In the latest issue of GQ, Bruno Mars has a candid interview with the magazine. He discusses his incident with cocaine, his Hispanic last name and the inspiration for most of his music: sex.
The interview begins with Mars talking about his new smash hit "Locked Out of Heaven." Mars says that this is one of the many songs on his new album about sex,
"It feels good to sing about," he said. "It feels ... sexy. It puts you in a sexy frame of mind. It feels good to project. Sex is a great party starter."
The interview continues with Mars' witty banter about sex, fans and his lack of vocabulary. After revealing that he does in fact love to "shock the world" with his music, Mars gives us another shock. Burno Mars' real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, he was born 27 years ago to a Puerto Rican Jewish percussionist from Brooklyn and a singer and dancer from the Philippines who met in Hawaii.
After moving to Los Angeles at age 17, Mars pursued a career in entertainment, but he was road blocked. The main obstacle he faced was his Hispanic last name.
People from the music industry tried to pigeonhole him as another Latino artist, and even convinced him to sing in Spanish. Mars recounts how music execs would tell him: "Your last name's Hernandez, maybe you should do the Latin music, this Spanish music ... Enrique [Iglesias] is so hot right now."
Ultimately, he ended up using his childhood nickname Bruno, and changing his last name to Mars, in an effort to "avoid being stereotyped," GQ magazine writes.
This wasn't the only challenge facing Mars throughout his music career. On Sept. 19, 2010, just as his first solo single, "Just the Way You Are," was rising toward No. 1, Mars was arrested in a bathroom at the Hard Rock casino in Las Vegas and subsequently charged with cocaine possession. Mars commented on the incident.
"I was young, man! I was in f***ing Vegas. I wasn't thinking."
To read the full interview, click here.
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