Look up Natasha in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Natasha (Russian: Ната́ша) is a Russian female given name, originally a pet name of Natalia, which in turn derives from the Latin Dies Natalies, meaning "Natal Day" or "Birthday" in reference to the traditional birth of Jesus. It was traditionally given to girls born around Christmas.^[1]

People named Natasha[link]

• Natasha Aguilar, Costa Rican freestyle swimmer
• Natasha Arthy, Danish director and producer
• Natasha Beaumont, actress born in Kuala Lumpur
• Natasha Bedingfield, British singer
• Natasha Booth, British singer and former Humanitarian Youth Ambassador in The Netherlands
• Natascha Börger, Miss Germany 2002, Miss Top Model of the World 2002 and Miss Baltic Sea 2002.
• Natasha Bradley, R&B/Pop singer
• Natasha Carpenter-Frank, unknown
• Natasha Chokljat, Australian netball player
• Natasha Collins, British actress & model
• Natasha Demkina, Russian girl who claimed to possess paranormal vision
• Natasha Desborough, radio presenter
• Natasha Eloi, Canadian television personality and videographer
• Natasha Fatah, Canadian Journalist
• Natasha Galkina, America's Next Top Model, Cycle 8 Runner Up
• Natasha Gregson Wagner, American actress
• Natasha Hall-McKenna, Guest on Playdays, circa 1989
• Natasha Hamilton, British singer
• Natasha Henstridge, Canadian film actress
• Natasha Kaiser, American athlete
• Natasha Kaplinsky, British news presenter
• Natasha Khan, British singer known under her stage name Bat For Lashes
• Natasha Klauss, Columbian actress
• Natasha Kuchiki, American pairs figure skater
• Natasha Law, English artist
• Natasha Lee, Australian actress born on the 19th of September, 1986
• Natasha Leggero, American stand-up comic and character actor
• Natasha Little, British actress
• Natasha Lyonne, American film actress
• Natasha Manley, Daughter of Jamaican political leader
• Natasha Marsh, Soprano Opera singer
• Natascha McElhone, British actress
• Natasha Melnick, American television and film actress
• Natasha Nic Gairbheith, former Miss Ireland
• Natasha Obama, (nicknamed Sasha) second daughter of Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, see Family of Barack Obama#Malia Ann Obama and Sasha Obama
• Natasha Poly, a Russian top model
• Natasha Pyne, British actress
• Natasha Ramaseshan, Journalist, Teacher, Lawyer, Marketing/PR
• Natasha Richardson, Tony Award-winning English actress and member of the Redgrave family
• Natasha Rocker, Artist, Cosplayer, and fursuiter
• Natasha Shneider, Russian musician
• Natasha Slayton, American actress
• Natasha St. Pier, Canadian singer
• Natasha Stillwell, TV host and producer
• Natasha Stott Despoja, Australian politician
• Natasha Watley, American softball player
• Natasha Wightman, British actress
• Natasha Yi, model and actress who gained national prominence in 1999
• Natasha Zlobina, Uzbekistan actress and model
• Natasha Zvereva, Belarusian tennis player
• Natasha O'Brien,English scientist
• Natasha Milet-Carty
• Natasa Prisaganec
• Natasha Wynarczyk
• Natasha Mahal

Fictional people named Natasha[link]

• Natasha Rostova, one of the main characters in War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
• Natasha Fatale, cartoon character in Rocky & Bullwinkle
• Natasha Yar, fictional character on Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Natasha, a female cleric in the video game Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones for the PSX
• Natasha, a Soviet Union commando in the video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
• Natasha Zabicov, the guard of Neo Russia's Argo Gulskii in Mobile Fighter G Gundam
• Natasha Andersen, fictional character in Hollyoaks
• Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, a fictional character from Marvel Comics
• Commander Natasha, fictional character in Raj Comics
• Princess Natasha, animation series
• Natasha Sax a fictional Russian character in the film Max Payne portrayed by Olga Kurylenko
• Natasha Ozera, a character from Vampire Academy.

