Prior to Bruno Mars performing on Saturday Night Live, he sat down with ELLE Magazine and got into depth about his new album, what he thought about Kanye West‘s SNL Performance, and what his future plans are.
Check it out after the jump…
If you don’t recognize Bruno Mars, then just turn on the radio. He’s the R&B mastermind writer/producer behind practically every ounce of DJ-fuel: Cee Lo’s snappy Motown kiss-off “Fuck You,” B.O.B’s sultry single “Nothing On You” and Travie McCoy’s catchy ode to capitalism, “Billionaire.” On Tuesday, the 24 year-old Hawaii native released his solo debut, ‘Doo-Wops & Hooligans,’ anchored by the melodic “Just The Way You Are.” And this weekend, he’ll provide the soundtrack to Saturday Night Live.
ELLE: Even though you were behind some of the biggest songs of the summer, was going solo always your goal?
Bruno Mars: I got signed at a young age, and, it’s not like the movies—you don’t get signed and all of a sudden hit songs falling into your lap, so I had to learn and see the way things were behind the scenes. Luckily, I got a chance to sell one of my records. That helped pay rent, so I figured that I’d just start producing for other acts and then hopefully, one day labels would hear me sing these demos and take a chance.
ELLE: You famously wrote Cee Lo’s “Fuck You.” How did you two meet?
BM: We’re label mates, and I knew that he was working on his album so I just kept putting it in everyone’s ear, like, “Yo, I need to work with him. It’d be a dream come true.” We hooked up at the studio, we started working, we did a couple of records together. We did a record on Travis McCoy’s album called “Dr. Feel Good,” which he’s singing on; he’s on my album, “The Other Side,” so it’s only natural. We all got to the studio and came up with one of our favorite songs.
ELLE: Were you worried “Fuck You” wouldn’t get airplay because of the lyrics?
BM: You know sometimes, you just gotta do things that feel right. And Cee Lo’s the type of artist who’ll say whatever the hell he wants to say.
ELLE: What are you going after sound-wise on your solo album?
BM: I’ve been a songwriter and a producer for a while now and I’m always hopping around from different genre to genre, and I’m hoping “Nothin’ On You,” “Billionaire,” and “Just The Way You Are,” were a warning to people that I might not just stick to one sound. So on [Doo-Wops & Hooligans], I was just really trying to be open. I would just sit down in the studio, pick up a guitar, and write a song, whether it called for a reggae beat or whether it was a ballad. It was kind of a free fall. Let me just do what I want; let me get this out of my system. And I’m already thinking about my second album.
ELLE: You must be excited to perform on SNL this weekend.
BM: Geeze. The first time you’ll see me singing “Just The Way You Are” on TV is on that show, live.
ELLE: Will you try to weasel your way into a skit?
BM: I don’t know how those things work. I’d love to, but I’m fine with just performing.
ELLE: And you’re following the Kanye performance from last week. Did you see it?
BM: Yeah, wasn’t that incredible? That was my idea! I was gonna wear a red suit and have ballerinas dancing to “Just The Way You Are.”
ELLE: You better talk to your stylist, ASAP.
BM: No, I’m just kidding. He was amazing though, definitely, he definitely woke me up. Now you’re making me nervous. What the hell is going on? This is supposed to be a nice, sweet interview.
ELLE: Oh no, didn’t they tell you we just try freak you out here at ELLE?
BM: Right, like, “This is your first big moment. Good luck following Kanye.”
Plus check out Bruno Mars performs “Grenade” in this extended session of Billboard’s Tastemakers series LIVE at Mophonics Studios NY.
Bruno Mars – “Grenade” (Studio Session) LIVE!!!
Source: fashionelle.com, YouTube
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- Bruno Mars Says Doo-Wops Will Take Fans On ‘A Journey’ (mtv.com)
- New Bruno Mars! (perezhilton.com)
- Music Review: Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans (blogcritics.org)
JNEL & J. Magazine 
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