I love Bruno Mars!  He signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2009
I think some of his music is over played but he is ok
I liked his second album "Unorthodox Jukebox" which was number one in the States
I guess everyone is different in that they like, When did he become popular?
I'm not sure, but I know that he co-founded The Smeezingtons, a production team, in 2009