Fangirl Friday: Bruno Mars

 Heyo! Bringing my blog back! So as my first post back why not talk about one of my favorite artists whose new album I'm working on a post for.

Edit of Bruno Mars I made, 2018

Bruno Mars is a multi-Grammy award winning singer, producer, and songwriter. Well-known for his own solo career, but lesser known for his work behind the scenes for other artists including but not limited to Adele, Sean Kingston, and even Alicia Keys.

I have been a fan of Bruno since 2009 and have not faltered. I know his entire discography by heart, even some of his unreleased songs. Release "I Was Only Dancing" or your versions of "Lost" and "All I Ask" you coward. He most likely never will because those songs are more Pop than his usual R&B/Pop style. I absolutely loved his music as soon as I first heard it. Even had a crush on him during my middle school years.

Fanart of Bruno Mars I made, 2018

I continued following his career as I got older, which ended up culminating in a fixation on him during my college years. It was to the point that I own three 24K Magic hats, watched the televised Apollo performance as my comfort movie and still to this day have the replica of his pinky ring that he sold as merch. I was deeply invested as a fan and still am. This year, he released The Romantic, which came out the day before my birthday and my aunt ended up surprising me with the album on vinyl.

Bruno is an incredibly talented songwriter, but also a phenomenal performer. If you've ever seen him perform, you know he's got killer moves, awesome musical skills, and a charismatic pull. Audiences can't help but keep their eyes on him when he's on stage. His stage presence is not something that can be taught. It's one of those things you either have, or you don't. Let's not forget that voice!

But what if I told you that he wasn't always the singer-songwriter, R&B/Pop icon he was today. Bruno, born and raised in Hawaii, actually got an early start in his performing career as "the world's littlest Elvis impersonator". Coming from a musical family, tiny Bruno would perform Elvis songs, dressed as The King. Of course, we are blessed with photos and videos as proof and he was absolutely adorable.

I have a Kinda Review of The Romantic in the works and will hopefully have it done to be posted soon. His debut album, Doo-Wops and Hooligans featured Damian Marley, B.o.B, and CeeLo Green. It has a special place in my heart. However, my favorite album of his is Unorthodox Jukebox, which he released in 2012. I cannot tell you why it's my favorite album, other than say it had inspired a lot of my writing over the years. What I most love about Bruno's music is he paints a story with his lyrics.

Every single time I've ever seen a clip of Bruno perform I become the Lady Gaga meme.

"Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, showstopper, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it." 

My favorite performance of his that I have rewatched so many times I've lost count - besides the televised Apollo performance -  is a tie between his first Superbowl Halftime Show performance, and a performance of "Runaway Baby" on X-Factor. As you can tell the Unorthodox Jukebox era is my favorite Bruno era. His first halftime performance is what actually turned me into a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan and also the reason I started caring about the halftime performances.

Of course, I cannot write a whole post about Bruno and his career without giving kudos to The Hooligans who have been his backing band since 2010 - so almost the beginning. A few members have left in recent times, but I feel like I need to specifically shout out Bruno's brother, drummer Eric Hernandez, and trombonist Kameron Whalum. Back when my Instagram was a Bruno fanpage, those two likes and reacted to my posts the most. I love and adore the whole band, past and present, but those to in particular have special places in my heart.

Bruno Mars and the Hooligans (c. 2017)

Also shout out to Bruno's parents Peter Hernandez and the late Bernadette Bayot who are the reasons he is so insanely talented. Not only was he born with the talent, but they both helped hone his skills. Fun fact: did you know Bruno's real name is Peter Gene Hernandez? The nickname "Bruno" was bestowed on him as a child for his resemblance to wrestler Bruno Sammartino and then when he entered the music industry, he adopted the last name Mars after executives mentioned that he should make Spanish music with a name like "Hernandez". I believe I heard or read in an interview he joked and said he took the name "Mars" because he is "out of this world" and I wholeheartedly agree.

My favorite Bruno Mars song is "Runaway Baby" with "Smokin' Out the Window" and "Lost" being honorable mentions. While Bruno never released his version of "Lost" which he wrote and gave to Latino boyband. Menudo, an unreleased recording of his version exists on the internet and I love it. Also, his version of "All I Ask" which he wrote for Adele lives rent free in my head.

If you're a fan of Bruno let me know your favorite album and favorite song!