Other Natashas[link]

• Natasha (monkey), macaque at the Safary Park zoo near Tel Aviv, Israel
• Natasha's Story, 1994 non-fiction book
• Where is Baby Natasha? A sesame street children's book
• "Natasha", a song on the 2003 album Want One by Rufus Wainwright
• Natacha (comics) a French comic about an air hostess
• Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian author who was kidnapped at the age of 10 years old
• Natascha is the name of an unlockable weapon in Team Fortress 2
• Natasha Leedham the girl with the same date born as the princess.
• Natasha, Inc., operator of the Japanese entertainment news website Natalie

Notes[link]

See also[link]

• Natalie
• Natacha
• Natasja

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

Natasha Bedingfield
Bedingfield at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of The Russian Winter
Background information
Birth name	Natasha Anne Bedingfield
Born	(1981-11-26) 26 November 1981 (age 30) Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Genres	Pop, R&B, pop rock, soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Phonogenic, Epic (US)
Associated acts	Simple Plan, Charice, Rascal Flatts, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Melissa Etheridge, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis
Website	www.natashabedingfield.com

Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Bedingfield recorded rock and gospel songs for the Hillsong London Church, while Daniel went on to enjoy success with hits "Gotta Get Thru This" and "If You're Not the One".

Bedingfield released her first album, Unwritten, in 2004. The album contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music;^[1] it enjoyed international success with more than 2.3 million copies sold worldwide^[2] and she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the title track "Unwritten".^[3] Bedingfield's second album, N.B. (2007), was less successful but yielded the UK top 10 singles "I Wanna Have Your Babies" and "Soulmate". N.B. was not released in North America, but six tracks from it were included with seven new ones and released in 2008 as her third studio album Pocketful of Sunshine, with the singles "Love Like This" and "Pocketful of Sunshine" earning success on the charts. In December 2010, Bedingfield released her third album in North America named Strip Me.

In 2012, VH1 ranked her #66 on the list of 100 Greatest Women in Music.^[4]

Early life[link]

Bedingfield was born in Sussex (later moving to the Lewisham, south London) to New Zealand-born Molly and John Bedingfield who worked in the international charity sector focused on inner-city projects in education, reconciliation, addiction rehab, and longterm community development, alongside local government initiatives and faith-based communities in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Natasha has three siblings: brothers Daniel, Joshua and a younger sister Nikola. Her interest in music was encouraged by her parents and she took guitar and piano lessons when she was younger.^{[5][not in citation given]} When Bedingfield was a teenager, she and her siblings, Daniel and Nikola, formed the dance/electronic group, The DNA Algorithm.^[6] The group provided Bedingfield with the opportunity to explore different musical genres and expand her songwriting abilities.^[7] She provided vocals for the group which primarily performed dance-pop music about independence and empowerment, themes that would later be found in her own solo compositions. At age 14, Natasha sang vocals on Origins Refined Intricacy (Steelyard Records).

Bedingfield attended a year at the University of Greenwich, where she studied psychology,^[5][8] then left to concentrate on singing and songwriting. At first she recorded demos in the garages of friends who had recording studios, which she presented to record companies.^{[9][not in citation given]} Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Bedingfield composed and recorded songs for the Hillsong London Church. In 2004, her recordings appeared on the church's live album Shout God's Fame and the children's album Jesus Is My Superhero by Hillsong Music Australia.^[10]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2003–06: Signing to Phonogenic and Unwritten

Bedingfield performing in 2006

Bedingfield was introduced to Phonogenic founder and A&R Paul Lisberg by the artist's manager Gary Wilson.^[11] Lisberg was not convinced by the demo songs presented, which had so far failed to attract any label interest, later telling HitQuarters: "[They] were good but weren’t right for us ... They were a bit like Holly Valance and Shakira, which we felt was too lightweight. She would probably have had hits with them, but I don’t know if she ever would have established herself as a true artist."^[11] Instead, it was when, at a meeting together, Lisberg heard her singing ability and creative vocal ad-libbing first-hand that he became excited by Bedingfield's potential. Label interest was later confirmed when a trial studio session together with writers Steve Kipner and Andrew Frampton produced songs that were in keeping with Lisberg's vision for Phonogenic.^[11] Bedingfield signed a recording contract with BMG UK & Ireland, through its imprint Phonogenic Records, in July 2003.^[11][12]

