BRUNO MARS TALK'S ABOUT HIS DEBUT ALBUM DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS! SAY'S HE'S OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Exactly what went down in Vegas? Well, I'll say this, I don't take any of this at all lightly. It is a serious matter. But this is a pending legal matter, so it's just not appropriate for me to discuss this with you, or anybody, just yet. That's all I can say.

On a happier note — you have the No. 1 song in the country. But it's got the same title as the famous Billy Joel song, "Just the Way You Are." Have you heard from him about that?
Not yet. But I love his song. What can I say? There are only so many words in the English language.

You have an interesting ethnic background. Your father is Puerto Rican and your mother is Filipino. And they met in Hawaii.
My father moved to Hawaii from Brooklyn and my mother came there as a child from the Philippines. They met at a show where my dad was playing percussion. My mom was a hula dancer. Then they gave birth to a child named Bruno Mars.

No, they didn't. You were born Pete Hernandez.
I was called Peter at school, but at home I was never called that. I was Bruno. My dad was a fan of the wrestler Bruno Sammartino, who was heavyset. When I was a kid I was a little pudgy. I reminded him of a wrestler.

What about the Mars part?
That's because I'm out of this world.

Good to know. How was it growing up in Hawaii?
Hawaii is paradise. It sounds cheesy to say it, but there's music in the air there. Hawaiian music is beautiful and simple. But we also have Top 40 stations and hip-hop stations.
And, my dad being from Brooklyn, I got into all this doo-wop stuff.

You titled your debut album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans." Why?
I feel like my music is a broad range that appeals to ladies and gentlemen, but that's not how I talk. So it's doo-wops and hooligans.

Much of your audience is female, right?
At the shows there are a lot of girls. But I'm doing love songs, so it would be a little weird if it was a bunch of biker dudes in the crowd.

Your first professional role was a cameo in "Honeymoon in Vegas" at age 5. What did you play?
They were looking for Elvis impersonators: They wanted a black Elvis, an Asian Elvis and a midget Elvis. I was about 2 feet tall then, so I was the midget Elvis.

How tall are you now?
In my mind, I'm 6-3. But I'm 5-5. Do me a favor: Say I'm 5-6.

You came to L.A. after high school, at age 18, to make it in the music industry. What was your first success?
The first record we sold was for the boy band Menudo. That was about three years ago.

Where does the reggae/Caribbean feel in your music come from?
In Hawaii some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley. That music brings people together. It's not urban music or pop music. It's just songs. That's what makes it cross over so well. The song comes first.

You have a cut on your album that's a hymn to sloth ("The Lazy Song"). But you don't strike me as a layabout.
I hope my body of work proves I'm not. That song just came out of the studio. We were trying to make a song that was better than the Beatles. We were trying to be magical and historic. After five hours, it all turned to rubbish. The frustration got to me and I said, "Today I don't feel like doing anything at all." That opened up everyone's eyes.

When you're overshooting, you get the worst work. When you're relaxed, you have your best. I'm a light kind of guy.