Makassar ᨀᨚᨈ ᨆᨀᨔᨑ Kota Makassar
City of Makassar
Losari Beach (top), Masjid Raya Makassar (center), Makassar skyline (bottom left), and Hasanuddin International Airport (bottom right)
Official seal of Makassar Seal
Nickname(s): "Kota Daeng"
Motto: Sekali Layar Terkembang Pantang Biduk Surut Ke Pantai
Makassar Location of Makassar in Sulawesi
Coordinates: 5°8′S 119°25′E / 5.133°S 119.417°E / -5.133; 119.417
Country	Indonesia
Province	South Sulawesi
City	9 November 1607 belasan
Government
• Mayor	Ir.H.Ilham Arief Sirajuddin,MM.
• Deputy Mayor	Supomo Guntur
Area
• Total	175.77 km2 (67.87 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,334,090
• Density	7,600/km2 (20,000/sq mi)
	2010 decennial census
Time zone	WITA (UTC+8)
• Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	+62 411
Twin cities
• Qingdao	China
• Hakodate	Japan
• Wellington	New Zealand
• Aden	Yemen
• Samarinda	Indonesia
• Lismore	Australia
• Peshawar	Pakistan
• Banjarmasin	Indonesia
Website	www.makassarkota.go.id www.visitmakassar.net

Makassar, (Buginese-Makassarese language: ᨀᨚᨈ ᨆᨀᨔᨑ sometimes spelled Macassar, Mangkasara) is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably. The port city is located at 5°8′S 119°25′E / 5.133°S 119.417°E / -5.133; 119.417Coordinates: 5°8′S 119°25′E / 5.133°S 119.417°E / -5.133; 119.417, on the southwest coast of the island of Sulawesi, facing the Makassar Strait.

Its area is 175.77 km² and has population of around 1.4 million.^[1]

History[link]

Beginning in the sixteenth century, Makassar was the dominant trading center of eastern Indonesia, and soon became one of the largest cities in island Southeast Asia. The Makassarese kings maintained a policy of free trade, insisting on the right of any visitor to do business in the city, and rejecting the attempts of the Dutch to establish a monopoly over the city.^[2]

The trade in spices figured prominently in the history of Sulawesi, which involved frequent struggles between rival native and foreign powers for control of the lucrative during the pre-colonial and colonial period, when spices from the region were in high demand in the West. Much of South Sulawesi's early history was written in old texts that can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries.

The first European settlers were the Portuguese sailors. When the Portuguese reached Sulawesi in 1511, they found Makassar a thriving cosmopolitan entre-port where Chinese, Arabs, Indians, Siamese, Javanese, and Malays came to trade their manufactured metal goods and fine textiles for precious pearls, gold, copper, camphor and spices - nutmeg, cloves and mace imported from the interior and the neighbouring Spice Islands of Maluku. By the 16th century, Makassar had become Sulawesi's major port and centre of the powerful Gowa and Tallo sultanates which between them had a series of 11 fortresses and strongholds and a fortified sea wall which extended along the coast.^[2]

The arrival of the Dutch in the early 17th century, altered events dramatically. Their first objective was to create a hegemony over the spice trade and their first move was to capture the fort of Makassar in 1667, which they rebuilt and renamed Fort Rotterdam. From this base they managed to destroy the strongholds of the Sultan of Gowa who was then forced to live on the outskirts of Makassar. Following the Java War (1825–1830), Prince Diponegoro was exiled to Fort Rotterdam until his death in 1855.^[3]

The character of this old trading centre changed as a walled city known as Vlaardingen grew, a place where slaves were at the bidding of the imposing foreigners. Gradually, in defiance of the Dutch, the Arabs, Malays and Bugis returned to trade outside the grim fortress walls and later also the Chinese.

The town again became a collecting point for the produce of eastern Indonesia - the copra, rattan, pearls, trepang and sandalwood and the famous oil made from bado nuts used in Europe as men's hair dressing - hence the anti-macassars (embroidered cloths placed at head rests of upholstered chairs).

Although the Dutch controlled the coast, it was not until the early 20th century that they gained power over the interior of the south through a series of treaties with local rulers. Meanwhile Dutch missionaries converted many of the Toraja people to Christianity. By 1938, the population of Makassar had reached around 84,000 - a town described by writer Joseph Conrad as "the prettiest and perhaps, cleanest looking of all the towns in the islands".

In World War II the Makassar area was defended by approximately 1000 men of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army commanded by Colonel M. Vooren. He decided he couldn't defend on the coast and was planning to fight a guerilla war inland. The Japanese landed near Makassar on 9 February 1942. The defenders retreated but were soon overtaken & captured.^[4]

Following the Indonesian National Revolution in 1950, Makassar was the site of fighting between pro-Federalist forces under Captain Abdul Assiz and Republican forces under Colonel Sunkono during the Makassar Uprising.^[5] By the 1950s, the population had increased to such a degree that many of the historic sites gave way to modern development and today you need to look very carefully to find the few remains of the city's once grand history.