Her first album Unwritten was released in September 2004 and features collaborations with Steve Kipner, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lachey, James Reilly, Andrew Frampton, Wayne Wilkins, Kara DioGuardi, Guy Chambers, Patrick Leonard and the rapper Bizarre. The album contained uptempo pop rock songs and influences from R&B music.^[1] Bedingfield's lyrics focused on independence, opportunism and female empowerment.^[5] Reviews of the album were generally positive^{[citation needed]} and it was described as a "well-made pop album for the new millennium" by Allmusic.^[1] The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number one and reached the top thirty in the United States.^[13] It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United Kingdom^[14] and Gold status in the US^[15] The first single released from the album was "Single", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.^[16] The song's lyrics, and its accompanying music video, depict Bedingfield's single lifestyle.^[17] "These Words" was released as the album's second single. The song became Bedingfield's first UK number one and US top twenty single.^[18] "Unwritten" was released as the album's third single in 2004, the song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and it also became the most played song on US radio in 2006.^[19] "I Bruise Easily" was released as the album's fourth single, it did not perform as well as its predecessors but was still a moderate success, reaching number twelve on the UK Singles Chart.

At the 2005 Brit Awards, Bedingfield was nominated for four awards, though did not win any of her nominated categories. She was also nominated for an award at the 2006 Brit Awards, and in 2007 she was nominated for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" at the 2007 Grammy Awards, though was again unsuccessful in winning in any of her nominated categories. Her Song Unwritten is the theme tune of MTV's the hills^[3][20]

[edit] 2007–08: N.B. and Pocketful of Sunshine

Bedingfield performing in Georgia in 2008

Bedingfield's second album N.B. was released in Europe in April 2007. In North America (the US and Canada), the album was released under the title "Pocketful of Sunshine" in January 2008. The album received mixed reviews by critics and peaked at number nine in the UK. "I Wanna Have Your Babies", the album's lead single, was about finding the right man to father her children and was criticised by fans and critics alike.^[21] The song was moderately successful, reaching number seven in the UK, number eight in Ireland and the top fifty in various other markets.^[22] "Soulmate" was released as the album's second single on 2 July 2007 and also peaked at number seven in the UK.^[23] To promote N.B., Bedingfield embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour in May 2007, supporting Justin Timberlake.^{[24][not in citation given]}

The North American version of her second album featured six songs from N.B.. The album was released on 22 January 2008, after the lead single, "Love like This", was released in September 2007 and charted at #11 on the Billboard hot 100.^{[citation needed]} The title track was released as the second single in February 2008. The single peaked at #5 on the Billboard hot 100.^{[citation needed]} On 18 January 2008, Bedingfield's UK tour was cancelled for the second time, one month before it was supposed to start, so she could spend more time promoting her album in the U.S.^[25] In August 2008, Bedingfield and other singers including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Melissa Etheridge, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, and Mariah Carey recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up" produced by Babyface and L. A. Reid, to support "Stand Up to Cancer". On 5 September, the singers performed it live on TV.^[26]

[edit] 2009–2011: Strip Me and Strip Me Away

Bedingfield at Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2009

Bedingfield stated on her blog that she would start work on her new album in early 2009.^[27] She was confirmed to be writing for the new album while on holiday in New Zealand; she said "I'm here for a couple of weeks to do a bit of writing. It is such an inspiring place to write music. I love coming here as often as I can, usually once a year to fuel up on ideas for my next album".^[28] She also confirmed she was working with Brian Kennedy, who produced/co wrote Rihanna's hit single "Disturbia" and was writing songs with him while on tour^[29][30] with a view to having the album released by the end of 2009.^[31] Bedingfield also stated that Wyclef Jean, Sam Sparro and Mike Elizondo would be working on the record.^[32]

