American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars has released one concert video and appeared in various music videos, films, television shows, and commercials. After guest appearing in music videos, including "Long Distance" by Brandy and "Wavin' Flag (Coca-Cola Celebration Mix)" by K'naan, between 2008 and 2010, he was first featured on the chorus and videos for B.o.B.'s "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire". A home video for "The Other Side" was issued, introducing Mars as a lead artist.[1] From his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), he released music videos for "Just the Way You Are", "Grenade", "Liquor Store Blues", and "The Lazy Song". In 2011, he received various awards for the "Just the Way You Are" music video, including MTV Video Music Award Japan for Best Male Video and Favorite International Video at the Myx Music Awards.[2][3]
Mars followed with three other music videos in 2011, including "It Will Rain" from the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, which won another Best Male Video award at the MTV Video Music Award Japan.[4] In 2012, Mars's music video for "Locked Out of Heaven", from his second album Unorthodox Jukebox (2012), won Best Male Video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.[5] In 2013, videos for the singles "When I Was Your Man", "Treasure", which won Best Choreography at the latter event, and "Gorilla", which was controversial for its provocative dancing, were released.[5][6] In 2015, the music video for Mark Ronson's single "Uptown Funk", which featured Mars, received several awards, including Video of the Year at the Soul Train Music Awards and Best Pop Video-UK at the UK Music Video Awards.[7][8]
In 2016, Mars released his third album, 24K Magic, which spawned music videos for "24K Magic", "That's What I Like", "Versace on the Floor", and "Finesse" featuring Cardi B. The video for "That's What I Like" won several accolades in 2017, including an American Music Award for Video of the Year and Outstanding Music Video at the NAACP Image Awards.[9][10] In the same year, the video for "24K Magic" received an award for Video of the Year at the BET Awards, as well as an accolade for Best Dance Performance and Video of the Year at the Soul Train Music Awards.[11][12] The music video for "Finesse" was awarded Video of the Year at the 2018 Soul Train Music Awards and Best Music Video at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards.[13][14]
In 2021, Mars released a collaborative album with Anderson .Paak, as Silk Sonic, called An Evening with Silk Sonic, which generated videos for "Leave the Door Open", "Skate" and "Smokin out the Window". The former music video won Best R&B and Best Editing at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, as well as Video of the Year at the 2021 Soul Train Music Awards.[15][16] "Smokin out the Window" won Video of the Year at the BET Awards 2022 and Video of the Year at the 2022 Soul Train Music Awards.[17][18]
Mars directed ten videos with Cameron Duddy, which earned them recognition at several award shows, including nominations for MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction on "Uptown Funk" and "24K Magic".[19][20] The artist also directed six videos with Florent Dechard. Their work earned them an award for Video Director of the Year at the BET Awards 2021.[21] Mars and Ben Winston's direction of Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo (2017) earned them a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction.[22] Mars has won five times Video of the Year at the Soul Train Music Awards. In addition to his music videos, Mars has starred in the movie Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) as Little Elvis and in Rio 2 (2014) as the voice of Roberto. Mars has additionally starred in television shows, including Sesame Street (2011) and Jane the Virgin (2016). He has also appeared in commercials for the clothing brand Bench, Vogue and Selvarey Rum.
Music videos
| • | Denotes music videos directed or co-directed by Bruno Mars |
| Title | Year | Other performer(s) credited | Director(s) | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Love" | 2010 | Jaeson Ma | Michael Chang | The lyric video features multiple people looking for the true meaning of love, discovering that there are different kinds of love. None of the performers appear. | [23] |
| "Nothin' on You" | B.o.B. | Ethan Lader | The video features photo backdrops of cities like London and Tokyo. The video was made using the stop motion technique on multiple collages of pictures of women. It features both B.o.B. and Bruno Mars performing; in one scene B.o.B. plays guitar, Mars plays the drums and Philip Lawrence plays the piano. | [24] | |
| "Billionaire" | Travie McCoy | Mark Staubach | The video features Mars playing a guitar and singing the song with Travie McCoy. The latter is also seen in various scenarios helping out people in different ways. Pete Wentz makes a cameo appearance riding around with Mars and McCoy on Vespas. | [25] | |
| "The Other Side" | CeeLo Green B.o.B. | Nick Bilardello Cameron Duddy | The home video follows Mars in a casual day in his life; showing him rehearsing, posing at photo shoots or wandering aimlessly around Los Angeles. His artistic abilities are highlighted throughout the video as he plays various instruments, trying to integrate his overnight success with his daily life. | [26] | |
