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Origins - Peter Gene Hernandez was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 8, 1985, to a musician father and a hula dancer mother.
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Stage name - He became famous under his stage name, Bruno Mars.
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Stage name - The singer actually didn't come up with the name himself. The name Bruno was given to him by his father when he was a child.
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Resemblance? - Mars was a chubby baby, and his father thought he looked like the fighter in the photo, Bruno Sammartino. Do you agree?
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New last name - His new surname came later, when Mars discovered that his last name got him type-cast into Latin music. He didn't want to be the next Enrique Iglesias, so he invented a new name for himself in order to pursue the music he wanted.
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Idols - Some of Bruno Mars' favorite singers and biggest inspirations are Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.
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Elvis impersonator - Bruno Mars used to imitate Elvis and perform at his dad's variety show when he was a little kid. A natural-born artist!
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'Honeymoon in Vegas' - You can spot a young Bruno Mars in the 1992 film starring Nicholas Cage, James Caan, and Sarah Jessica Parker. He played an Elvis impersonator, and he was six years old!
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Impersonations - The impersonations didn't end there however. Before he hit the big time, he earned money playing Michael Jackson, Chuck Berry, and Usher for a magic show.
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Motown Records - Eventually Bruno Mars was "discovered," and was signed to Motown Records, the same record company that signed The Jackson 5. However despite his talent, he didn't find success. The company dropped him after less than a year.
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The Smeezingtons - While his time at Motown may not have been a success, it did lead him to a very important person: Philip Lawrence. The two joined Ari Levine to create their own production group called the Smeezingtons.
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Big break - The songwriter got his big break when he (and Philip Lawrence) helped write the song 'Right Round' by Flo Rida.
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Atlantic Records - Mars brought his talents to Atlantic Records, where he played 'Nothin' On You,' which was eventually recorded by B.o.B, and 'Billionaire,' which was eventually sung by Travie McCoy.
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Debut - The singer's debut studio album was released in 2010, titled 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans.' From there, the singer shot to success.
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First Grammy - His song 'Just The Way You Are' won him his first Grammy in 2011.
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And the awards kept rolling in - Between 2011 and 2019, Mars has won a total of 11 Grammy Awards.
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Time 100 - In 2011, Bruno Mars was selected as one of Time 100's Most Influential People.
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Billboard - He was even Billboard's Artist of the Year in 2013!
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Historical feat - Bruno Mars has several singles among the best-selling tunes of all time, two of them among the top 25.
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Songwriting - While many recognize Bruno Mars as a great singer in his own right these days, he still hasn't stopped songwriting. He's written songs for some of the biggest stars today, including Adele, K'naan, and Alicia Keys.
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'Tears Always Win' - The song 'Tears Always Win' by Alicia Keys, from her album 'Girl on Fire,' was written by Bruno Mars.
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Multi-talented - Not just a singer-songwriter, the talented musician also plays the guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums.
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Love life - Bruno Mars has been dating his lontime girlfriend, model Jessica Caban, since they met in 2011.
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Style - The singer's go-to accessory seems to be his shades. He loves rocking them on the red carpet!
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But it hasn't been all fun and games - The singer was arrested back in 2010, around the time of 'Just the Way You Are,' when he was found with a bag of cocaine in a bathroom in a Las Vegas hotel. He told GQ he was extremely intoxicated at the time and explained, "I was young, man! I was in f*****g Vegas. I wasn't thinking."
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Height - Bruno Mars is a man of small stature, only hitting 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m).
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Super Bowl XLVIII - Nothing says you've made it like performing at the Super Bowl alongside Coldplay and Beyoncé.
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Keeping backstage simple - When it comes to Mars' backstage requests, he likes to keep it simple. All he wants are wet wipes and a bottle of wine!
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Tattoos
- The singer has multiple tattoos. The ones located on his upper arms are dedicated to his parents, with one arm sporting his late mother's name in a heart, and the other reading "Pete's Boy" for his father.
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Birthday boy Bruno Mars: The road from impersonator to icon
The singer turns 35 today
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Bruno Mars seems to be everywhere these days, with most years containing at least one chart-topping single from the talented musician. But did you know that he was once struggling to pay his own rent and pay for his gas, even after he was signed to a label? The star has built a solid fan base with his hits, but how much do you know about Bruno Mars' life?
Click through this gallery to find out the story of how this star went from an impersonator to an icon.
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