Further, tolerant religious attitudes meant that even as Islam became the dominant faith in the region, Christians and others were still able to trade in the city. With these attractions, Makassar was a key center for Malays working in the spice trade, as well as a valuable base for European and Arab traders from much further afield.

Economy[link]

Bank Rakyat Indonesia's Makassar Branch Office, one of the largest banks operated in the city.

The city is southern Sulawesi's primary port, with regular domestic and international shipping connections. It is nationally famous as an important port of call for the pinisi boats, sailing ships which are among the last in use for regular long-distance trade.

During the colonial era, the city was famous for being the namesake of Makassar oil, which it exported in great quantity. Makassar ebony is a warm black hue, streaked with tan or brown tones, and highly prized for use in making fine cabinetry and veneers.

Nowadays, as the largest city in Sulawesi Island and Eastern Indonesia, the city's economy depends highly on service sectors with approximately 70% from total share. Restaurant and hotel service are the largest contributor (29.14%), followed by transportation and communication (14.86%), trading (14.86), finance (10.58%). Industry follows behind service with 21.34%.^[6]

Contact with Australia[link]

Makassar is also a major fishing center in Sulawesi. One of its major industries is the trepang (sea cucumber) industry. Trepang fishing brought the Makassan people into contact with the Yolŋu people of Northern Australia.

C. C. MacKnight in his 1976 work entitled Voyage to Marege: Macassan Trepangers in Northern Australia has shown that they began frequenting the north of Australia some time around 1700 in search of trepang (sea-slug, sea cucumber, Beche-de-mer) an edible Holothurian. They left their waters during the North-west Monsoon in December or January for what is now Arnhem Land, Marege or Marega and to the Kimberley region or Kayu Djawa. They returned home with the South-east Trades in April.^[7] A fleet of between 24 and 26 Macassan prahus was seen in 1803 by the French explorers under Nicolas Baudin on the Holothuria Banks in the Timor Sea. In February 1803, Matthew Flinders in the Investigator met six prahus with 20-25 men each on board and was told that there were 60 prahus then on the north Australian coast. They were fishing for trepang and appeared to have only a small compass as a navigation aid. In June 1818 Macassan trepang fishing was noted by Phillip Parker King in the vicinity of Port Essington in the Arafura Sea. In 1864 R.J. Sholl, then resident magistrate for the European settlement at Camden Sound (near Augustus Island in the Kimberley region) observed seven ‘Macassan’ prahus with around 300 men on board. He believed that they made kidnapping raids and ranged as far south as Roebuck Bay (later Broome) where ‘quite a fleet’ was seen around 1866. Sholl believed that they did not venture south into other areas such as Nickol Bay (where the European pearling industry commenced around 1865) due to the absence of trepang in those waters. The Macassan voyages appear to have ceased sometime in the late nineteenth century and their place was taken by other sailors operating from elsewhere in the Indonesian Archipelago.

Transportation[link]

Makassar has a public transportation system called 'pete-pete'. A pete-pete (known elsewhere in Indonesia as angkot) is a mini-bus that has been modified to carry passengers. The route of Makassar's pete-petes is denoted by the letter on the windshield. Makassar is famous for their "becak" (pedicab) which is smaller than the "becak" in the island of Java. In Makassar, people who drive pedicab are called Daeng. The city airport is Hasanuddin International Airport which is actually located outside the Makassar city administration area. It is formally located in the regency of Maros. In addition to "becak" and "pete-pete", the city has government-run bus system, and taxis.

January 2012: A limited capacity of the currently dock at Soekarno-Hatta sea port will be expanded to 150x30 square meters to overcome queing of at least two ships every day.^[8]

A 35-kilometer monorail in the areas of Makassar, Maros, Sungguminasa, and Takalar (Mamminasata) will be realised in 2014 with cost predicted Rp.4 trillion ($468 million). The memorandum of understanding has been signed in 25 July 2011 by Makassar city, Maros Regency and Gowa Regency.^[9][10]

Landmarks[link]

Mosque in Makassar

Makassar is home to several prominent landmarks including the 16th century Dutch fort Fort Rotterdam, Trans Studio Makassar—the third largest indoor theme park in the world and the Karebosi Link—the first underground shopping center in Indonesia.