Bedingfield confirmed that the album would be ready for fall 2010.^[33] In an interview with IN:DEMAND Producer, Ryan Tedder said "I'm gonna try and bring Natasha Bedingfield back here in the UK with some quirky, kinda weird stuff".^[34] On 18 March Natasha stated on her official site that she was in L.A. and she was putting the finishing touches on her album.^[35] "Touch", the lead single from the album, was made available as a digital download 18 May 2010. Bedingfield performed the song on the The Ellen Degeneres Show on 24 May 2010.^[36] "Touch" was officially sent to US radio stations on 29 June 2010.^[37][38] On 15 July Bedingfield announced via Twitter that the title of her new album would be Strip Me. The album was originally scheduled for release on 9 November 2010, but was released on 7 December.^[39] The second single, also titled "Strip Me", was sent to US radio on 30 August 2010 and it became available as a digital download on 21 September 2010.^[40] It was written by Bedingfield, Ryan Tedder and Wayne Wilkins.Bedingfield appeared on rapper Nicki Minaj's debut album Pink Friday on a track called "Last Chance", and on Rascal Flatts' new album Nothing Like This on a track called "Easy", released as the album's third single. On 31 December 2010 / 1 January 2011, Natasha appeared on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.

In 2010, Natasha joined forces with Avon as a celebrity judge for Avon Voices,^[41] Avon’s first ever global, online singing talent search for women and songwriting competition for men and women.

On 6 April 2011, Natasha visited Radio Hamburg and confirmed that the song "Pocketful of Sunshine" (originally the second single from her US album "Pocketful of Sunshine") will be the first European single from the forthcoming European release of Strip Me. The European version of Strip Me will be called Strip Me Away. The lead single "Pocketful of Sunshine" was released on 13 May in Germany. The album "Strip Me Away" will be released in June.^[42]

Bedingfield was featured on Simple Plan's new single from their new album Get Your Heart On!, released on 21 June 2011. The song, "Jet Lag" was released on 26 April 2011 as the band's first single from their fourth album.^[43]

On 5 July, Bedingfield performed her song "Weightless" from her "Strip Me" album on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Filipina singer Charice confirmed that Bedingfield has written a song for her called "Lighthouse", which is included on her second studio album Infinity.^[44]

On 9 November 2011, Bedingfield wowed American audiences when she joined Rascal Flatts to perform "Easy," on the Country Music Awards show on ABC.

Bedingfield has released a Christmas song 'Shake Up Christmas',^[45] which has been confirmed to be on the 2011 Coca-Cola Christmas television advertisements.^[46]

[edit] 2012–present: Upcoming fourth studio album

As of April, 2012, Bedingfield announced that she's working on her fourth studio album, mentioning her plans to release the album worldwide,^[47] not just focusing on America.

Non-musical projects[link]

Bedingfield has donated time and money to organizations such as the Global Angels, an international children's charity founded by her mother, Molly Bedingfield.^[48][49] She became associated with the organization in 2006 and said she hoped to help "people around the world, particularly children, who live in conditions that would horrify us".^[50]

Bedingfield is now an ambassador for Global Angels and in November 2006 she visited India for three weeks in support of the charity. She visited an orphanage in Kolkata and a refugee camp for former child prostitutes in Mumbai to learn more about the situation and the conditions in these areas. Bedingfield later expressed her shock at what she had witnessed.^[51] Video diaries filmed during her trip were posted on her official website in early 2007.^{[52][not in citation given]} She is also an advocate for Stop the Traffik, a global coalition which works to end human trafficking^[48] and a member of the (RED) campaign.^[5] In a 2008 rockumentary, Call+Response, headed by Justin Dillon, Bedingfield performed acoustic versions of "Unwritten" and "Soulmate" in support of the film's cause: a movement against current slavery and human trafficking.^{[53][not in citation given]}

In 2004, Bedingfield showed interest in acting and made her début in the James Bond video game From Russia with Love in November 2005. She voiced the character Elizabeth Stark, the British Prime Minister's daughter who is kidnapped in the opening sequence.^[54] Bedingfield commented that she would like to do more acting, but only if the film "was good enough, and it was a role that [would] fit me."^[54] Bedingfield has yet to be offered any more acting work.

