The name Bruno Mars might not roll from everyones' lips as easily as KFC, Hellman's or Solzhenitsyn, but the Hawaiian recording artist has already racked up three top 3 hits in the past 12 months and with his newly-released single "Grenade" perched at the top of the tree on the iTunes charts, he is surely due to become a household name.

Of course, his first biggie was "Just The Way You Are" which sold over three-quarters of a million copies during its chart tenure, including a number one stint, and the parent debut album is all set to be unleashed on 17th January (next Monday). Called "Doo Wops and Hooligans", the 10-song set will be officially launched on the following Monday at the Cafe de Paris venue - tickets will cost £16.50 and go on sale this Friday at 9am (demand will, no doubt, be huge).

Following this launch activity, Mars will return to the UK in March for a brace of headline dates Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham on the 10th, 11th and 15th respectively. I have a sneaking suspicion he'll be back in London as well. Tickets will be £15 for the regional concerts.

Meanwhile, to get you in the mood, you can cop some Bruno action as Mars attacks (see what I did there?) the eardrums with his "Grenade" thing right here.