Bruno Mars: Prince rocks

Bruno Mars admires Prince because he creates an "element of mystery".

The singer is currently promoting his new album Unorthodox Jukebox, the follow up to his smash hit debut record Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Bruno often feels inspired by other chart stars and is in awe of music legend Prince for maintaining an air of secrecy throughout his lengthy career.

"I love artists like Prince, who hold on to that element of mystery. You don't know where the hell Prince is in this world. He's probably on a unicorn somewhere, you know?" Bruno laughed to a US newspaper.

Bruno grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and his parents were always listening to music. His father Peter was a huge fan of Elvis Presley and his enthusiasm rubbed off on Bruno. The singer even had a cameo in the 1992 movie Honeymoon in Vegas playing a 'Little Elvis' and he grew up dreaming of being as popular as Elvis was.

"My dad was a huge Elvis fan, and he'd always play the videos, of when he was young, especially," Bruno recalled. "He exuded such confidence, such showmanship. I loved that, and I wanted girls to scream for me, of course."

The 27-year-old is thrilled with his latest musical offering, which includes the hit single Locked out of Heaven.

He plans to continue evolving as an artist each time he steps into a recording studio.

"What I'm hoping is that every album I'm going to do will give my audience something different, and that they'll grow as I do," Bruno smiled.