She has made an appearance in the seventh season finale of the hit Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next Generation.^[55] Bedingfield also guest starred on Nickelodeon's mockumentary series The Naked Brothers Band's Christmas Special, alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Leon Thomas III. She has made guest appearances on the NBC series Lipstick Jungle.^[56] More recently, she guest starred on Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP in November 2009. She sang the song "These Words".

In 2012, Bedingfield made an appearance in the fourth season of Web Therapy.^[57]

Personal life[link]

In 2006, the media incorrectly reported that Bedingfield was dating Nick Lachey and Maroon 5 lead singer, Adam Levine. Referring to the media reports, Bedingfield commented that "Adam is lovely but I didn't date him or Nick. As soon as you talk to a famous guy, you're immediately linked with him."^[58] Bedingfield is married to Matt Robinson,^[59] a businessman from California. The couple wed in Malibu on 21 March 2009.^[59]

She lists Audrey Hepburn, Debbie Harry and Brigitte Bardot as her "celebrity style icons".^[60]

Discography[link]

Worldwide releases

• Unwritten (2004)

North American releases

• Pocketful of Sunshine (2008)
• Strip Me (2010)

European releases

• N.B. (2007)
• Strip Me Away (2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

Bedingfield's debut album Unwritten contains primarily uptempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music.^[1] It enjoyed international success with over three million copies sold worldwide.^[61] In 2007, she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for the song "Unwritten", the third single from the album of the same name.^[3] Bedingfield's second album N.B. yielded the singles "Soulmate"; "Say It Again"; and "I Wanna Have Your Babies", written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Wayne Wilkins, Andrew Frampton, and Steve Kipner.^[62] Bedingfield has received four nominations from the BRIT Awards but has won none.^[63] As of July 2008, she has won five awards from eleven nominations.

BRIT Awards[link]

The BRIT Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. Bedingfield has received four nominations.^[63]

BT Digital Music Awards[link]

The BT Digital Music Awards honour music distributed digitally by methods such as mobile devices, online downloads, and blogging. Bedingfield has won one award.^[64]

Capital FM Awards[link]

The Capital FM Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Capital 95.8, a London radio station owned by GCap Media. Bedingfield has won two awards from two nominations.^[65]

Glamour Awards[link]

The Glamour Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by Glamour, a women's magazine. Bedingfield has won one award.^[66]

Grammy Awards[link]

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bedingfield has received one nomination.^[3][67]

MTV Europe Music Awards[link]

The MTV Europe Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1994 by MTV Europe. Bedingfield has received one nomination.^[68]

TMF Awards[link]

The TMF Awards is an annual television awards show broadcast live on The Music Factory. Bedingfield has received one award.^[69]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Natasha Bedingfield

	Book: Natasha Bedingfield
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• NatashaBedingfield.com – Natasha Bedingfield official website

JD Natasha
Also known as	Natasha Jeannette Dueñas
Origin	Kendall, Florida, USA
Genres	Pop Rock Alternative Latin
Years active	2004–present
Labels	EMI EMI Televisa Music
Associated acts	Fancy Me Yet
Website	Official Site

JD Natasha (born Natasha Jeannette Dueñas on February 27, 1988 in Kendall, Florida) is a Latin Pop Musician.