| "Just the Way You Are" | None | Ethan Lader | Mars walks in on his love interest listening to "Just the Way You Are" on her Walkman. Mars stops the tape player, removes the cassette, and pulls out the tape and arranges the media into words, a drum, and a bell, which he rings with his fingers in sync with the song's chimes using a mixture of live action and stop motion. It is inspired by the artwork of Erika Iris Simmons. | [27] | |
| "Grenade" | None | Nabil Elderkin | Filmed in Los Angeles, the video shows Mars dragging a piano across the city, as a way of showing affection to a girl who does not love him back. On the way to her house, he meets some unpleasant people, nd then finds his beloved with another man. Mars drags the piano away and ends up on a railroad track, hoping for the incoming train to end his misery. | [28] | |
| "Liquor Store Blues" | 2011 | Damian Marley | Jake Summer | The music video features Mars and Marley singing together in a psychedelic "acid trip" setting with a colorful background where smoke emerges in every direction. | [29] |
| "The Lazy Song" • | None | Cameron Duddy Bruno Mars | The official video was filmed in one continuous and uninterrupted shot. Mars sings in a bedroom with five men wearing monkey masks; they perform dance moves typical of a boy band, goof around, and mimick the song's lyrics. The video ends with Mars pouring confetti and striking a pose for the camera. Philip Lawrence makes an appearance. | [30] | |
| "The Lazy Song" (Alternate official video) | None | Nez | This alternate official video features actor Leonard Nimoy in his daily routine living a lazy life. Nimoy walks around the neighborhood scaring the local kids, smokes weed and chills out. | [31] | |
| "Lighters" | Bad Meets Evil | Rich Lee | Mars is seen by himself playing an upright piano while singing his verses. Meanwhile, Bad Meets Evil find their way from their own darkness to the light through a tunnel. They rise through a manhole which leads them to a field where Mars is singing. The video ends with the artists being joined by a large group of people, as they watch the rise of sky lanterns aglow. | [32] | |
| "Young, Wild & Free" | Snoop Dogg Wiz Khalifa | Dylan Brown | Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa play two stoner students from the fictional N. Hale High School having fun with some Slip-N-Slides and girls. Footage from the movie Mac & Devin Go to High School (2012) is also featured. Mars does not appear in the video. | [33] | |
| "It Will Rain" • | None | Phil Pinto Bruno Mars | The music video starts with Mars spoiling and kissing a love interest. However, the relationship escalates to a fight that leads to a break-up and loneliness for both. The video is intercut with footage of the film Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011), with clips showing the characters Bella and Edward. | [34] | |
| "Mirror" | 2012 | Lil Wayne | Antoine Fuqua | Throughout the music video, Wayne is shown splashing paint on a wall, while Mars is shown singing the chorus, standing in a ladder. By the end of the video, the wall Wayne was splashing turns out as a mural painting of himself crucified on a cross. | [35] |
| "This Is My Love" | Gold 1 Jaeson Ma | Claudio Zagarini Michel Zeynali | The video consists of several shots of Gold 1, the only artist featured in the video, performing the song in different locations, along with shots of people holding up signs with different meanings for the word 'love' as well as cuts from Jaeson Ma's "Love" video. | [36] | |
| "Locked Out of Heaven" • | None | Cameron Duddy Bruno Mars | Mars is seen playing the song with his bandmates (The Hooligans) at an intimate venue to a small crowd having fun. These scenes are interwoven with others that feature The Hooligans smoking, drinking, and playing games along with Mars in a dressing room and an alley. The music video is interspersed with wonky TV effects. | [37] | |
| "When I Was Your Man" • | 2013 | None | The video features Mars as a lonely balladeer sitting in front of a piano with his sunglasses on and a half-full glass of whiskey atop his instrument, reminding himself what he could have done to keep his lover. The video simulates a 1970s vibe with retro effects. | [38] | |
| "Treasure" • | None | The video features Mars and his band, The Hooligans, dancing together on a lit up stage and in matching red outfits. It is a recreation of their 2013 Billboard Music Awards performance, with simulated early 1980s special effects. | [39] | ||
| "Bubble Butt" | Major Lazer 2 Chainz Tyga Mystic | Eric Wareheim | The music video features three women who have hoses injected into their butts by a flying giantess, who inflates the women's butts to a ridiculous size. Meanwhile, scenes of a psychedelic nightclub are shown where several women are dancing, flaunting suggestively their super-sized butts. None of the song's performers appear in the video. | [40] | |
| "Gorilla" • | None | Cameron Duddy Bruno Mars | The video opens with a pair of women, in a strip club, "La Jungla", talking about 'Isabella', portrayed by Freida Pinto, as she has been "fooling around" with someone else's man (Mars). Throughout the video, Isabella pulls off sensual spins on the club's strip pole as Mars and his band perform the song. Isabella and Mars's affair is shown by physically intense scenes of the two in a car. | [41] | |
