Mars’ “Unorthodox Jukebox” Ranks as a Top-Seller in the U.K.

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is a big man in Britain…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy darling, who recently inaugurated The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, has one one of the the biggest-selling albums of 2013 in the United Kingdom.

Mars’ critically acclaimed sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the upcoming Grammy Awards, ranks at No. 6 on the chart. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart in December 2012. It was Britain’s fastest selling album by a recording artist in 2012, selling 136,000 copies, just behind the albums by Mumford & Sons and One Directon.

With more than five million copies sold worldwide by the end of 2013, Unorthodox Jukebox is currently named the best-selling album of 2013.

Mars, the most played artist at pop radio in 2013 according to Mediabase, was named Billboard Artist of the Year by Billboard magazine.While, the album was the fifth “most streamed album” on Spotify.

Meanwhile, One Direction’s Midnight Memories was the biggest-selling artist album of the year in Britain with 685,000 copies sold by year’s end.

Here is a look at the top 10 albums of 2013 in the U.K.:

1. One Direction Midnight Memories
2. Emeli Sande Our Version of Events
3. Michael Buble To Be Loved
4. Robbie Williams Swings Both Ways
5. Olly Murs Right Place Right Time
6. Bruno Mars Unorthodox Jukebox
7. Rod Stewart Time
8. Arctic Monkeys AM
9. Gary Barlow Since I Saw You Last
10. Ellie Goulding Halcyon

Mars Named Billboard’s Artist of the Year

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Bruno Mars has had an incredible year in 2013…

Not only did the 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer earn four Grammy nominations earlier this month and land on three of Spotify’s year-end streaming charts, he’s just been named Billboard‘s top artist of the year.

Mars, the first man to claim the title since 2008, beat out several of this year’s breakout stars like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Imagine Dragons, pop divas like Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, and R&B stars like Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke for the honor.

Mars’ sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, which commanded a steady presence on the Billboard 200 following its No. 2 debut last December, is one of the main reasons he’s the artist of the year.

Remaining in the top 20 every week since then through the Sept. 14 issue, the Atlantic Records album hit No. 1 in its 12th week. To date, Unorthodox Jukebox has sold 1.8 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The year-end top artist tally also factors in activity on the Billboard Hot 100, where Mars landed three top 10 singles: “Locked Out of Heaven” (six weeks at No. 1), “When I Was Your Man” (No. 1 for a week) and “Treasure” (No. 5).

Also figured into the equation are social, ringtone and Billboard Boxscore data. In the lattermost instance, Mars’ Moonshine Jungle world tour finished at No. 23 on Billboard’s Top 25 Tours list. Kicking off June 22 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the sold-out arena trek has thus far logged 48 dates in North America-including two nights at the Staples Center-posting a total attendance of 667,000 with a gross of $46.4 million.

And Mars isn’t slowing down in 2014…

His world tour resumes on February 28 with 10 dates in Australia and New Zealand before heading to Asiaand later to Mexico City. Another North American leg, which starts this summer, will be announced shortly. In the meantime, Mars has several other engagements to fulfill.

First up, his two-day residency at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on December 29 and December 31. Next it’s on to the 56th annual Grammy Awards before playing the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show on February 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Mars Lands on Three of Spotify’s Year-End Streaming Charts

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Bruno Mars is a global phenomenon… And now there’s proof.

Spotify has released its year-end totals, and the 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer has made the list on three of the music streaming service’s charts.

The “Locked Out of Heaven” singer, the only Latino artist to make any of Spotify’s lists, ranks No. 7 on the list of the Most Streamed Artists of 2013 Globally.

Meanwhile, Mars’ sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox has earned a spot on two charts.

It ranks No. 5 on the list of Most Streamed Albums of 2013 Globally and No. 4 on the list of the Most Streamed Albums of 2013 in the United States.

