They could be chasin’ but they’ve got nothin’ on… this Mars e-chat

MANILA, Philippines—To storm the top of America’s Billboard chart and win a Grammy Award are a pipe dream no more for music artists who trace their roots to the Philippines.

First there was apl.de.ap— born in Pampanga, his mother a Filipino—who did that several years ago as a member of the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas.

Another Filipino-American, Bruno Mars, recently conquered the Mount Everest of the music industry. His song, “Just the Way You Are,” went to No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on Oct. 2, 2010. The hit single also won for Mars the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance trophy in last month’s 53rd Grammy Awards, where he got seven nods in various categories.

That’s not all. The 25-year-old Mars, born Peter Gene Hernandez in Hawaii to a Puerto Rican father and a Filipino mother, is also known worldwide as a much sought-after collaborator of other contemporary pop acts. Even before “Just the Way You Are” was released, there were two significant songs, B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You” and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire,” that Mars cowrote, and which featured his soulful tenor and falsetto on lead vocals.

The tunes, which are essentially hip-hop but stand out for their melodious opening verses courtesy of Mars, became big hits as well: “Nothin’ on You” went to No. 1 and “Billionaire” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

About that name

His father nicknamed him “Bruno” after Italian professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino. “Mars” was added for a measure of coolness.

He’s very appreciative of his Filipino roots. “My mother always had stories about the Philippines, where she was born. It rubbed off on us (six siblings) because she’s so proud of her heritage,” he told the Inquirer via e-mail.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer is the first Philippine paper that he granted an interview prior to his arrival in the country for two concerts—April 7 at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel and April 8 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Living music

“Music was always around for as long as I can remember. My parents are musicians and performers; we were always singing, listening and living music,” he recalled.

His mom Bernadette was a hula dancer and his dad Peter was a percussionist when the two met as performers in Hawaii.

As a child, Mars liked to impersonate Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, among other pop music icons.

When the Inquirer pointed out that there are echoes of the late Jackson in his singing on “Our First Time,” a track from his debut CD, “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” (distributed locally by Warner Music), Mars said: “Man, Michael’s the best. He’s an incredible influence on everything I do.”

At age 4, he joined his family’s band, The Love Notes, which performed five days a week in Hawaii and became popular for the little boy’s impersonation of Presley.

Presley, Prince, Police

Mars, who bears a slight resemblance to Filipino actor-singer Jericho Rosales, fashioned his current look by constantly wearing hats.

Asked what about Presley’s style, or those of Prince and the Police, influenced his own musical aspirations, Mars said: “I was drawn by their originality, their amazing charisma and performance style and, of course, their music.”

“Doo-Wops and Hooligans,” released late last year, is a splendid debut album that showcases the work of his production team, dubbed The Smeezingtons. Composed of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, it is the same team that was responsible for producing and writing hits for Justin Bieber, Flo Rida, Cee Lo Green, Sugababes, and the breakout songs of B.o.B and Travie McCoy, among others.

Self-discovery
Mars is said to have formed The Smeezingtons after getting disillusioned from a soured deal with Motown Records. “That was a learning experience for me,” he explained. “It allowed me to discover who I was as an artist.”

The Inquirer asked the prolific singer-songwriter-producer how he worked on the hooks and melodies of “Nothin’ on You.” He recounted:

“‘Nothin’ on You’ came about in the studio. We were just trying to say the same thing very simply but in a different way,” he recounted. “We had the track and then the hook just came, and then we went in with B.o.B and he just ‘killed’ the verses.”

Making ‘Billionaire’

And this was how Mars recalled the making of “Billionaire”: “Ari and I were working in London for, like, two weeks. The record label that we were producing for gave us a per diem that ended up being, like, 200 pounds for two weeks. That’s not a lot of money when you’re in London. I turned to Ari and just said, ‘I wanna be a billionaire so f***ing bad.’ Then Travie laced it.”

As for Cee Lo Green’s “F*** You,” Mars said: “Doing that song was an awesome experience. We had a session set with Cee-Lo and we were just messing around. We started playing the piano chords and singing the chorus. Cee-lo came and we were nervous to play it for him. He said, ‘I love it.’”

If these recollections sound like writing songs is a breeze for Mars, this was not the case with “Just the Way You Are,” which reportedly took him several months to complete. He related, “Sometimes the simplest songs take the longest to come together. I really wanted to make sure everything I wanted to say was said.”

Not to be mistaken for Billy Joel’s hit single of the same title (which, incidentally, was song and record of the year at the 1978 Grammys), Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” is notable for quick tempo changes and, again, simple lyrics, although there is evidence of the use of hyperbole for dramatic effect: “And when you smile/The whole world stops and stares for a while/Girl you’re amazing …”

There’s an abundance of reggae tracks in “Doo-Wops and Hooligans”—something that Mars attributes to listening to Hawaiian radio stations while growing up. One of the songs, “Liquor Store Blues,” is a collaboration with Damian Marley, a son of the late reggae superstar Bob Marley.

Mars recalled working with Damian: “He blessed us with his presence on that song. Once we started writing and recording it, we knew we wanted him on it. I’ve been a huge fan for a long time.”

Feel-good guy

Pressed to expound more on his love of reggae, Mars had a terse comment: “Reggae is just feel-good music and I’m a feel-good kind of guy.”

Once, however, his idea of feeling good nearly cost him his budding career. Just last year he was arrested for possession of 2.6 grams of cocaine inside a casino toilet room after a performance in Las Vegas. Good thing he immediately pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to probation and thus avoided doing jail time.

There’s no telling if he has learned to stay out of that kind of trouble, but apparently he’s been wrestling with the pressures of fame.

Currently on tour, his coming concerts in the Philippines will allow him to touch base with the land of his mother’s birth.

Asked what Filipinos can expect at the shows, he quipped: “Prepare to have some good ol’ fashion fun time!”