Michael Jackson vs Bruno Mars

Very talented singers, dancers, songwriters and performers. Jackson is considered the

King of Pop even today and who was the most popular entertainer in the world in the

early and mid-1980’s. Mars one of the best performers and Grammy Awards winning

star.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana. Under his

father's encouragement, Jackson's career in music began at the age of 5. He grew up in

a large family. He had five brothers and three sisters younger.

Born Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8,1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii, singer-songwriter

Bruno Mars grew up in a very musical family. Like Michael, Bruno comes from a big

family (he's one of six children!), and they're all talented entertainers. Mars received his

nickname, "Bruno," while he was still a baby. "The name Bruno came from baby times,"

older sister Jamie explained. "Bruno was always so confident, independent, really

strong-willed and kind of a brute—hence the name Bruno—and it’s kind of just stuck."

Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, was a homemaker and a devout Jehovah's

Witness. His father, Joseph Jackson, had been a guitarist who put aside his musical

aspirations to provide for his family as a crane operator. He believed his sons had talent

and molded them into a musical group in the early 1960s that would later become

known as the Jackson 5. 

While growing up in Honolulu, HI, the family formed a band, The Love Notes, which

Bruno began performing in five days a week at Waikiki Beach when he was just 4-
years-old. His father, Pete was a Latin percussionist from Brooklyn and his mother,

Bernadette, was a dancer and singer.

At first, the Jackson Family performers consisted of Jackson's older brothers.

Michael joined his siblings when he was 5 years old and emerged as the group's lead

vocalist. Jackson 5 eventually caught the attention of Motown founder Berry Gordy.

Impressed by the group, Gordy signed them to his label in early 1969, Jackson 5

became a very popular and successful group.

Although Mars family never achieved the success of the Jackson 5, they performed a

Las Vegas-style revue that included Motown hits (Motown signed Jackson’s 5). He

started performing at a young age like Michael. Little Bruno delighted crowds with

impressive impersonations of Elvis Presley, James Brown and, you guessed it, Michael

Jackson.

Because of managing issues at the age of 13, Jackson launched a solo career in

addition to his work with the Jackson 5, There," from the album of the same name.

Released in 1982, Jackson’s sixth solo album Thriller is the best-selling album in

history, generating seven Top 10 hits. The album stayed on the charts for 80 weeks,

holding the No. 1 spot for 37 weeks. 

After graduating from high school, he decided to leave Hawaii for Los Angeles,

California. Over his first few years in L.A., he struggled to make a breakthrough in the

music industry. Mars grew frustrated waiting for his career to move forward. It was
during this period that Mars first turned to songwriting. A friend introduced Mars to

songwriter Phillip Lawrence, who agreed to help Mars compose material. That's how it

all began.

Jackson's music continued to enjoy widespread popularity in the following years. In

addition to its unparalleled commercial achievements, Thriller garnered 12 Grammy

Award nominations and notched eight wins, both records. Jackson's victories

showcased the diverse nature of his work. For his songwriting talents, he earned a

Grammy (best rhythm and blues song) for "Billie Jean." He also was honored for the

singles "Thriller" (best pop vocal performance, male) and "Beat It" (best rock vocal

performance, male). With co-producer Quincy Jones, Jackson shared the award for

album of the year.

By the early 2000s, Mars had begun to find success by writing songs for several popular

artists. Mars also produced and co-wrote K'Naan's "Wavin' Flag," Coca-Cola's theme

song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

After several years as one of the pop music industry's premier songwriters, Mars finally

broke out as a singer in his own right with the 2010 hit "Nothin' on You." The song was

written for the Atlantic Records rapper B.o.B. The track proved an enormous hit,

skyrocketing to No.1 on the Billboard singles chart, and instantly transforming Bruno

Mars from a behind-the-scenes composer into a pop performer.

Several months later, Mars released his first solo single, "Just the Way You Go”,

released in October 2010. The song quickly proved to be another hit for the artist,

putting him back at the top of the Billboard singles chart. 

Mars went on to pick up several Grammy Award nods for his debut effort, including for

Album of the Year. In December 2012, Mars released his second studio

album, Unorthodox Jukebox, featuring yet another gamut of hit songs and quickly

meeting with both commercial and critical acclaim, Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive

weeks, won an MTV Award for Best Music Video and landed in the Top 10 in 20

countries. In 2014 Mars also won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Jackson’s "Thriller" video was an immense success, boosting sales for the already

successful record. The spaceship-themed video for "Scream," which cost a record-

setting $7 million to produce, earned a Grammy Award for its slick effects.

Michael's halftime performance at Super Bowl XXVII in 1992 remains one of the most

memorable in NFL history, and Bruno's taken a stab at it twice now. At the 2014

game he hit the stage with his band The Hooligans and in 2016, he joined Beyoncé and

Coldplay.

Similar vocal range they both have a high tenor range, and neither has a problem

tearing up and down the scales.

Both had a similar sense of style. Colorful jackets, flashy metallics, and classic all-black

ensembles are just a few of the ways that Mars paid tribute to Michael with his clothes,
whether on purpose or coincidentally. Bruno dance moves and some of the

choreography in his music videos has echoed Michael's moves.

Bruno is also a great dancer and choreographer. Since 2011 has been directing or co-

directing all his music videos. He can sing in multiple genres (R&B, funk, pop, soul,

reggae, hip hop, rock) and his focus is on his craft and how to constantly improve and

grow as an artist. Bruno is notoriously private about his personal life, but popular in the

music industry due to his talent, professionalism, work ethic, fun personality, and great

sense of humor.

On June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson one of the most commercially successful

entertainers in history, dies at the age of 50 at his home in Los Angeles,

California, after suffering from cardiac arrest caused by a fatal combination of

drugs given to him by his personal doctor.

In February 2021, Mars announced the release of an album under the name Silk Sonic.

The following year, Silk Sonic won the award for best record, best song Grammys.

In my conclusion Bruno Mars has been inspired by Michael Jackson as countless others

and his presence can still be felt powerfully today. I don’t think this will ever change.

However, no matter how good people can imitate him, he is the one and only.

The similarities in life, careers, are, amazing, extraordinary and incredible…