Here’s a look at the complete lists:

Most streamed artists of 2013 globally:
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Avicii
Daft Punk
Eminem
Imagine Dragons
Jay Z
Bruno Mars
Rihanna
Calvin Harris
Drake

Most streamed albums of 2013 globally:
“The Heist” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
“18 Months” – Calvin Harris
“Night Visions” – Imagine Dragons
“The Truth About Love” – P!nk
“Unorthodox Jukebox” – Bruno Mars
“The Lumineers” – The Lumineers
“Random Access Memories” – Daft Punk
“All The Little Lights” – Passenger
“Take Me Home: Yearbook Edition” – One Direction
“Born To Die” – Lana Del Rey

Most streamed albums (U.S.):
“Night Visions” – Imagine Dragons
“The Heist” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
“The Lumineers” – The Lumineers
“Unorthodox Jukebox” – Bruno Mars
“Magna Carta Holy Grail” – Jay Z
“Nothing Was the Same” – Drake
“Born to Die: The Paradise Edition” – Lana Del Rey
“18 Months” – Calvin Harris
“Good kid, m.A.A.d city” – Kendrick Lamar
“Random Access Memories” – Daft Punk

Mars: This Year’s Top Latino Grammy Nominee

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It comes as little surprise that Bruno Mars is this year’s Latino Grammy darling…

Following the release of his critically acclaimed sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, the 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer has received four Grammy nominations for the 56th annual awards, the most of any Latino artists this year.

Mars, a 19-time nominee who earned a Grammy in 2011 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his first career smash hit “Just The Way You Are,” is nominated in two major categories. He’s up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for his No. 1 song “Locked Out of Heaven.”

In addition, Mars’ latest studio effort is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and his ballad “When I Was Your Man” is up for Best Pop Solo Performance.

But Mars isn’t the only Latino artist to receive multiple nods this year…

Miguel, who won the award for Best R&B Song during the 2013 Grammys, is nominated for two awards.

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American R&B singer is up for Best R&B Performance for his duet with Kendrick Lamar, “How Many Drinks?,” as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his collaboration with J. Cole, “Power Trip.”

Paquito D’Rivera, meantime, is nominated for two awards.

The Cuban Grammy-winning alto saxophonist, clarinetist and soprano saxophonist is nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for the track “Song for Maura,” as well as Best Latin Jazz Album for the album of the same name.

Other Latino nominees include Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan, Intocable, Frankie J and Carlos Vives.

The nominations were announced during the Grammy Awards’ special on CBS on Friday night.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Grammys, used to announce the nominations through an ordinary news conference. But for the last six years, it has tried to stir excitement with a primetime TV special with the rapper and actor LL Cool J as host. Performers on Friday’s show included Lorde, Robin Thicke and, by satellite, Taylor Swift from Sydney, Australia, and Katy Perry from Toronto.

The 65th Grammy Awards, dubbed music’s biggest night, will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2014.

Here’s a look at this year’s Latino nominees:

Record of the Year
GET LUCKY  Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
RADIOACTIVE  Imagine Dragons
ROYALS Lorde
LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN Bruno Mars
BLURRED LINES  Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell

Song Of The Year
JUST GIVE ME A REASON  Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN  Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
ROAR  Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
ROYALS  Joel Little & Ella Yelich O’Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
SAME LOVE  Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis,  songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert)

Best Pop Solo Performance
BRAVE Sara Bareilles
ROYALS Lorde
WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN Bruno Mars
ROAR Katy Perry
MIRRORS  Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Vocal Album
PARADISE Lana Del Rey
PURE HEROINE Lorde
UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX Bruno Mars
BLURRED LINES Robin Thicke
THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE – THE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE  Justin Timberlake 

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
VIVA DUETS  Tony Bennett & Various Artists [Featured artists include Chayanne, Thalia, Christina Aguilera, Franco De Vita, Gloria Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra, Ricardo Arjona, Romeo Santos, Vicentico and Dani Martín)
TO BE LOVED Michael Bublé
THE STANDARDS Gloria Estefan
CEE LO’S MAGIC MOMENT Cee Lo Green
NOW  Dionne Warwick

Best R&B Performance
LOVE AND WAR  Tamar Braxton
BEST OF ME Anthony Hamilton
NAKAMARRA  Hiatus Kaiyote Featuring Q-Tip
HOW MANY DRINKS?  Miguel Featuring Kendrick Lamar
SOMETHING  Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
POWER TRIP  J. Cole Featuring Miguel
PART II (ON THE RUN) Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé
HOLY GRAIL Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake
NOW OR NEVER  Kendrick Lamar Featuring Mary J.
REMEMBER YOU  Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd

