Bruno Mars' Nephews Advance on America's Got Talent Without Revealing Their Famous Connection

Two teenage brothers from Hawaii's North Shore performed an original song on America's Got Talent and secured advancement to the next round without disclosing that Grammy-winning artist Bruno Mars produces their music. Nyjah Music, 16, and Zyah Rhythm, 15, delivered their composition "Heartbeat" to the judges panel and received approval from all four judges, including Howie Mandel, Melanie Brown, Simon Cowell, and Sofía Vergara.

The Performance and Judge Response

Howie Mandel drew a comparison to previous AGT winner Grace VanderWaal, telling the brothers: "I think you're going to be memorable. I think people are going to remember your name, and I just think they are stars." Sofía Vergara called them amazing. The brothers' choice to perform an original track rather than a cover marked a deliberate creative decision, even as their recorded catalog leans heavily on reimagined classics and ballads across social media platforms.

The judges remained unaware that the duo's entire music catalog is produced by their uncle. According to reports, the brothers chose not to mention their family connection during their audition, allowing their performance to stand on its own merit. Zyah later revealed that watching Grace VanderWaal's AGT audition as a child inspired them to pursue a spot on the show themselves.

Background and Musical Foundation

The sons of Tahiti Hernandez-Kemper, one of Bruno Mars' sisters, built their following through social media covers spanning old-school R&B, Hawaiian mele, and ballads on Instagram and TikTok. The brothers credit their grandmother with introducing them to music through karaoke sessions during childhood. They currently maintain more than 250,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, driven in part by their cover of Elvis Presley's "Burning Love," which was featured on Disney's 2025 live-action "Lilo & Stitch" soundtrack and has accumulated more than 12 million streams.

The duo recently announced the upcoming release of a new original song titled "Waste No Time," scheduled for June 12. Their musical approach emphasizes authenticity rooted in family tradition rather than celebrity proximity, framing their career as an extension of multigenerational musical heritage passed through their lineage.