The Fil-Am superstar wins six Grammy Awards, including ‘Album of the Year,’ ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Song of the Year’
The 60th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, January 28 proved to be a big night for the multi-talented Bruno Mars, who went home with a whopping six awards, including three wins in the award show’s major categories.
The half-Filipino/half-Puerto Rican maestro of nostalgic pop swept the night with his highly-acclaimed third studio album 24K Magic which won the coveted Album of the Year; and, singles “24K Magic” and “That’s What I Like” won Record of the Year and Song of the Year, respectively.
“I’ve been knowing these guys for over a decade,” Mars said in his speech, referencing the innovative process of pop music production that involves a large collaborative team of specialized writers. “All the music-business horror stories you’ve seen in the movies, we’ve been through all of them. It’s an honor to share this with you all tonight.”
In addition to the wins in the three major categories, he also took home Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance for “That’s What I Like” and Best R&B Album for 24K Magic.
Earlier in the night, Mars performed alongside hip-hop sweetheart Cardi B for the remix of the swing beat single “Finesse.”
Mars’ wins mark the first time a Filipino-American has won multiple accolades in the major categories at the Grammy Awards. Most recently, Mars — along with renowned producer Mark Ronson — nabbed Record of the Year in 2016 for the catchy “Uptown Funk.”
The Grammy Awards were criticized for not awarding enough female artists for the major awards, given the current social climate regarding gender disparity in the entertainment world.
However on Sunday, Mars — who is arguably the most internationally popular Filipino of the generation — hit important milestones in regards to ethnic representation; he was the first artist of color in a decade to win Album of the Year.
Though Mars gained international fame as a soloist less than a decade ago in 2010 with his debut studio album “Doo-Wops & Hooligans,” Mars has received a total 11 Grammy Awards so far, the most of any artist of Asian descent.