Best Improvised Jazz Solo
DON’T RUN  Terence Blanchard, soloist
SONG FOR MAURA Paquito D’Rivera, soloist
SONG WITHOUT WORDS #4: DUET Fred Hersch, soloist
STADIUM JAZZ Donny McCaslin, soloist
ORBITS Wayne Shorter, soloist

Best Latin Jazz Album
LA NOCHE MÁS LARGA Buika
SONG FOR MAURA  Paquito D’Rivera And Trio Corrente
YO  Roberto Fonseca
EGGŪN Omar Sosa
LATIN JAZZ-JAZZ LATIN Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet

Best Latin Pop Album
FAITH, HOPE Y AMOR Frankie J
VIAJERO FRECUENTE Ricardo Montaner
VIDA Draco Rosa
SYNTEK Aleks Syntek
12 HISTORIAS Tommy Torres

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album
L OBJETO ANTES LLAMADO DISCO Café Tacvba  
OJO POR OJO El Tri
CHANCES  Illya Kuryaki And The Valderramas
TREINTA DÍAS  La Santa Cecilia
REPEAT AFTER ME Los Amigos Invisibles

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
EL FREE Banda Los Recoditos
EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN Intocable  
A MI MANERA  Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea
ROMEO Y SU NIETA Paquita La Del Barrio
13 CELEBRANDO EL 13 Joan Sebastian

Best Tropical Latin Album
3.0  Marc Anthony
COMO TE VOY A OLVIDAR Los Angeles Azules 
PACIFIC MAMBO ORCHESTRA Pacific Mambo Orchestra
SERGIO GEORGE PRESENTS SALSA GIANTS Various Artists  (Featuring
CORAZÓN PROFUNDO Carlos Vives

Best World Music Album 
SAVOR FLAMENCO Gipsy Kings
NO PLACE FOR MY DREAM Femi Kuti
LIVE: SINGING FOR PEACE AROUND THE WORLD  Ladysmith Black Mambazo
THE LIVING ROOM SESSIONS PART 2 Ravi Shankar

Best Instrumental Composition
BOUND AWAY  Chuck Owen, composer (Chuck Owen & The Jazz Surge)
CALIFORNIA PICTURES FOR STRING QUARTET Gordon Goodwin, composer (Quartet San Francisco)
KOKO ON THE BOULEVARD  Scott Healy, composer (Scott Healy Ensemble)
PENSAMIENTOS FOR SOLO ALTO SAXOPHONE AND CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Clare Fischer, composer (The Clare Fischer Orchestra)
STRING QUARTET NO. 1: FUNKY DIVERSION IN THREE PARTS  Vince Mendoza, composer (Quartet San Francisco)

Mars Releases Steamy “Gorilla” Remix

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is the G-mix master…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer has released a bawdy remix of his latest single “Gorilla.”

Mars, who recently won an MTV EMA award, partnered with Pharrell Williams and R. Kelly on the updated version of the single from his hit album Unorthodox Jukebox.

Mars dropped the remix on Twitter, saying it featured “two of [his] favorite artist[s].”

The original “Gorilla,” with its lines about primal, uninhibited sex, was already dirty, but Mars has taken it a step further.

The remix — referred to officially as a ‘G-mix‘ — features Pharrell making a number of sexual allusions to yoga poses, though it’s R. Kelly that gets down and dirty, imitating the “ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh”s of the original and primates themselves while declaring that he’ll make a certain part of your anatomy growl.

The release of the remix follows the official “Gorilla” video, a sizzling clip that was released last month.

“Gorilla” sits at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 — six spots down from its No. 22 peak last week.

Mars to Perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is bringing his sizzling stage presence to Europe…

The 28-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer has been added to the star-studded line-up of performers at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards.

It won’t be Mars’ first appearance at the annual awards show. He previously took the MTV EMAs’ stage in Belfast, Ireland in 2011.

For the upcoming show, Mars – nominated in two MTV EMA categories this year, including Best Male – will perform one of the tracks off his sophomore album, Unorthodox Jukebox.

