Bruno Mars

When you begin life impersonating musical royalty, becoming king of the charts one day yourself is only logical. OK, so most Elvis and Michael Jackson impersonators don't rise to the heights that Bruno Mars has. Then again, most of them probably don't have this singer/songwriter/producer's well-rounded talent or tenacity. Born Peter Hernandez in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a musical family (dad's a bandleader, mom's a singer), Mars moved to L.A. after high school to try his luck at a recording career. A fruitless tenure at Motown almost sent him packing back to Hawaii before songwriter Philip Lawrence talked him into writing and producing for others. As the Smeezingtons, the duo (along with Ari Levine) created massive hits like Flo Rida's "Right Round," Brandy's "Long Distance," Travie McCoy's "Billionaire" and B.o.B.'s "Nothin' on You" -- the final two of which featured Mars on guest vocals and finally began to garner some attention for his singing chops. Atlantic snapped up the pop whiz kid, releasing his hit single "Just the Way You Are" in July 2010, followed by Mars' debut full-length.