Does Bruno Mars Consider Himself Puerto Rican? ‘24K Magic’ Singer Opens Up About His Heritage

Bruno Mars’ stage name may sound ambiguous, but the “24K Magic” singer was actually born Peter Gene Hernandez to a Puerto Rican father and a Filipina mother.

The singer doesn’t often discuss his Puerto Rican heritage, which has led some to wonder if Mars has attempted to hide his roots. Appearing on the cover of the latest issue of Latina, Mars opened up about his last name and revealed why he actually goes by Bruno.

Mars, who is the publication’s first male celebrity on the cover since Romeo Santos in 2014, revealed he never said he changed his last name to “hide the fact that I’m Puerto Rican.” The singer also angrily questioned why anyone would think he would say that.

“Who are you fooling? And why would anyone say that? That’s so insulting to me, to my family,” he added. “My last name is Hernandez. My father’s name is Pedrito Hernandez, and he’s a Puerto Rican pimp. There’s no denying that.”

As for his name now, it all dates back to when Mars was just a toddler. “My dad nicknamed me Bruno since I was two years old. The real story is: I was going to go by ‘Bruno,’ one name. Mars just kind of came joking around because that sounds bigger than life. That was it, simple as that.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Mars recalled his struggles with racial-identity issues, growing up in a state that did not have many Puerto Ricans. “Because of my hair, they thought I was black and white,” he said. The “Treasure” singer also said he faced problems when meeting with record label executives. “What are you? Are you urban? Are you Latin?” Mars said they would ask.

In 2011, Mars made his first visit to Puerto Rico for a Vogue photo shoot with fellow Puerto Rican model, Joan Smalls. “The coolest thing for me is that this is like my heritage,” the Grammy Award-winning singer told Vogue. “Being Puerto Rican and seeing people with my skin color, my hair, my features — I feel like I’m home.”