HONOLULU, Hawaii (The Adobo Chronicles, Honolulu Bureau) – Singer Bruno Mars is finally breaking his silence after black writer Seren Sensei accused him of cultural appropriation.
Sensei’s comment was made during an online panel discussion on black music. She said Mars was a karaoke and wedding singer.
Today, The Adobo Chronicles caught up with Mars at the Hilton Hawaiian Village where the singer is taking a much-needed R&R from his very busy and successful show business career.
”I leave it to the experts to decide about cultural appropriation,” Mars said. “However, I think Sensei, with a name like that, is guilty of cultural misrepresentation. She’s no Japanese nor a teacher, so taking on the name all but amounts to fakery and opportunism.”
Mars was born in Hawaii, to a Puerto Rican father and a Filipina mother.
Multicultural appropriator would have been more appropriate to describe him. But even that does not do justice to his sheer talent.