Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for singing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. Mars is accompanied by his band, the Hooligans, whose members are also backup singers and dancers. In 2021, Mars and fellow singer Anderson .Paak formed the musical superduo Silk Sonic.
Mars moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a musical career. Following a brief contract with Motown Records, he established his name in the music industry as a songwriter and co-founder of the production team the Smeezingtons. He rose to fame as a recording artist following his guest performances on the singles "Nothin' on You" (2009) by B.o.B and "Billionaire" (2010) by Travie McCoy, which reached number one and four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Mars pop-influenced debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), amassed the number-one singles "Just the Way You Are", "Grenade", and "The Lazy Song". His second album, Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), explored various genres and had two U.S. number one singles, "Locked Out of Heaven" and "When I Was Your Man".
In 2014, Mars was featured on Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk", the chart-topping single, which spent a total of fourteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Mars's third album, the R&B-focused 24K Magic (2016), received seven Grammy Awards, winning the major categories of Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. The album produced the U.S. number one single "That's What I Like", and the successful singles "24K Magic" and a remix of "Finesse" featuring Cardi B. Silk Sonic's soul and 70s' R&B-inspired album, An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021), contained the Billboard Hot 100 number one single, "Leave the Door Open", that received four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. His 2024 duet with Lady Gaga, "Die with a Smile", peaked at number one on the Billboard Global 200.
Mars has sold over 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Eight of his songs have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and his concert tours are some of the highest-grossing in history. He has received 15 Grammy Awards (including three Record of the Year wins), four Brit Awards, eleven American Music Awards, 13 Soul Train Awards and holds three Guinness World Records, among other accolades. He featured on Music Week's best songwriters (2011) and Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists (2019) lists and rankings such as the Time 100 and Forbes Celebrity 100. Mars became the first artist to receive six Diamond-certified songs in the United States and has been regarded as a pop icon due to his influential career.