Mars will join previously-announced performers like Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Kings of Leon, Icona Pop, Snoop Dogg, Afrojack, Imagine Dragons, The Killers and Katy Perry.

Set to air in the U.S. on November 10 live from the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, the event will be hosted by LMFAO‘s Redfoo. Singer Ariana Grande will serve as a backstage host.

Fox Confirms Mars as Next Year’s Super Bowl Headline Act

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Bruno Mars will be bowling over an international audience of football fans this fall…

As previously reported, the 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer will perform at next year’s Super Bowl halftime show.

Following the announcement on Fox NFL Sunday alongside co-hosts Curt Menefee and Terry Bradshaw and analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer, the Grammy-winning artist released a one-minute trailer on his headlining gig at the upcoming Super Bowl, taking place on February 2, 2014 at the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Posting the video on his YouTube channel, Mars chronicles his rise to pop super stardom, from being a four-year-old child performer doing an Elvis Presley impersonation back in 1990 up to his Unorthodox Jukebox chart-topping days, using footage of his live performances with his Hooligans band and ending with the artwork for the 2014 Pepsi Halftime Show.

Mars himself confirmed the news on Times Square around 12:30 E.T. on Sunday, September 8 after it was reported that the “Locked Out of Heaven” singer had been booked for what annually is the most-watched television event in the U.S. His announcement on Fox NFL Sunday marks the earliest reveal of a Super Bowl Halftime Show performer, kicking off a fanfare-filled lead-up to the halftime show.

Mars will follow Beyonce‘s show-stopping halftime performance earlier this year, featuring a short reunion with Destiny’s Child. Beyonce’s set was watched by a whopping 110.5 million viewers, but it still fell short of Madonna‘s performance the year before that attracted 114 million viewers, making it the most-watched event in U.S. television history.

Mars to Reportedly Headline the 2014 Super Bowl Halftime Show

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It appears that Bruno Mars will be having a super February…

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer will reportedly perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2014, according to the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times.

The National Football League is expected to make an official announcement on Sunday during Fox’s pregame show at noon ET.

Mars, currently on tour promoting his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, would be a strong choice. He’s known for giving high-octane performances at awards shows like the Grammys and MTV VMAs.

His hit songs include “Locked Out of Heaven,” “Grenade,” “Just the Way You Are” and “When I Was Your Man.”

Mars would join Madonna, Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas with Usher and Slash, The Who and Bruce Springsteen with the E Street Band.

Mars Delivers Steamy Performance on New Single “Gorilla” at the MTV VMAs

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars knows how to make audiences go bananas, as proven at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards show…

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer, who claimed two Moonmen at the MTV VMAs on Sunday night, performed moments after winning his first-ever Moonman for Best Male Video for “Locked Out Of Heaven.”

Selena Gomez welcomed him to the stage, telling the room he “brings the house down every time he performs.” And, Mars didn’t disappoint.

The Grammy-winning singer performed his latest single, the super-sexified “Gorilla,” for the first time in front of the music industry’s brightest stars.

Taking the stage in a leopard shirt and his signature fedora, Mars slowed it down with his R&B jam without losing any of his onstage showmanship.

Mars was joined on stage by a full band, and a gorilla… on the screen behind him. The lights erupted with the chorus and given the song’s NSFW content, Mars even threw in a few air humps.

The singer spoke to MTV News during Saturday night’s rehearsals, about his return to the VMA stage and promised that his performance would “capture the essence of the song.” He added, “What can they expect from this performance? Two words: bang, bang. And twerking.”

“Gorilla” is the fourth single off of Mar’s sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, which was released last December.

Mars to Perform at This Year’s MTV Video Music Awards

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is ready to bring the house down with a new single…

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer will join Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke as a performer at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

Mars, currently on a world tour to promote his sophomore album Unorthodox Jukebox, will unveil a new single at the VMAs.

He’s nominated in four categories this year, including Video of the Year, Best Pop Video, and Best Male Video for “Locked Out of Heaven,” and Best Choreography for “Treasure.” This is his third performance on MTV Video Music Awards.

This will mark his third time performing on the MTV Video Music Awards.

The show airs from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on August 25 at 9:00 pm ET.

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