Bruno Mars

I was never much of the romantic type and didn't give much relevance to days and stuffs like these but that day was different, I was in my room taking a nap when my phone rang, I reluctantly picked it without checking for the caller's ID but recognized the voice as soon as I heard it. It was my course mate and the only friend I had in school, he told me about his plans for Valentine with his girlfriend and that he asked her to come along with a friend of hers to come keep me company too. At first, I thought about rejecting the offer but decided against it, as I wasn't really doing anything at home apart from sleeping off my boredom, I took his offer and promised to join him real soon. I continued taking my nap for hours after the call until he called again that the girls were already at his place. I rushed out of bed, had my bath, dressed up in my favourite Tee and jeans and went off on a date I didn’t ask for. I finally got to his place, knocked at his door and waited for him to come and get the door, but I was taken aback when I realized it was a young pretty lady that came to open the door and was now staring at me in the face. At that moment, I didn't know which one overwhelmed me, her beauty, the sight of how beautiful my friend had set his room or the song that played from his sound system. My friend's voice brought me out of my trans-like state as he called me to stop staring and come in. I walked into the room, greeted my friend, his girl, and the pretty girl that opened the door for me. That song I heard at the door played again, guess it was on repeat until I could pick some of the lyrics apart. The part that got me the most was "And when you smile, the whole world stops and stare for a while". That was the first thing I said to the girl that opened the door for me and she smiled brightly when I told her, then I hit her more with the lyrics of a song I had never heard before until that day and she smiled even more because she could literally hear where i was taking my pick up lines from. We got engaged in a chat as the song continued playing in the background and it so synchronized with the mood and setting, so much that it felt like a movie. I later found out from my friend that the artiste name is Bruno Mars and that the title of the track was "Just the way you are" off his debut album Doo-Wops and Hooligans. I later bought the album myself and when I found some other songs like "Grenade" "Marry you" "Talking to the moon" "The Lazy song". I told myself "This is it, this is the guy". I became his biggest fan and would always look forward to songs that featured him and he never disappointed me for once. Bruno Mars released another album titled The Unorthodox Jukebox released on the 7th of December 2012. This album was my early Christmas gift and Bruno Mars was my Santa. It debuted at number 2 on the US billboard 200 and made impressive sales of 192,000 copies in the first week alone. It eventually went on to win Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

This is a success story. So a young man came to the City of Angels to get a piece of the big dream, well guess what? He got it! Peter Gene Hernandez, popularly known to us as Bruno Mars was born and raised in Hawaii. He came to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue a career in music. He got a record deal with Atlantic Records in 2009 but it wasn’t until 2010 when he featured in two successful singles "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy that he started making waves. He then went on to create his own production company that has earned him several awards for many great songs. Now let’s talk a little about the man that is Bruno Mars. You know how you sometimes look at a person and say “you are going to be a singer” that’s little Bruno. He started out as early as 5 years performing alongside his father and uncle, his music career was inevitable. He came from a family of singers and performers and that is evident in his music. Bruno Mars plays multiple musical instruments, does cool dance moves and has one of the most unique voices in the American music industry. Back to records and winning awards. In 2010, after giving us a taste of what he is really all about in the singles with B.o.B and Travie McCoy, Bruno Mars finally released his first studio album. It had us singing for months on end. Doo-Wops & Hooligans came packed with lots of goodies. The lead single from the album titled “Just The Way You Are” topped major charts for weeks on end. It was number one in the US, UK and Canada music charts. But Bruno did not stop there, shortly after releasing “Just The Way You Are”, he dropped another bomb, “Grenade”, which went on to top US, Canada and UK Hot 100 and many other charts around the world. Bruno Mars released the album on October 5, 2010, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200. In its first week alone, Doo-Wops & Hooligans sold over 55,000 copies in the US. It also became number one in many country’s music charts including Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and many other countries. Since its first release in 2010, the album has since sold over 6 million copies worldwide. The following year was the time for awards for Bruno. He won a Grammy award for the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Just The Way You Are”. “Nothing On You” also received six nominations. Lots of awards came rolling in after that for the album.

Bruno Mars is a staple in R&B. I mean he just is. It’s a simple fact. He released an album called Unorthodox Jukebox and I remember my friends talking about how it was their favorite album at that time. The album is amazing and fun. It is an album full of songs that are like go to karaoke songs. Like most albums, I am a big fan of a handful of the songs, while the others are still good these are the ones that stick in my head the most.

He can sing Pop, Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, disco, rock, R&B, reggae, he can rap, he can dance, he can do everything he proposes in the musical arena, does that make him a good artist? I don't think so, that makes him a genius!!!! I met him from the beginning of his career, and I understood the emphasis on Pop that both he and his manager put because they had to come with a proposal very light and fresh for teenagers, who would become the base of followers that today is faithful. As time went on, his music became more interesting for those of us who were passionate about the arrangements, the instrumentation, the genres that offer greater challenges for the composition and execution of instruments and everything became successful. One of the things I really appreciate about Bruno Mars is the fact of giving so much credit to the musicians in his band. They are not background like in the case of other solo artists, are protagonists in their concerts and videos. I think that Bruno's camaraderie and affection for his band is reflected in the interpretative quality of each of its members when it comes to executing its instrument on each disc. It Is good for an artist to recognize the talent and the loyalty of those around him, in the end, the public will appreciate it because good personal relationships are reflected on the stage. The coexistence between musicians is not easy, but fortunately I think that this situation is surpassed between Bruno and his band. Have passed through our ears The Grenade Sessions, It's Better If You Don't Understand, Doo - Wops & Hooligans, Unorthodox Jukebox and we got to 24K Magic, all this time and up to 2019 we've seen him collaborate with artists as successful as him and, of course, we have witnessed that madness called "Uptown Funk" in which he collaborated with Mark Ronson. There was not a corner of the earth that has not registered the name of Bruno Mars with that song and it is only up to him not to waste all that fame. A man prodigy who gives us in “24K Magic” the same rhythm of "Chunky", that the sweetness of "Straight Up & Down". This easy manner with which he gives the freedom to compose everything that he wants, makes him the most complete artist of the moment. No one can stop feeling seduced by a character with the characteristics of Bruno Mars.

I so wish I could go back in time and live in the real nineties as an adult, instead of a being a twinkle in my father’s eye. Hearing “Finesse” re-introduced me to In Living Color. I had seen old VHS tapes of the comedy show in the garage, and popped them in to this dusty ass player in my grandma’s room that she still would use on the regular. Jennifer Lopez got started as a dancer on that show, and Jim Carey and the Wayans too. So “Finesse” the remix comes out, bringing all those feelings back. I went on a YouTube ILC binge, and am so jealous that I never got to be a fly girl. If they ever reboot, I’m trying out. The album 24K Magic has the original “Finesse”, which is gold all by itself, and contains all of these classic R&B vibes that other musicians don’t even touch upon. We need more fun music like this to lighten up all of our days.

Why did I not like Bruno Mars for the longest time? I thought he was just some sappy pop performer who wrote silly love songs for silly girls to fall in love with. I didn’t really get the Doo-Wops & Hooligans era of his music, and with each single I was forced to listen to by radio, I just started hating more and more. I remember listening to Tyler the Creator’s “Yonkers” where he said the line “and stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus” and for some reason agreeing. Ah, adolescence. The wisdom that comes with growing up will teach you all about your former self. It took me this album 24K Magic to show me that Bruno Mars might be one of the greatest musical forces out there. Because of this album, I am now more interested in the music of The Gap Band, Charlie Wilson, S.O.S. Band, and George Clinton.