Early life[link]

JD Natasha was born to an Argentine father and a cuban American mother. She is the second of four children, sister of Jonathan Duenas (Jae Coop), and grew up in Miami, Florida. She graduated from Coral Reef Senior High School. She started singing in her Church Choir at five and wrote her first song at 11.^[1]

According to her Official website she attributes much of her musical style to a musical aunt of hers who exposed her to Classic rock.^[2]

Career[link]

JD Natasha released her Debut Album Imperfecta-Imperfect on July 13, 2004, under the EMI International Record label. The album with tracks in both English and Spanish caused her to be immediately likened to other Latin Artists who have crossed over in to the English Speaking American Market. An item of note is that JD Natasha did not build up a Latin American fan base then release albums in English but released her debut album in both markets at around the same time. Her album has received a Parental Advisory Label by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In May 2008, Natasha formed the indie-rock act Fancy Me Yet with additional members Alex Darren and Chris Bernard. ^[3]

In 2011, one of her songs was featured on a soap opera by Mun2

References[link]

1. ^ Young Star News - "Young Star News". http://www.youngstarnews.com/news/040806-001-natasha.htm. 
2. ^ JD Natasha Official Web Site - "JD Natasha Official Web Site". http://www.natashaville.com/portal/hgxpp001.aspx?15,1,6,O,E,0,15. 
3. ^ Fancy Me Yet Official Site - "Fancy Me Yet Official Site". http://fancymeyet.com/meet-band. 

External links[link]

• JD Natasha Label Page
• Fancy Me Yet Official MySpace Page

Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars performing in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 19, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Peter Gene Hernandez
Born	(1985-10-08) October 8, 1985 (age 26)[1] Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Genres	Reggae fusion, pop, soul, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, model, dancer
Instruments	Vocals, drums, guitar, keyboard, bass, piano, harmonica
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Atlantic, Elektra
Associated acts	The Smeezingtons
Website	www.brunomars.com

Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age. He performed in various musical venues in his hometown throughout his childhood. He graduated from high school and then moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a musical career. Mars produced songs for other artists, joining production team The Smeezingtons.

Mars had an unsuccessful stint with Motown Records, but then signed with Atlantic Records in 2009. He became recognized as a solo artist after lending his vocals and co-writing the hooks for the songs "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B, and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. He also co-wrote the hits "Right Round" by Flo Rida featuring Ke$ha, and "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan. In October 2010, he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Anchored by the worldwide number-one singles "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade", the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.^[2] Mars was nominated for seven Grammys at the 53rd Grammy Awards, winning Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are".

Mars' music is noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, and contains elements of many musical genres. He has worked with an assortment of artists from various genres. Mars acknowledges the influences that his collaborations have had on his own music. As a child, he was highly influenced by artists such as Little Richard,^[3] Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. Mars also incorporates reggae and Motown inspired sounds into his work. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times referred to Mars as "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop."^[4] Worldwide, Mars became the best-selling digital artist in 2011. He had three singles in the top ten, including first place with "Just The Way You Are," which sold 12.5 million copies.^[5] Mars won Best International Male Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards in 2012.^[6] Bruno Mars has sold 5 million albums and 36 million singles worldwide.^[7]

Early life[link]

Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8th, 1985, and raised in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii, by parents Pete Hernandez, of Puerto Rican descent, and Bernadette "Bernie," a Filipina.^{[8][9][10][11]} His mother emigrated to Hawaii from the Philippines as a child and his father moved to the island from Brooklyn, New York.^[12] Mars' parents met while performing in a show, where his mother was a hula dancer and his father played percussion.^[12] At the age of two, he was nicknamed "Bruno" by his father, because of his resemblance to legendary professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.^[13]

Mars was one of six children and came from a musical family who exposed him to a diverse mix of reggae, rock, hip hop, and R&B.^[14][15] In addition to being a dancer, his mother was a singer and his father used his musical ability to perform Little Richard rock n roll music.^[3] Mars' uncle was an Elvis impersonator. By the age of three his uncle had Mars up on the stage performing. He also performed songs by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and The Temptations.^[10] At age four, Mars began performing five days a week with his family's band, The Love Notes, in which he became known on the island for his impersonation of Presley.^[16]

