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Kamis, 20 Januari 2011

bruno mars

Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and music producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age. After performing in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood, he decided to pursue a musical career. Mars began producing songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.
He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Kesha, "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan, and "Fuck You!" by Cee Lo Green. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.[2] He has been nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, which will be held on February 13, 2011.

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Life and career

1985–2008: Early life and beginnings

Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez and raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii by parents Pete and Bernadette "Bernie" Hernandez, of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent.[3][4][5][6] His mother emigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child and his father moved to the island from Brooklyn, New York.[7] The two met when performing in a show where his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.[7] At the age of two, Mars was nicknamed 'Bruno' by his father, because he was a chubby baby and because there was a famous chubby wrestler at the time called Bruno Sammartino.[8] Mars was one of six children and came from a musical family who exposed him to a diverse mix of reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B.[9][10] From a young age, he was impersonating and performing songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations.[5]
In 1990, Mars was featured in MidWeek as "Little Elvis", going on to have a cameo in the film Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992.[5][11] He later reflected on the influence Elvis had on his music, saying "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."[12] In 2010 he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, saying "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. My uncle's an incredible guitar player, my dad's an incredible percussionist, my brother's a great drummer, he actually plays in our band. I've just been surrounded by it."[13] In 2003, shortly after graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School at the age of seventeen, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career.[5][11] He adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him, adding "Mars" at the end because "I felt like I didn’t have no pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I’m from Mars."[14]
In 2006, Mars was introduced to his future manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck, by his new songwriting partner Philip Lawrence.[15] After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bay-Schuck wanted to sign him immediately, but it took about three years for Atlantic records to finally sign Mars to the label.[15] In the meantime, Bay-Schuck used Mars - along with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine - as a hired songwriter and producer for the label's artists.[15] According to Bay-Schuck in an interview with HitQuarters, Mars had stated that although his ultimate goal was to be a solo artist, he was willing to write and produce for other artists, both to help improve his songwriting and help him discover the type of artist he ultimately wanted to be.[15] Bay-Schuck credits this as a period of "self-discovery" that contributed significantly to Mars' later success.[15]

2009–present: Commercial success and Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Before becoming a successful solo artist, Hernandez was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida.[9][16] He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7.[17][18] His first musical appearance as a singer was in Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, featured on the track "3D".[19] He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009.[20][21] He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on and co-writing B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire"; both songs peaked within the top ten of 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 "Nothin' on You", it might've sounded like some '90s R&B." Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010.[22] The EP peaked at the ninety-ninth position on the Billboard 200 and produced one single: "The Other Side", featuring rappers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.[23][24] Mars collaborated with Cee Lo Green once more in August 2010 by co-writing his single "Fuck You!". He performed a medley of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" with B.o.B and Hayley Williams at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.[25]
Mars' debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was released digitally on October 4, and saw its physical release on October 5, 2010.[26][27] The lead single, "Just the Way You Are", was released on July 19, 2010,[28] and has reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100.[29] The music video was released on September 8, 2010.[30] Two songs from the album, "Liquor Store Blues" featuring Damian Marley and "Grenade" were released to the iTunes Store as promotional singles.[31] He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010. Mars will co-headline with Travie McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010.[27]
In the United States, Doo-Wops & Hooligans debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 for the week of October 13, 2010, selling 55,000 copies.[32] The album also received generally positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt praised Mars for his "instant-access melodies" and "sly snatches of dance-floor swagger", but noted weaknesses in songs deviant from his conventional pop and soul genres.[33]
On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas for possession of cocaine.[34] When talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly stated that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before".[35][36] The court date, postponed for the second time until February 4, 2011, could see Mars face up to four years in prison and a $50,000 fine for possession of an alleged 2.6g of the drug.[37][38]

Musical style

Although Mars has been referenced as "soft" because of his light falsetto voice, his co-producer says, "What people don't know is there's a darker underbelly to Bruno Mars." Mars himself says, "I blame that on me singing to girls back in high school."[39] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called him "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."[40]
Mars also claims that his work with other artists influenced his musical style, saying that "'Nothing on You' had a Motown vibe, 'Billionaire' was a reggae acoustic guitar-driven song, though one of my favorites is the Cee-Lo song [Fuck You!]. I don't think anyone else could've 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."[41] He cites doo-wop as a major influence on his music, referring to the genre as "just straightforward love songs — so charming and simple and romantic."[41] In addition, Mars states that growing up in Hawaii influenced his music, giving the songs a reggae sound. He explains that "In Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley. That music brings people together. It's not urban music or pop music. It's just songs. That's what makes it cross over so well. The song comes first."[7]

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