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Bruno Mars · S1 E7
Leaving Paradise
At seventeen, Peter Hernandez packs a bag and flies to Los Angeles. His father tells him to change his last name. He picks Mars
Honolulu International Airport, summer 2003. A seventeen-year-old named Peter Hernandez checks in for a one-way flight to Los Angeles, carrying a duffel bag and a brand-new stage name.
Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars, Mirror (Official Music Video, 2012). A song about staring at your own reflection and confronting who you really are. For a teenager who just shed his family name and is about to reinvent himself in a city that does not know his face, every line hits different.
The Name
Peter Hernandez Sr. gives his son one last piece of advice before he leaves: change your name. In the music industry, "Hernandez" will get you categorized as a Latin artist before you play a single note. Peter picks "Mars," and just like that, the kid from Waikiki becomes someone the whole world can claim.
TAP TO REVEAL: Why did Bruno's father insist he change his last name?
“I moved to LA right out of high school. I didn't know anybody. I didn't have a plan. I just knew I wasn't going to stop until I made it.”
— Bruno Mars, interview with Rolling Stone, November 2016
Honolulu International Airport
The departure gate where Bruno Mars left paradise behind. He would not return as a resident for years. When he finally came back, it was as one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.
Mirror, Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars (2012)
Mirror was a massive hit for Lil Wayne, but the emotional center of the song belongs entirely to Bruno. His chorus is about the gap between who the world sees and who you know yourself to be. The vocal performance channels raw vulnerability that most pop stars spend entire careers avoiding. Listen for the way his voice cracks slightly on the high notes. That is not a flaw. That is the sound of someone who means every word.
Why did Bruno Mars change his last name from Hernandez?
Moonshine, Bruno Mars
From Unorthodox Jukebox (2012). A dreamy, hazy track about being intoxicated by something you cannot explain. For a seventeen-year-old stepping off a plane at LAX for the first time, everything is exactly this: overwhelming, electric, slightly unreal.
Bruno Mars lands in Los Angeles with nothing but a name and a voice. Season 2: the hustle, the heartbreak, and the years nobody talks about.
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To be continued
Season 2: The Hustle
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