68 Fun Facts About Bruno Mars

What is Bruno Mars's birth name?

Peter Gene Hernandez has answered to Bruno since he was two, and says label people who heard his surname urged him to make Latin music.

In which city was Bruno Mars born?

Honolulu was home until he left for Los Angeles after high school; after his parents' divorce he lived for a time with his father and brother in a closed-down bird park.

Bruno Mars's father nicknamed him Bruno as a toddler after a star of which sport?

Pro wrestling: his dad thought the chunky toddler looked like Bruno Sammartino, and the nickname stuck so well that he first planned to perform as plain Bruno.

Bruno Mars's 2011 single "It Will Rain" was the lead single from the soundtrack to which film series?

Twilight: the song was half written when he watched an early cut of Breaking Dawn – Part 1, finished it with the characters in mind, and it plays over the end credits.

Bruno Mars's mother came to the United States from which country?

The Philippines: his mother Bernadette, a hula dancer, met his father, a Latin percussionist from Brooklyn, when both were working in a Polynesian revue.

Which family doo-wop revue did Bruno Mars join as a four-year-old Elvis impersonator?

The Love Notes played doo-wop and other 1950s hits, and the four-year-old's Elvis act quickly made him one of the stars of the family show.

At age six, Bruno Mars was a guest of which late-night TV host?

Arsenio Hall had him on by the time he was six, already a stage veteran: at five he wet himself mid-song, his parents wondered if they were pushing too hard, and he never wavered.

As a small child, Bruno Mars had a cameo as a tiny Elvis impersonator in which film?

Honeymoon in Vegas, a 1992 Nicolas Cage comedy, gave Little Elvis a moment on screen in a film whose finale has a whole team of skydiving Elvis impersonators.

Bruno Mars performed at halftime of which 1990 college football game, played in his home state?

Aloha Bowl: on Christmas Day 1990 the five-year-old sang a Christmas song at halftime on national television, 23 years before he headlined the Super Bowl's.

Bruno Mars sold his song "Lost" to which revived boy band?

Menudo's new line-up got the song, and the sale kept Mars and co-writer Philip Lawrence afloat long enough to decide they would write and produce hits for other artists.

Which record label first signed Bruno Mars, in 2004, only to drop him less than a year later?

Motown Records had no idea what to do with him, and once the deal collapsed he realised he would have to start writing songs, first of all for other artists.

Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine wrote and produced hits for other artists as which team?

The Smeezingtons, Mars says, grew out of studio slang: a sure hit was "a smash", then "a smeeze", then "a Smeezington", and the joke became the team's name.

Bruno Mars first topped the Hot 100 as featured singer on 'Nothin' on You' by which rapper?

B.o.B's single was the first song on which Mars heard himself on the radio, and it made the hook singer a star before he had released an album of his own.

"Billionaire", a 2010 hit with a Bruno Mars hook, was credited to which rapper?

Travie McCoy got a hook Mars dreamed up while broke in London, where he and Ari Levine had to live for 11 days on a tiny per diem.

Bruno Mars and Philip Lawrence helped write "Right Round", a 2009 chart-topper for which rapper?

Flo Rida's number one reworks a Dead or Alive hit; Mars says he and Lawrence came up with their part in two minutes, and it gave them a first taste of what a hit could do.

Bruno Mars's production trio co-wrote the 2010 hit "Forget You", a UK number one for which singer?

CeeLo Green and Mars came up with the song in a single day, which Mars contrasted with the months he spent on his own first solo hit.

Which Adele album earned Bruno Mars's production trio a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2017?

25 includes "All I Ask", written with Adele in two sessions; Mars wanted to cut the word "lovers" from one line, she refused, and he later admitted she was right.

Bruno Mars voiced the suave Roberto in which animated sequel?

Rio 2 cast him as Roberto, the heroine Jewel's suave childhood friend, and he added a song of his own, "Welcome Back", to the soundtrack.

Bruno Mars opened for which band on tour in 2010?

Maroon 5 took him out as an opener that October, while his own first solo single was sitting at number one.

Bruno Mars co-headlined the 2011 Hooligans in Wondaland Tour with which singer?

Janelle Monáe and Mars announced it days after sharing a standing ovation at the Grammys, a joint tour to promote the debut album each had released in 2010.

Which song won Bruno Mars his first Grammy, for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2011?

Just the Way You Are took him months to write, he said, because he overthinks his own songs while those he writes for other singers come quickly.

Which second single from Doo-Wops & Hooligans topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK chart?

Grenade began as an uptempo, surf-style track; Mars slowed it down and stripped it back just before a key live show, and it became the last song added to the album.

Which Doo-Wops & Hooligans track charted higher in the US as a Glee cover than as Mars's original?

Marry You was never promoted as a US single, yet the album cut sold about two million downloads there, helped along by the Glee cast's version.