Traditional food[link]

Makassar has several famous traditional foods. The most famous is Coto Makassar. It is a stew made from the mixture of nuts and spices with beef parts which include beef brain, tongue and intestine. Konro rib dish is also popular traditional food in Makassar. Both Coto Makassar and Konro are usually eaten with Burasa, a glutinous rice with coconut milk and sauted coconut granule.

In addition, Makassar is the home of pisang epe, or pressed bananas. These are bananas which are pressed, grilled, and covered with palm sugar sauce and sometimes eaten with Durian. Many street vendors sell pisang epe, especially around the area of Losari beach.

Tourism[link]

Since 9 September 2009, Makassar was home to the Trans Kalla—the biggest indoor theme park in Southeast Asia and third largest in the world.^[11] The theme park was created by a joint company between Trans TV and former Vice President Jusuf Kalla's company Kalla Group. Beside the Theme Park, it also has a tourist resort, a marina, a bank office, and a shopping center which will be completed around 2012. The theme park is located in Tanjung Bunga. The local government is planning to build a CPI which includes the Presidential House near the theme park.

In July 2010, the first exclusive shopping centre Trans Studio Mall which is just inside the complex was opened. Some famous brands opening shops in the mall were Hugo Boss, Armani Jeans, Aigner, Mothercare, Mango, Tod's, Miu Miu, and Francesco Biasia. Other brands opened temporary stores to assess the market. This is the first shopping mall to have medium to high range stores and the target market is the people from eastern Indonesia.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Makassar

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Makassar
• GKKA YPKZion
• Indonesia Official Tourism Website

References[link]

External links[link]

• L, Klemen (1999-2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942". http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/index.html. 
• MacKnight, C.C., Voyage to Marege. Macassan Trepangers in Northern Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1976.
• Reid, Anthony. 1999. Charting the shape of early modern Southeast Asia. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books. ISBN 974-7551-06-3. pp. 100–154.
• McCarthy, M., 2000, Indonesian divers in Australian waters. The Great Circle, vol. 20, No.2:120-137.
• Turner, S. 2003: Indonesia’s Small Entrepreneurs: Trading on the Margins. London, RoutledgeCurzon [ISBN 0 7007 1569 X] 288pp. Hardback.
• Turner, S. 2007: Small-Scale Enterprise Livelihoods and Social Capital in Eastern Indonesia: Ethnic Embeddedness and Exclusion. Professional Geographer. 59 (4), 407-20.

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v t e Regencies and cities of South Sulawesi Capital: Makassar Regencies Bantaeng Barru Bone Bulukumba Enrekang Gowa Jeneponto Luwu East Luwu North Luwu Maros Pangkajene Islands Pinrang Selayar Islands Sinjai Sidenreng Rappang Soppeng Takalar Tana Toraja Wajo North Toraja Cities Makassar Palopo Pare-Pare See also: List of regencies and cities of Indonesia

Romina Francesca Power (born October 2, 1951) is an American-born singer and actress.

Biography[link]

Born in Los Angeles, California, Romina Power is the eldest daughter of American actor Tyrone Power and his second wife, actress Linda Christian.

After her parents divorced in 1956 her mother took Romina and her sister Taryn to live all around the world but mainly in Mexico and Italy where she and her sister spent much of their childhood, although Romina attended college in England.^[1]

Her interest in music was evoked in her childhood by American musicals from the 1950s, Mexican Mariachi bands and Italian music from the 1960s. In her early teens Power discovered The Beatles and Bob Dylan, which inspired her to compose music. After receiving a guitar as a birthday gift, she learned chords and wrote her first songs.

She appeared in several mainly Italian language films from the age of 14, including the 1968 adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's novel Justine directed by Jesus Franco.

She met her singer and actor husband Albano Carrisi whilst acting in films in the 1960s. They married in 1970. In 1975 they formed a singing duo, which became well known in Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Greece, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the USSR, releasing multiple albums in different languages and achieving 7th place in both the 1976 and 1985 Eurovision Song Contest for Italy. The couple divorced in 1999. They have four children:

• Ylenia Maria (b. 1970), who went missing in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1994
• Yari Marco (b. 1973), their only son^[2]
• Cristel Chiara (b. 1985), who appeared in the Italian Reality TV show La Fattoria (The Farm)
• Romina Iolanda (b. 1987), who appeared in the 2005 edition of Italian Reality TV show Isola dei Famosi (Italian version of Survivor) with her father.

In 2005 she was a judge in the Italian TV show Ballando con le Stelle ("Dancing with the Stars").

Between 2006 and 2007 Romina organized exhibitions of her paintings, mainly in Milan. At the same time she dedicated herself to directing her film "Upaya" (2006).

