Artists That Inspire Bruno Mars’ Vintage Sound

A video clip surfaced recently from a 1990 British documentary called “Viva Elvis”, which chronicled the legend of Elvis Presley and the passion of his diehard fan base. The clip depicted chubby-cheeked 4-year-old named “Bruno” singing Elvis classics like “Trouble” and “Hound Dog”, with gyrating hips that would’ve made The King proud. Fans recognized the four-year-old as Bruno Mars, now a star of his own. Years before he broke out with his 2010 debut Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars was indeed an Elvis fan who performed his classics at a very early age. His uncle was an Elvis impersonator, so it was only natural that his love for Elvis rubbed off on his nephew. “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!” Mars told 4music.com. “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.”  Elvis may be influence #1 for Bruno Mars, but his eclectic music palate shows an expansive knowledge of various music artists and styles growing up.

While Bruno Mars’ electrifying stage presence surely borrows the most from Elvis, a stylistic range that touches on everything from rock and pop to R&B and soul shows that Mars’ taste is far from one-dimensional. His love for Michael Jackson is obvious, both due to his stage presence and his loose invigoration of dance-infused genres. Mars’ hit song “Treasure” featured a music video that was highly reminiscent of Jackson, from the tightly synchronized dance routine to the shiny red jumpsuit that made Mars look like a ‘80s idol. Michael Jackson comparisons are often lazily employed by critics, but Mars is one of the few artists today that can be mentioned alongside him with validity. Mars even did a halfway comedic Michael Jackson impression on his 10/20/12 SNL appearance. Mars may have a long way to go to acquire a similar “King of Pop” or “The King” name, but his influences are certainly entrenched in the right places.

In addition to Jackson’s influence, another reason for Mars’ broad stylistic arsenal is the tendency for ideas to stick in his head. He’s still seemingly like a child whose brain is a magnet for various ideas. The touches of reggae in some of his songs, like “Show Me” and the Damian Marley-accompanied “Liquor Store Blues”, derives from Mars’ growing up in Hawaii. “In Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. 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,” he told the Daily News. While the additions of R&B are not honed in on one particular influence, Mars cites a variety of R&B artists like R. Kelly and Keith Sweat as influences. And even on a track like “Locked Out of Heaven”, where he channels the shimmering ‘80s rock grace of Sting and The Police, there’s an integration of contemporary R&B that makes the effort highly listenable and engaging.

While Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson reign supreme as Mars’ two largest influences, he borrows from many aspects of his life – from growing up in Hawaii to discovering his love for R&B – as essential stepping stones in eventually reaching his trademark sound, which is now highly recognizable after selling millions of copies. Bruno Mars may remind listeners of past idols for his invigorated stage presence and delectable stylistic hybrids, but there’s no forgetting how Mars’ unique trademarks are just as memorable, if not more so.