In 1990, Mars was featured in MidWeek as "Little Elvis", going on to have a cameo in the film Honeymoon in Vegas in 1992.^[10][17] He later reflected on the influence Presley had on his music: "I watch the best. I'm a big fan of Elvis. I'm a big fan of 1950s Elvis when he would go on stage and scare people because he was a force and girls would go nuts! You can say the same thing for Prince or The Police. It's just guys who know that people are here to see a show, so I watch those guys and I love studying them because I'm a fan."^[18] In 2010, he also acknowledged his Hawaiian roots and musical family as an influence, explaining, "Growing up in Hawaii made me the man I am. I used to do a lot of shows in Hawaii with my father's band. Everybody in my family sings, everyone plays instruments...I've just been surrounded by it."^[19] In 2003, shortly after graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School at the age of seventeen, Mars moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a musical career.^[10][17] He adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him, adding "Mars" at the end because "I felt like I didn't have [any] pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars."^[20]

Career[link]

[edit] 2004–10: Career beginnings and It's Better If You Don't Understand

Bruno Mars performing in Houston, Texas in November 2010.

Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mars signed to Motown Records in 2004, in a deal that "went nowhere".^[21] However, Mars' experience with Motown proved to be beneficial to his career when he met songwriter and producer Philip Lawrence, who was also signed to the label. Mars, Lawrence, and engineer Ari Levine began writing songs together, and formed the production team The Smeezingtons.^[21] In 2006, Lawrence introduced Mars to his future manager at Atlantic Records, Aaron Bay-Schuck.^[22] After hearing him play a couple of songs on the guitar, Bay-Schuck wanted to sign him immediately, but it took about three years for Atlantic records to finally sign Mars to the label.^[22] In the meantime, Bay-Schuck hired Mars and the Smeezingtons to write and produce songs for the label's artists.^[22] According to Bay-Schuck in an interview with HitQuarters, Mars had stated that although his ultimate goal was to be a solo artist, he was willing to write and produce for other artists, both to help improve his songwriting and help him discover the type of artist he ultimately wanted to be.^[22] Bay-Schuck credits this as a period of "self-discovery" that contributed significantly to Mars' later success.^[22]

Before becoming a successful solo artist, Hernandez was an acknowledged music producer, writing songs for Alexandra Burke, Travie McCoy, Adam Levine, Brandy, Sean Kingston, and Flo Rida.^[14][23] He also co-wrote the Sugababes' hit song "Get Sexy" and provided backing vocals on their album Sweet 7.^[24][25] His first musical appearance as a singer was in Far East Movement's second studio album Animal, featured on the track "3D".^[26] He was also featured on pastor and hip hop artist Jaeson Ma's debut single "Love" in August 2009.^[27][28] He reached prominence as a solo artist after being featured on and co-writing B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire"; both songs peaked within the top ten of many charts worldwide.^{[29][30][31][32]} He said of them, "I think those songs weren't meant to be full-sung songs. If I'd sung all of "Nothin' on You", it might've sounded like some '90s R&B." Following this success, Mars released his debut extended play (EP), titled It's Better If You Don't Understand, on May 11, 2010.^[33] The EP peaked at the 99th position on the Billboard 200 and produced one single, "The Other Side", featuring singers Cee Lo Green and B.o.B.^[34][35] Mars collaborated with Green once more in August 2010 by co-writing his single "Fuck You!". He performed a medley of "Nothin' on You" and "Airplanes" with B.o.B and Hayley Williams at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.^[36]

[edit] 2010–present: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Bruno Mars' debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, was released digitally on October 4, and saw its physical release on October 5, 2010.^[37][38] The lead single, "Just the Way You Are", was released on July 19, 2010,^[39] and has reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as several other charts worldwide.^[40][41] The music video was released on September 8, 2010.^[42] The second single, "Grenade", was released September 28, 2010, and has also seen successful international chart performance.^[43][44] In the United States, Doo-Wops & Hooligans debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 for the week of October 13, 2010, selling 55,000 copies.^[2] The album also received generally positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt praised Mars for his "instant-access melodies" and "sly snatches of dance-floor swagger", but noted weaknesses in songs deviant from his conventional pop and soul genres.^[45] He opened for Maroon 5 on the fall leg of the Hands All Over Tour starting October 6, 2010 and co-headlined with McCoy on a European tour starting October 18, 2010.^[38]

