Bruno Mars ‘Didn’t Miss A Beat’ As A Child, Friends Say
Before Bruno Mars made it big with songs like “Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade,” the 28-year-old, Grammy-winning artist was impressing people in his childhood years.
Even before Bruno Mars wowed millions with his performance at Super Bowl XLVIII, he blew people away at the Aloha Bowl with his rendition of Elvis Presley. A report from ABC affiliate KITV 4 states that little Mars was the lead for his family’s band, The Love Notes.
Connie Hovland, one of the group’s former members, said she was amazed by the talent Bruno had at such a young age.
“I would look at him and think, like, ‘Wow!'” she added. “He didn’t miss a beat and he was, like, five [or] six.”
Another former member, Alison Maldonado, remembers watching Bruno’s mom be amazed by his performances.
“Sometimes, she’d mumble under her breath, ‘Uh, where did he get that from?’ because he would do something that was just amazing,” Maldonado said.
Nancy Bernal, who managed Bruno Mars in his teenager years, is happy to see him have so much success.
“I’m proud of him, and I’m proud to have worked with him and to have known him for so many years,” Bernal said. “I think Hawaii’s proud of him, too.”
Hawaii News Now caught up with Bruno Mars’ father, Peter Hernandez, who said that his son was the star of their show, but it was hard to see him sometimes.
“I had him on a platform, because you could barely see him on the stage, [since] he was so tiny,” Hernandez said.
When Bruno Mars was three years old, he would go through his father’s Elvis tapes to master his moves, Hernandez said.
“Sometimes, I’d get up to use the restroom at 3 a.m., [and] there he was standing there, moving his hips and I would say, ‘Son, you’ve got to go to sleep,’ and he’d say, ‘Wait, just one more minute. I’ve almost got it,'” he said.
Hernandez added that Bruno would do “the same thing with Michael Jackson.”
At 13 years of age, Bruno Mars told reporters that his goal was to “hopefully be a famous entertainer.” Hernandez believes, as a child, Bruno knew his music would take the world by storm.
“Man, it was like a meteor jumping from level to level, and I watched him play rooms this size,” Hernandez said, referring to a room fit for 10 people.
Bruno Mars is back in his home state of Hawaii for three sold out concerts at the Neal Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The first performance was Friday, April 18, and the other two performances will be Saturday, April 19, and Monday, April 21.
Honolulu knows how to party! Thank you Oahu for an incredible opening night. Cant describe how it feels to be singing @ home. I love you all
— Bruno Mars (@BrunoMars) April 19, 2014
A recent report from The Inquisitr stated that Bruno Mars is auctioning off a backstage pass for his Madison Square Garden show in New York City on July 14. This auction will benefit the teachers and students at Stephen Gaynor School.