| "Uptown Funk" • | 2014 | Mark Ronson | In the retro-styled music video, Mars and Ronson get their shoes shined, hair permed and jam along with their crew, side by side to a stretch limousine. It also features scenes of Mars and his crew dancing in the streets, with Ronson in the background. | [42] | |
| "24K Magic" • | 2016 | None | The music video has Mars and his bandmates having fun, partying and drinking in Las Vegas. At the end of the video, Mars rides a jet ski in the Fountains of the Bellagio hotel. | [43] | |
| "24K Magic" | Victoria's Secret Angels | None | The video has been described as the fusion of a "homemade music video and a Victoria's Secret ad". The video features Victoria's Secret models Adriana Lima, Stella Maxwell and others lip-syncing to the song. | [44] | |
| "That's What I Like" • | 2017 | None | Jonathan Lia Bruno Mars | The music video features Mars dancing alone with several animations, which move with him during his choreography, enacting the lyrics and music. | [45] |
| "Versace on the Floor" • | None | Cameron Duddy Bruno Mars | In the video, Mars and Zendaya enter adjacent rooms in a hotel. Then, the former performs the song on a piano while the latter eavesdrops and sings to it. The video ends with Zendaya's dress hitting the floor, followed by her coming into his room. | [46] | |
| "Finesse" • | 2018 | Cardi B | Bruno Mars Florent Dechard | The music video pays homage to the popular Fox sketch comedy television series In Living Color (1990–1994). | [47] |
| "Wake Up in the Sky" • | Gucci Mane, Kodak Black | Through the video, Gucci Mane, Kodak Black and Mars are seen with glittering outfits performing as Motown soul music singers. | [48] | ||
| "Please Me" • | 2019 | Cardi B | In the music video, Cardi B and Mars lock eyes at a taco restaurant late at night. The two, accompanied by their friends, make their way toward each other as various suggestive dances and scenarios are followed. Eventually, the pair move to a parking lot, getting into their cars and, while traveling separately, sing to one another. | [49] | |
| "Blow" • | Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton | In the music video, Sheeran, Stapleton and Mars are replaced by an all-female rock band. The band performed the song in The Viper Room, a nightclub in Los Angeles in front of a crowd of rock fans. | [50] | ||
| "Leave the Door Open" • | 2021 | Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic | The retro lounge music video features Mars and .Paak, as Silk Sonic performing the song in a vintage studio as several women dance to it. | [51] | |
| "Skate" • | Bruno Mars Florent Dechard Philippe Tayag[a] | In the music video, Mars and .Paak, as Silk Sonic play the drums as several women rollerskate around them. | [52] | ||
| "Smokin out the Window" • | Bruno Mars John Esparza | The retro music video takes place during the 1970s Soul Train era. It finds Mars and .Paak, as Silk Sonic, wearing lapel tuxedo jackets and performing a coreograhpy on an old school TV set. | [53] |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Performer(s) | Director(s) | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Long Distance" | 2008 | Brandy | Chris Robinson | Mars is seen playing the piano in a sequence of the music video. | [54] |
| "The Dedication (Ay DJ)" | 2009 | Jibbs Lloyd | Erik White | Mars appears in the DJ booth dancing at the beginning of the video. | [55] |
| "Wavin' Flag (Coca-Cola Celebration Mix)" | 2010 | K'naan | Nabil Elderkin | Mars is featured in the beginning of the video playing the bongo drum. | [56] |
| "Feel Right" • | 2015 | Mark Ronson Mystikal | Cameron Duddy Bruno Mars | Mars is one of the judges of the talent show in the music video. | [57] |
Concert film and live/video album
| Title | Album details | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at the Apollo |
| The deluxe edition of 24K Magic includes the standard CD version, the remix of "Finesse" and, on a one-disc Blu-ray, the TV performance at the Apollo Theater, which aired on CBS. | [58] |
Filmography
| Title | Year | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeymoon in Vegas | 1992 | Little Elvis | Cameo | [59] |
| Rio 2 | 2014 | Roberto | Voice role | [60] |
Television
| Title | Year | Role(s) | Channel | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Night Live | 2010 | Musical guest | NBC | Episode: "Jane Lynch/Bruno Mars" | [61] |
| Sesame Street | 2011 | Himself | PBS | Episode: "Getting Centered" | [62] |
| The Cleveland Show | 2012 | Himself (voice) | Fox | Episode: "Menace II Secret Society" | [63] |
| Saturday Night Live | Host/Musical guest | NBC | Episode: "Bruno Mars" | [64] | |
| 2014 | Musical guest | Episode: "Cameron Diaz/Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars" | [65] | ||
| Jane the Virgin | 2016 | Himself | The CW | Episode: "Chapter Forty-Four" | [66] |
| Saturday Night Live | Musical guest | NBC | Episode: "Emily Blunt/Bruno Mars" | [67] | |
| 60 Minutes | Himself | CBS | Episode: "Turkey, The Match of Their Lives, Bruno Mars" | [68] |
Commercials
| Company or product | Year | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench | 2011 | Mars appears in two commercials for Bench as part of their clothing line "Bench On Mars" and "Bruno Mars Gets Khaki in Bench". | [69] |
| Vogue | 2011 | Mars and model Joan Smalls photographed in 50's influenced suits in Puerto Rico as part of the clothing line "La Isla Bonita". | [70] |
| Selvarey Rum | 2021 | Mars, Anderson .Paak and James Fauntleroy are featured on the SelvaRey Coconut Rum campaign. | [71] |