Bruno Mars clowns around with five dancers in monkey masks in the video for which hit?

The Lazy Song's video was his own do-over: unhappy with the clip his label had made, Mars asked for a couple of thousand dollars, bought the masks and shot a single-take replacement.

Critics compared "Locked Out of Heaven", Bruno Mars's six-week 2012 chart-topper, to the sound of which band?

The Police comparison was sealed at the 2013 Grammys, where he performed the song alongside their frontman, Sting, and slid into the band's "Walking on the Moon".

Which ballad was Mars's fifth US chart-topper?

When I Was Your Man was written, he admitted with great reluctance, about his girlfriend at a time when he feared losing her, and he says performing it is just like bleeding.

Which Grammy did Unorthodox Jukebox win at the 56th ceremony in 2014?

Best Pop Vocal Album went to a record he called his freedom: he wanted to walk into the studio and make hip-hop, R&B, soul or rock as the mood took him.

"Uptown Funk" is officially credited to which producer, with Bruno Mars as the featured artist?

Mark Ronson says the song took seven months to finish, and that he collapsed over lunch one day under the pressure of nailing his guitar part.

The opening lines of "Uptown Funk" name-check which Hollywood actress?

Michelle Pfeiffer's name came with the first couplet the writers hit on, the moment one of them says convinced them the song had the seed of something exciting.

Members of which funk group were added as "Uptown Funk" co-writers after similarities with their 1979 song emerged?

The Gap Band's publisher filed a claim over "Oops Up Side Your Head", and the settlement added its writers to the credits with a reported 17 percent share.

Which top Grammy did "Uptown Funk" win at the 58th ceremony in 2016?

Record of the Year went to a song its makers nearly abandoned: Mars says it was in the trash can more than once during seven months of rewrites.

The "Uptown Funk" video was filmed on a Hollywood studio backlot built to look like a street in which city?

New York it is not: the street Mars and his band walk and dance down is a standing set on the 20th Century Fox lot in Los Angeles.

Bruno Mars's 2014 halftime show was at the first outdoor cold-weather Super Bowl, in which state?

New Jersey's MetLife Stadium hosted it, and a TV station in his home state replayed footage of his first halftime show, sung at the age of five.

Which band did Bruno Mars personally invite to join his Super Bowl halftime show?

Red Hot Chili Peppers joined him for "Give It Away", then had to explain why their guitars were not plugged in: the NFL wanted the instruments pre-recorded.

After a children's choir intro, how did Bruno Mars make his entrance at his Super Bowl halftime show?

With a drum solo: after the children sang the chorus of "Billionaire", he appeared behind a kit, a surprise to viewers who had never seen him play drums.

Bruno Mars's Super Bowl halftime show drew a record 115.3 million US viewers, a mark beaten a year later by whom?

Katy Perry drew 118.5 million in 2015; Mars had taken the record from Madonna, and both his show and Perry's outdrew the games they interrupted.

Bruno Mars and Beyoncé were guests at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, which was headlined by which band?

Coldplay's Chris Martin had to talk him round: Mars first said no, feeling he had only just done it, until Martin pitched him and Beyoncé doing "Uptown Funk" together.

Which actress stars opposite Bruno Mars in the "Versace on the Floor" video?

Zendaya plays the guest in the next hotel room, swaying along as Mars sings the song at a keyboard on the other side of the wall.

Bruno Mars filmed his first TV special in 2017 at which historic venue?

Apollo Theater's marquee became a stage too: Mars sang his album's title song on top of it, and said the Harlem crowd's reputation for booing made it where it all begins.

Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown produced 24K Magic under which alias?

Shampoo Press & Curl outlived the album: the trio's name now belongs to Mars's own Los Angeles studio, where he recorded his 2026 album.

The 2018 remix of Bruno Mars's "Finesse" added a verse from which rapper?

Cardi B's remix came with a video styled after the 1990s sketch show In Living Color, an idea Mars himself floated to his choreographer.

Which Bruno Mars single won Song of the Year at the 2018 Grammys?

That's What I Like was already written when Mars called in old friends to find its bounce, dancing along as they tried rhythms until one moved him the right way.

Bruno Mars formed the duo Silk Sonic with which artist?

Anderson .Paak was the opening act on the European leg of Mars's 2017 tour, where the two quickly became friends; four years later they had an album.

Which funk legend named Silk Sonic and appears on their album as a special guest host?

Bootsy Collins came up with the name after hearing the album, then introduced the duo in his own voice on the very first music they released.

Which Silk Sonic single won four 2022 Grammys?

Leave the Door Open went four for four, yet the duo declined to enter their album for the next year's awards, saying they wished to bow out gracefully.

Bruno Mars sang the hook on "Lighters" for Royce da 5'9" and which rapper?

Eminem turned it into a duo track: Royce had the beat lined up for his own solo album until Eminem heard it and wrote a verse, and the pair then flew to Los Angeles to play it for Mars.

