Bruno Mars Was Arrested on Drug Charges Early in His Career, but His Record Is Clean Now

Bruno Mars is a hard musician to pin down in terms of genre and tone. Equally popular for fun and silly pop music like “The Lazy Song,” heartfelt crooning of love and loss in hits like “When I Was Your Man,” and sexy tunes like “Locked Out of Heaven,” the singer has definitely presented fans with a wide array of options. 

In some ways, this tone shifting reflects Mars’ own life and career trajectory. Earlier in his time in the spotlight, Mars had some scandals, including an arrest for drug charges. But both his act and his behavior have been cleaned up in recent years. 

Bruno Mars grew up in a musical environment

Born in 1985, Mars was raised in Hawaii and grew up around music and appreciation for the craft. Both of his parents are musicians themselves. He took on his well-known stage name of Bruno as a very young child. (His given name is Peter Gene Hernandez). He took on entertainment roles impersonating Elvis and Michael Jackson and joining his family’s band. 

It wasn’t until the mid-2000s that Mars saw mainstream success. But once it took off, it took off fast! One challenge Mars had to overcome was racial stereotyping. His last name (Hernandez) and racial background had him typecast as a traditional Latino star. But that vibe didn’t match what he was trying to do. 

Eventually, he blazed a path for his own unique style through collaborations with many pop and hip-hop artists. His collaboration with B.o.B. titled “Nothin’ On You” served as an introduction for both artists and sent them to the number one slot. The next year (2010), Mars’ first solo album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans released to great fanfare. 

Bruno Mars was arrested on drug charges in 2010

Just as his name was topping the charts, Mars ran into legal trouble that belied the less savory side of his public image. Even the album title Doo-Wops & Hooligans hinted at a duality to the singer’s identity. A “doo wop” refers to a vocal harmony from the 1950s that’s associated with a cleaner era of wholesomeness. Meanwhile, a “hooligan” is slang for a young troublemaker, often gang-affiliated. In his album, Mars brought forward a bit of both, treating fans to fun pop songs like “Marry You” as well as darker tracks like “Liquor Store Blues.”

In 2010, the artist had his own real-life substance-related blues. A fun night out in Vegas turned sour when Bruno Mars was arrested for narcotics possession. As Mojo reports, he pled guilty and participated in a drug education program, paid fines, and performed community service to make up for his blunder. 

A few years later, Mars was on the cover of GQ and talking about his misstep and what he learned from it. “‘I can take this s*** away from you, young man.’ That was the lesson” he said. “You’ve slaved away for years and years and years. You’ve prepped your whole life. It’s all you know how to do. You’re a kid experiencing life in f****** Sin City, and that was the lesson: It can all be taken away. Put you in a weird place. Embarrass you.”

Has Bruno Mars been scandal-free since he was arrested? 

Mars seems to have taken the lesson from the universe to heart. He has not had any drug-related incidents clouding his career since. 

That doesn’t mean, however, that he hasn’t had a taste of controversy. As BuzzFeed reports, the singer — who is of Filipino, Spanish, and Jewish heritage — has had to answer to accusations of appropriating Black culture. Many collaborators came to Mars’ defense, and Mars himself pointed out how often he has thanked the Black artists who came before him in his interviews. 

Meanwhile, Mars has also faced legal hot water over some copyright claims to samples from hit songs. As Think Progress reports, some of the hits he worked on (including “Blurred Lines” and “Uptown Funk”) became embroiled in a larger cultural and legal debate about sampling, credit, and copyright. 

All told, being accused of appropriation and dealing with legal nuances for song lyric rights are much more connected to Mars’ success, a sign that he learned his lesson and moved past his earlier drug-related public misstep.