.Mars donated $100,000 U.S. to the orphans of Bantabata, who were among the victims of Typhoon Yun, in order to raise the morale of those who lost their families and homes. Bruno Mars performed at the Make It Right Gala, whose campaign goal is to help build homes for people in need.Mars also performed at the Robin Hood Foundation's 2014 annual benefit in New York, whose goal is to fight poverty in New York City by supporting more than 200 nonprofits with financial and technical assistance. A day before a concert in the Philippines the singer donated $100,000 U.S. to the Typhoon Yolanda survivors. Achievements Bruno Mars has earned numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including five Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards and three MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2011 Mars made Time magazine's 100 list and in 2013 he was considered the sixth best songwriter of that year by Billboard. The Smeasingtons, Mars songwriter and record producing team, have earned several accolades. In 2014 Mars became the artist with the most top five entries on the Billboard Hot 100 since his first week on the chart. Along with Adele and John Legend Mars is the only artist who has a song that features only piano and vocals to top the Hot 100. He is the first male artist to place two titles as a lead act in the Hot 100's Top 10 simultaneously. Mars was the most played artist on pop radio in 2013 according to Mediabase and became the first solo male artist whose first 13 Top 40 hits all reached the Top 10 on the American Top 40. In total, he has had six number one singles on the Hot 100 chart. According to the International Federation of Phonographic Industry, IFPI, Just The Way You Are and Grenade are two of the most successful digital singles of all time, with sales of 12.5 million and 10.2 million, respectively. This contributed to Mars becoming the biggest selling artist of 2012.His songs Just The Way You Are, Grenade, Locked Out of Heaven, and When I Was Your Man have each sold over 4 million digital copies, making him the first male artist to do so as a lead singer. Five of his singles are counted among the best selling singles of all time. As of 2014, Mars has sold over 100 million singles and albums worldwide. Nevertheless, as a singer, featured artist, producer and songwriter his sales surpass 169 million singles worldwide. Because of the ticket reselling that occurred during the week after the Super Bowl, and in order to limit that kind of profiteering, Hawaii Senate President Donna Mercado Kim introduced Senate Resolution 12, also known as the Bruno Mars Act. It limits all ticket purchases within 48 hours of the on-sale date to the physical box office. This ensures that anyone who comes to the box office to buy tickets for a show should almost certainly be guaranteed a ticket and discourages ticket scalping. The State Senate in Hawaii passed the law. Personal Life Mars's brother, Eric has continuously served as the drummer for his backup band, the Hooligans. Their sisters, Tiara, Tahiti and Presley, as well as their cousin Jamie, make up the all-girl music group the Lilas. When she was young, Jamie moved in with the siblings due to parental issues. Relationships Mars began dating model Jessica Cabin in 2011. The two remain a couple as of 2016, residing together in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills with a Rottweiler named Geronimo. Mother's Death On June 2, 2013, a publicist for Atlantic Records confirmed to the Associated Press that Mars' mother had suffered a brain aneurysm. She died on Saturday, June 1, 2013, at age 55, at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The singer only received the news when he landed in Los Angeles. He went on another plane this time flying to Hawaii. However, his mother died a day later. Later, on June 7, 2013, the singer broke his silence concerning the loss of his mother on Twitter writing, So thankful for all the love during the most difficult time in my life. I'll be back on my feet again soon. That's what mom wants, she told me. Legal Issues On January 28, 2014, Demetrius Orlando's Proctor filed a lawsuit, claiming he holds the copyright for the Travi McCoy and Mars track Billionaire. Proctor claimed he owned the copyright to the music and lyrics of the track since March 31, 2011, though the song was released a year before. As evidence, Proctor has submitted a United States Copyright Office Registration Certificate for Frisky Volume 1 to 30, tapes, issued in 2000.Proctor accused the defendants of willful and intentional copyright infringement, seeking destruction of all copies of the recording. Proctor claims he has exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the song. His only request, defendant shall destroy all copies of plaintiffs' recording that defendants have downloaded onto any computer hard drive or server without plaintiffs' authorization and shall destroy all copies of that downloaded recording transferred onto any other physical medium or device. In April 2015, it was revealed that a settlement had been reached with the Gap Band's publishing company, Minder Music, to add the Gap Band and producer Lonnie Simmons as co-writers, who will receive 17% of the royalties from Mark and Mars hit Uptown Funk. The claim on behalf of the Gap Band and Lonnie Simmons was entered into YouTube's content management system preventing payments to the publisher. Later, on August 12, Serbian pop artist Viktorica has also argued that Uptown Funk infringed on her track Ules Maraknyi Nysoziai Defychki. She stated that she had no hurry to sue them, since these processes take a long time, and my life and career does not depend on lawsuits. She added, for these lawsuits, there should be a lot of money, the lawyers are working on a percentage. If I still decide to sue them and I win, I have to figure out what to do with that money. Treasurer was re-registered in ASCAP with new writing credits, which included the bot Jean-Marie Michel Berland and Irfan Ekon Christopher, due to the similarities with Break Butts' Baby I'm Yours. Controversies. Stereotypes. In a cover story for Entertainment Weekly, Mars stated that the song Nothing on You was rejected by a music industry decision maker, a guy he won't name, because of his race. That experience made him feel like a mutant, and he says that was his lowest point. Even with that song in my back pocket to seal the deal, things like that are coming out of people's mouths. It made me feel like I wasn't even in the room. In April 2013, in a cover story for GQ Magazine, Mars confessed that he changed his surname because people in the music industry took him as another Latino artist, and even tried to convince him to sing in Spanish saying, your last name's Hernandez, maybe you should do the Latin music, this Spanish music. Enrique Iglesias is so hot right now. Nevertheless, Mars used his childhood nickname Bruno and changed his surname to Mars, in an effort to avoid being stereotyped. Tyler, the creator. In the song Yonkers, Tyler, the creator disparages numerous artists, including Bruno Mars. Tyler also disparages Mars in the game's song Martians vs. Goblins, in which he and Lil Wayne are featured artists. Mars, in response to the verse stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus, said Tyler has to wait in line if he wants to stab me, Tyler's definitely not the first guy that's said something like that to me and he's not going to be the last. On April 24, 2015, Tyler admitted to being wrong regarding Mars' talent and pointed to Mars' performance of Gorilla at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards as evidence. Kanye West During a performance on November 21, 2013, Kanye West gave his opinion regarding the MTV Video Music Awards, that were held on August 25, 2013. West said, Bruno Mars won all the motherfucking awards and shit. He continued, What I care about is if you're an artist and you work hard as fuck and the streets say that you deserve that shit. Then can't no motherfucking networks try to gas everybody up so they can sell some product with the prettiest motherfucker out. Nevertheless, on February 26, 2015, he publicly apologized to Bruno Mars on Twitter while asking him to sing a hook on a song that he CO produced. West asked Tyler, the creator to direct the music video.Mars confirmed that West called him and apologized.