Bruno Mars produced "Blow", a 2019 hard-rock track he recorded with Chris Stapleton and which British singer?

Ed Sheeran put it on his collaborations album; Mars produced it and co-directed the video, in which an all-female rock band stands in for the three stars.

"Die with a Smile" is Bruno Mars's 2024 duet with which singer?

Lady Gaga came to mind when Mars heard she was making a Joker film: he dug out a demo abandoned in 2021 to pitch for it, and it became their duet instead.

"Young, Wild & Free", with a Bruno Mars hook, paired Wiz Khalifa with which rapper?

Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa were added last: Mars's team made the song up while freestyling in the studio, never expecting it to be heard, until a label executive told them it was a smash.

"Die with a Smile" appears as the closing track of which 2025 album by Bruno Mars's duet partner?

Mayhem ends with the duet, which had already been a stand-alone hit for months before she confirmed that it would be on the album at all.

"APT.", the 2024 hit featuring Bruno Mars, is credited to which member of Blackpink?

Rosé went home from the studio so unsure about the song that she asked her team to delete it from their phones, only to find they were already obsessed with it.

The chorus of "APT." is built on the chant from what kind of South Korean pastime?

A drinking game called Apartment, a favourite of the song's co-star, supplies the chant, and both singers keep the Korean pronunciation, apateu, to honour her roots.

"APT." includes elements of which 1982 hit?

"Mickey" by Toni Basil lends the cheerleader-style chant, which is why its writers, Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, share the songwriting credit on "APT."

In 2025 Bruno Mars became the featured artist of which video game's music mode?

Fortnite put Mars outfits into the game for its Festival mode, and he marked the tie-in by releasing the full version of his track "Bonde do Brunão".

At the 2017 Grammys, Bruno Mars performed a tribute to which late star?

Prince's old associates the Time opened the tribute, then Mars appeared in a glittering purple suit and tore through "Let's Go Crazy", guitar solo and all.

What was the title of Bruno Mars's 2026 album, his first solo record in nearly a decade?

The Romantic was named two days after Mars ended years of waiting with a four-word post, "My album is done".

Which 2026 Bruno Mars single was his first ever to debut at number one on the Hot 100?

I Just Might arrived with no title announced: two days earlier Mars had promised only "new music this Friday", and the name came out with the song.

As a high-schooler, Bruno Mars played which pop star in a celebrity-impersonators revue?

Michael Jackson was his second act after Elvis, and he was eerily good at it: the footage shows a far flashier dancer than the one he lets audiences see today.

In a 2010 interview, Bruno Mars joked that he added "Mars" because girls said he was what?

Out of this world, so he guessed he must be from Mars; years later he told it differently, saying the name simply sounded bigger than life.

Which of Bruno Mars's siblings plays drums in his backing band, the Hooligans?

Eric Hernandez gave up a ten-year career in law enforcement to drum for his younger brother, saying it would have eaten him up to watch someone else do it.

SelvaRey, the small Panamanian drinks company Bruno Mars bought into in 2015, produces which spirit?

Rum was the contrarian bet: while other celebrities piled into tequila, Mars backed SelvaRey, which had started out supplying the drinks for his parties.

Bruno Mars's alter ego Ricky Regal fronted his 2021 line of 1970s-style sportswear with which French brand?

Lacoste's creative director worked with him on the whole collection, and Mars invented Ricky Regal as an alter ego to help him think like a designer.

Bruno Mars's cocktail lounge at the Bellagio, opened in 2024, takes which name from his "24K Magic" lyrics?

The Pinky Ring echoes the chorus that tells the crowd to raise theirs to the moon, and for opening night Tiffany made Mars a gold one engraved with the bar's name.

Bruno Mars's first signature guitar, launched with Fender in 2023, is a version of which classic model?

Stratocaster it is, with a neck copied from his own 1969 Strat, though Mars insists he is less a guitar player than a frustrated songwriter.

Which Japanese discount-store chain featured Bruno Mars in a 2024 commercial?

Don Quijote, known as Donki, had him dance through its Shibuya store with its penguin mascot, Donpen, in an ad for which he also created the jingle.

Which cartoon character teamed up with Bruno Mars for a 50th-anniversary collaboration in December 2024?

Hello Kitty was teaming up with him once again, Sanrio said, timing the merchandise, themed food and a meet-and-greet to the opening of his holiday residency.

Where was Bruno Mars arrested for cocaine possession on 19 September 2010?

A Las Vegas casino: he was arrested after a show at the Hard Rock, pleaded guilty, and had the case dismissed in 2012 once he had done 200 hours of community service.

In 2017 Bruno Mars gave $1 million from one concert to victims of which disaster?

The Flint water crisis was close at hand: he announced the gift on stage near Detroit, and the money went to a foundation helping children exposed to lead.