In spring 2007 Romina Power bought a house in Sedona, Arizona and decided to leave Italy forever and move to the United States. The glamorous interview in which she revealed her plans was published in an Italian magazine Diva e donna. According to Romina, she was perceived by the Italian public merely as a performer of Il ballo del qua-qua (a song for children, from her and Al Bano's album Felicità, 1982), and for her it was difficult to establish herself in Italy as a painter and writer. Furthermore, she was disturbed by intrusive attention of the local press that published multiple articles with speculations about her private life and disappearance of her daughter Ylenia.^[3][4] The Italian people reacted with disappointment at Power's statements, because for decades, she lived and performed in Italy, surrounded by the affection of the Italian public.

Shortly after her move in, in 2008, her mother Linda Christian was diagnosed with colon cancer, so she went live in her mother's house in Palm Springs,^[which?] where she remained for three years, until the life's end of her mother, on July 22, 2011.

In November 2009, in an interview, said she thought of returning permanently in Italy, because of the strong bond with the nation, the culture, the Italian lifestyle, that she prefers to the U.S.. ^[5]

Romina is a polyglot who speaks five languages: English, Italian, Spanish, French and Dutch.^[6]

Filmography[link]

• Menage all'italiana (Menage Italian Style, 1965)
• Come imparai ad amare le donne (How I Learned to Love Women, 1966)
• Per amore... per magia... (For Love... for Magic, 1967)
• Assicurasi vergine (Insurance on a Virgin, 1967)
• L'oro del mondo (The World's Gold, 1967)
• Vingt-quatre heures de la vie d'une femme (24 Hours in the Life of a Woman, 1968)
• Mayerling (1968)
• Il suo nome è Donna Rosa (Her Name is Donna Rosa, 1969)
• Pensando a te (Thinking of You, 1969)
• Marquis de Sade: Justine (1969)
• Femmine insaziabili (The Insatiables, 1969)
• Las Trompetas del a pocalipsis (Trumpets of the Apocalypse, 1969)
• Mezzanotte d'amore (Midnight of Love, 1970)
• Angeli senza paradiso (Angels Without Paradise, 1970)
• Champagne in paradiso (Champagne in Paradise, 1983)
• Il ritorno di Sandokan (The Return of Sandokan, 1996, TV miniseries)
• Tutti i sogni del mondo (All the Dreams in the World, 2003, TV miniseries)
• " 24 Hours In The Life Of A Woman "
• Upaya^[7] (2005) Writer and Director

Discography (only albums without the compilations)[link]

Solo[link]

• 12 Canzoni E Una Poesia (1969)
• Ascolta, Ti Racconto Di Un Amore (1974)
• Con Un Paio Di Blue-Jeans (1974)

With Al Bano[link]

• Atto I (1975)
• Des Nuits Entières (1976)
• 1978 (1978)
• Aria Pura (1979)
• Momentos (1979)
• Sharazan (1981) (Spanish)
• Felicità (1982)
• Felicidad (1982) (Spanish)
• Che Angelo Sei (1982)
• Que Ángel Será (1983) (Spanish)
• The Golden Orpheus Festival 1984 (1984)
• Effetto Amore (1984)
• Sempre Sempre (1986)
• Siempre Siempre (1986) (Spanish)
• Libertà ! (1987)
• Libertad (1987) (Spanish)
• Fragile (1988)
• Fragile (Spanish) (1988)
• Fotografia Di Un Momento (1990)
• Fotografía De Un Momento (1990) (Spanish)
• Corriere Di Natale (1990)
• Weihnachten Bei Uns Zu Hause (1991)
• Navidad Ha Llegado (1991) (Spanish)
• Vincerai (1991)
• Vencerás (1991) (Spanish)
• Notte E Giorno (1993)
• El Tiempo De Amarse (1993) (Spanish)
• Emozionale (1995)
• Amor Sagrado (1995) (Spanish)
• Ancora- Zugabe (1996)

Bibliography[link]

• Al Bano & Romina Power: Autoritratto all A dalla R (Rizzoli 1989)
• Cercando mio padre, (Gremese 1998)
• Ho sognato don Chisciotte, (Bompiani 2000)
• Kalifornia (It's here now), (Arcana 2004)

References[link]

1. ^ Biography of Romina Power at her official web site.
2. ^ Yari.tv
3. ^ Spettacoli.tiscali.it, Romina Power: "Addio lascio l'Italia"
4. ^ Tgcom.ùrfozdry/oy, La Power: "Italia addio per sempre"
5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H05C4fUDQoI&feature=youtube_gdata
6. ^ Esctoday.com | We'll live it all again
7. ^ Yari.tv

External links[link]

• Romina Power - Official site (bilingual)
• Romina Power at the Internet Movie Database
• Al Bano & Romina Power fansite
• Filmography and photo gallery
• Ci Sarà and other videos of Al Bano and Romina Power on YouTube

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]