Peter Gene Hernandez, better known as Bruno Mars, continues to dominate mainstream music’s attention, winning six awards at the 2018 Grammys.

Mars was born in Hawaii to a family of musicians and always knew he wanted to pursue a musical career. Mars had many inspirations growing up, including: The Police, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel and even his Elvis-impersonating father.

Immediately after high school, he ventured off to Los Angeles and landed a deal with Motown Records, selling his doo-wop, upbeat style. As an artist, he has soared ever since, gaining stardom in 2010 with his hit, “The Lazy Song”.

Unlike many Music Monday features, Bruno Mars is no underrated musician. After signing to Atlantic Records he peaked with hits like: “Just the Way You Are”, “Grenade”, “Locked Out of Heaven” and more recently, “Uptown Funk”.  Mars is a titan of the music world; according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) he is, “the sixth-best selling digital-single artist in the United States with sales of 52.5 million”. If that wasn’t enough, in 2012, Mars was even named 2011’s best selling artist worldwide.

Though I believe he suffered a minor popularity lull in 2015-16, he has certainly regained attention with his newest album “24k Magic” which would go on to win the album of the year award at the 2018 Grammys. Mars is an undeniably unique, upbeat artist whose aspirations seem endless. In 2018, Mars will be touring his latest album with, rapper, Cardi B. For those who aren’t familiar with Bruno Mars, I strongly urge you to check him out!