Bruno Mars’ career has been built on a foundation of infectious pop music and the cultivation of honesty.
The artist who won a Grammy, aged 37, tells CNBC Make It that his ability to trust his instincts and cultivate extreme self-discipline has been instrumental in his success in both music and business.
According to Mars, honesty has been the most important factor in his career. He stresses the importance of being honest and trusting myself to make a successful song.
Mars started his career as the youngest Elvis impersonator in the world at the age of 2 and later moved to Los Angeles after graduating high school to pursue his dream of becoming a singer. “There’s an incredible feeling about being young, uneducated, and free to fly,” he says.
He quickly established himself as a top-tier songwriter in both pop and R&B, teaming up with Adele, Alicia Keys, and Jay-Z.
He believes that the key to his gut feeling is to make sound investment choices. Despite having few endorsement deals, Mars has invested in various companies, including NJOY, a private e-cigarette company, and Chromatik, an online sheet music maker.
Altria Group, a company that markets Marlboro cigarettes in the U.S., purchased NJOY in March 2023 for approximately $2.75 billion. In 2017, TakeLessons, an edtech firm, acquired Chromatik after raising over $7 million in funding.
As per Mars, tapping into intuition becomes more challenging with age and experience.
Mars emphasizes that having a clear understanding of his career goals has enabled him to prioritize projects that he is excited to work on, which avoids burning out. SelvaRey Rum, an alcohol brand founded by Seth Gold, Marc Gold and Robert Herzig, was launched in 2014. Mars became co-owner of the company in 2014 as part of this endeavor.
According to a statement made by SelvaRey, it is one of the fastest-growing rum brands in the U.S., but due to their private status, they cannot disclose specific revenue or sales figures.
Mars has learned that success can be achieved only when you have worked hard and are able to sleep at night.
In 2014, SelvaRey made a joint acquisition with Bruno Mars as he was already based co-owner. The company updated its information after publishing an earlier version of this article.
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