Bruno Mars

The most decorated pop showman of his generation, and one who started absurdly early. Born Peter Gene Hernandez in Honolulu in 1985, he was fronting his uncle's band at four years old and working as the youngest Elvis impersonator on Oahu before most children have chosen a favorite song. He moved to Los Angeles in 2003, lost a contract with Motown, and rebuilt himself as a writer rather than a performer, co-founding the production team the Smeezingtons with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine and supplying hits to other artists until Atlantic signed him in 2009. Doo-Wops & Hooligans arrived the following year and went nine times platinum in America. Unorthodox Jukebox followed in 2012 and 24K Magic in 2016.

In 2021 he formed Silk Sonic with Anderson .Paak, and Leave the Door Open took both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, making Mars one of only two artists ever to win Record of the Year three times. Two duets in 2024, Die with a Smile with Lady Gaga and APT. with Rosé, returned him to the top of the charts without an album behind them. The Romantic arrived on February 27, 2026, his first solo record in ten years, and produced two number ones — I Just Might, the first song of his career to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Risk It All. He has sold over 150 million records worldwide.