If you’ve been watching America’s Got Talent Season 21 on NBC, you may have already seen Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm perform and wondered if the buzz about their famous uncle is true.
The brothers, ages 15 and 16, are from O’ahu, Hawaii, and auditioned for Season 21 of the reality competition on June 9, performing their original song “Heartbeat.” According to Talent Recap, the performance earned four yeses from the judges panel, Howie Mandel, Melanie Brown, Simon Cowell and Sofía Vergara, sending the duo through to the next round.
Are Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm really Bruno Mars’ nephews?
Yes, and all of their music is produced by him. Per Talent Recap, Nyjah and Zyah are the sons of Mars’ sister Tahiti Hernandez Kemper and professional surfer Billy Kemper.
Who are Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm?
The brothers built an early following through viral social media covers spanning old-school R&B, Hawaiian mele, and ballads. They have since accumulated over 280,000 Instagram followers and more than 250,000 monthly Spotify listeners, per Aloha State Daily.
Their profile got a significant boost in 2025 when their cover of the Elvis Presley classic “Burning Love,” produced by Mars, was included on the soundtrack for Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch. That track has since surpassed 12 million streams on Spotify, per Aloha State Daily. In November 2024, the pair also appeared in a commercial for Gap, per Talent Recap.
Did Nyjah and Zyah mention Bruno Mars during their ‘AGT’ audition?
No. The pair introduced themselves by age and hometown and left the family connection out of their introduction entirely. Viewers largely discovered it through social media after the episode aired.
In the YouTube comments of the official performance video on AGT’s YouTube, one viewer wrote: “I love that the ONLY reason I know they are related to Bruno Mars is because of reading the comments here. The boys never flaunted about that once to try and show off their connections or whatever. Making their own mark with their own skills and talent. Their harmonizing was spot on. Rooting for them!” Another added: “The lyrics were amazing, the flow of harmony was brilliant, and the audience reaction was spot on. Two gifted stars are born!” A third commenter put it simply: “I love that the young brothers duo are doing the hard work without name-dropping their famous family / Uncle Bruno Mars! They have a beautiful family as well — hope they go far in the competition.”
On Reddit, a self-described longtime Mars fan wrote: “I kind of shed a tear like Tahiti on the back when I watched it this morning. As a long time Hooligan I remember seeing pictures of these two when they were babies. I appreciate they didn’t come out and say who they were related to right off the bat. I assume this is to protect themselves.”
What did Nyjah and Zyah perform on ‘AGT’?
The brothers performed their original song “Heartbeat,” which earned unanimous yeses from all four judges. The duo also released a new single, “Waste No Time,” on June 12.
What is ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 21?
America’s Got Talent Season 21 airs Tuesdays on NBC with judges Howie Mandel, Melanie Brown, Simon Cowell and Sofía Vergara. This season introduces a new callbacks round, in which select acts perform a second time before judges decide who advances to the live shows.
When does ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 21 continue?
America’s Got Talent Season 21 continues Tuesday, June 16, on NBC.
Featured image photo credit: Trae Patton/NBC
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