On September 19, 2010, Mars was arrested in Las Vegas for possession of cocaine.^[46] When talking to a police officer, Mars reportedly stated that what he did was "foolish" and that "he has never used drugs before".^[47][48] Mars pled guilty to felony drug possession, and in return for his plea, he was told that the charges would be erased from his criminal record as long as he stayed out of trouble for a year, paid a $2,000 fine, did 200 hours of community service and completed a drug counseling course.^[49]

On February 13, 2011, Mars won his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, having received six nominations; Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Nothin' on You", Record of the Year for "Nothin' on You" and "Fuck You", Song of the Year for "Fuck You", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 53rd Grammy Awards.

On September 16, 2011, Bad Meets Evil released their single, "Lighters", which featured Mars in the song. The song was met with mixed reviews from critics and many criticized Mars for doing this type of song.^[50] On September 22, 2011, it was announced on Mars' website that his new song "It Will Rain" will appear on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which was released on November 8.^[51] On October 30, 2011, Mars gave an exclusive performance of "Runaway Baby" on the results show of The X Factor UK, the same day that Mars received six nominations for a Grammy Award; Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Grenade", and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 54th Grammy Awards. During the ceremony, Mars performed "Runaway Baby" but he did not win any awards as Adele won in all the categories he was nominated in and also lost to Paul Epworth for Producer of the Year.

Mars has confirmed on Twitter that his work on his second album has begun.^[52] On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Mars had signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis US.^[53]

Musical style[link]

Mars performing on November 24, 2010. Mars plays several instruments including piano, guitar, bass and congas.^[54]

Mars' music has been noted for displaying a wide variety of styles and influences, including pop,^[55] rock,^[55] reggae,^[55] R&B,^[56] soul,^[45] and hip hop.^[57] His co-producer Philip Lawrence says, "What people don't know is there's a darker underbelly to Bruno Mars." Mars himself says, "I blame that on me singing to girls back in high school."^[58] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called him "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop, with a light, soul-influenced voice that’s an easy fit in a range of styles, a universal donor."^[4] Mars was initially influenced by R&B artists such as Keith Sweat, Jodeci and R. Kelly, as well as 1950s rock 'n' roll and Motown.^[59] In high school, he began listening to classic rock groups such as The Police, Led Zeppelin, and the Beatles.^[59] All of these genres of music have influenced Mars' musical style; he observed that "It’s not easy to [create] songs with that mixture of rock and soul and hip-hop, and there’s only a handful of them."^[59] Mars also stated that he is a fan of Alicia Keys, Jessie J, Jack White and The Saturdays.^[60]

In addition, Mars claims that his work with other artists influenced his musical style, saying that "'Nothin' on You' had a Motown vibe, 'Billionaire' was a reggae acoustic guitar-driven song, though one of my favorites is the Cee-Lo [Green] song ['Fuck You']. I don't think anyone else could've sung that song. And there's 'Just the Way You Are.' If you know my story, you know I love all different genres of music."^[61] He cites doo-wop as a major influence on his music, referring to the genre as "just straightforward love songs – so charming and simple and romantic."^[61] In addition, Mars states that growing up in Hawaii influenced his music, giving the songs a reggae sound. He explains that "In Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley. That music brings people together. It's not urban music or pop music. It's just songs. That's what makes it cross over so well. The song comes first."^[12] Lyrically, many of Mars' songs have been described as "feel-good", carefree, and optimistic,^[62] however, darker subjects are addressed in songs such as "Grenade", "Liquor Store Blues", and "Talking to the Moon", which detail failed relationships and self-destructive behavior.^[45][63]

Discography[link]

• Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
• TBA (2012)

Tours[link]

• Doo-Wops & Hooligans tour (2010–2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]