Mario (American singer)

Mario
Mario being interviewed at a charity event in San Diego in September 2008
Background information
Birth name Mario Dewar Barrett
Born (1986-08-27) August 27, 1986
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres R&B
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
  • record producer
  • model
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2001–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website marioworldwide.com

Mario Dewar Barrett (born August 27, 1986),[1] known mononymously as Mario, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer and model. He is known for his singles "Just a Friend" (2002) and "Let Me Love You" (2004), which won him two Billboard Music Awards, as well as for appearing in the films Step Up and Freedom Writers. He has released four studio albums: Mario (2002), Turning Point (2004), Go (2007), and D.N.A. (2009). At the end of the 2000s decade, Mario was ranked by Billboard at number 98 on their "Artist of the Decade" list.[2] His long delayed fifth studio album Dancing Shadows was released on October 5, 2018.[3]

Early life and education

Mario grew up in Baltimore and other working-class neighborhoods in Baltimore County, Maryland.[4] He lived with his grandmother, who raised him while his single mother struggled with a drug addiction.[4] Mario said at the age of four that he wanted to become a singer. His mother supported his dream and bought him a karaoke machine. Mario joined a musical group in Milford Mill Academy with the oldest son of comedian Mo'Nique and best friend Jaye Brebnor and also his younger god sister Chea Tyler. Barrett learned to play the piano and used that skill as the basis for his melodies and songs. He was discovered at age eleven and signed by producer Troy Patterson, after singing "I'll Make Love to You" at a Coppin State College talent show.[4] Mario attended Milford Mill Academy up until the tenth grade where he was inspired by his music teacher, during his early teen years, and was offered a record deal at the age of fourteen, signing with Clive Davis' J Records.[4] His musical influences include Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson,[5] Usher, and Joe. His first introduction to the music industry was the Dr. Dolittle 2 movie soundtrack in 2001. He sang a cover of the Stevie Wonder song "You and I" at Clive's Grammy party in 2002, and began recording an album.

Music career

Mario (2001–03)

In July 2001, Mario began recording his major-label debut album, titled Mario, which was nearly a year before the official release in March 2002. The album's lead single "Just a Friend 2002", which was a cover of Biz Markie's song, was a success, peaking at number one on the charts. Follow-up singles were "Braid My Hair" and "C'mon". He was the opening act on the Scream Tour 3, which features the headliner, such as B2K, Marques Houston, Nick Cannon, Jhené Aiko and AJA. As of 2006, his debut album has sold over 700,000 copies.[4] During this period, he became a draw in the teen market.[4]

Turning Point (2004–06)

After his debut album was released, Mario wanted to record an album that was more mature. He enlisted a number of well-known producers to help him, such as Scott Storch and Lil' Jon. He released his second album, Turning Point on December 7, 2004. The album was more successful than his first, mainly because of the hit single "Let Me Love You". The single, described by reviewers as "melodic and sweetly lilting, reminiscent of Michael Jackson's vintage romantic ballads"[4] was successful, peaking at the number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks. The single was written by Ne-Yo.[4] Other follow-up singles include "How Could You" co-written by J. Valentine, with a cameo appearance in the video by rapper Cassidy; "Here I Go Again" (whose video starred model/singer Cassie) and "Boom" featuring Juvenile. To date, Turning Point has sold platinum and the lead single double-platinum.

In February 2006, Mario filed a lawsuit against his former manager, Troy Patterson, alleging that Patterson had paid him $50,000 for the sale of more than 3 million records, which was later found to be false accusations. Mario was later sued by Patterson and lost. Mario's new manager is J. Erving and he was chosen by Mario.[6]

Go (2007–08)

Mario's third album Go is dedicated to his mom Shawntia Hardaway and was released in South Africa under Gallo Records on October 9, 2007, in the U.S. on December 11, 2007. The album includes collaborations with Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Janice Robinson, Scott Storch, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Timbaland and Bryan-Michael Cox. Mario had more creative control on Go than on his previous two albums.[4] The first single from the album was "How Do I Breathe" which was released in May. The second single was "Crying Out for Me" after a poll on his website.[7] The single was later certificated Gold by the RIAA.[8] On December 13, 2007, Mario was on "106 & Park" where he stated that the third single off the album will be "Music for Love". The album was made available for the public to listen to on his Myspace page before its release. He released the song "Do Right" on December 11. Go has sold 331,540 copies in the U.S.

In an interview with DJ "Z", Mario stated that problems with the record label caused the album launch to be pushed back 6–8 months.[9] In 2008, Mario competed on season six of Dancing With the Stars. He was partnered with Karina Smirnoff. They were eliminated in week eight of the competition.

D.N.A. (2009–10)

In a 2009 interview with Rap-Up.com, Mario said that "Soul Truth Entertainment" was his new entertainment company.[10] Before the release of his third album Go, Mario confirmed in an interview with that he was working on a new album "by the time school starts back up, like after next summer" "But there's really even more than that, 'cause I'm gonna start recording, like, [at] the end of January".[11] The album is involving a wide range of producers and songwriters such as Darkchild, Babyface, Polow da Don, RedOne, and CJ of Charlio Productions, Malay, Jazze Pha, Stargate, KP, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream.[12][13][14] Mario said that he would like to work with no more than four producers for this album.[11] Mario has described this album as world music, an old school R&B influenced with a modern dance pop sound.[14] The album is being described as his "most personal, colossal album of his career."

In January 2009, Mario became the face of Pelle Pelle's European Spring/Summer campaign with various press shots running through the first part of the year.[15] For his fourth album D.N.A., the lead single "Break Up" was released on April 28, 2009. The song features Sean "The Pen" Garrett and Gucci Mane.[16] In the U.S., the song peaked at number 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart and 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Mario's most successful single in five years. The single has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for a shipment of over 500,000 units.[17] "Thinkin' About You", was released as the second single reaching number forty-five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart. "Stranded" never labelled as the third single due to the limited airplay that it received. Lack of interest led to the single being cancelled, although in January 2010 the song entered on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs peaking at number 84. "Ooh Baby" was later confirmed to be the third single from the album, it peaked on the week of March 19, 2010 debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 95. The album was made available for the public to listen to on his Myspace page before its release. The album debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200, selling 38,000 copies in its first week, becoming Mario's lowest-selling debut in the United States. So far, it has sold 93,385 copies in the U.S.

Cancelled albums (2011–16)

Mario recorded an album with producer Rico Love from 2010 to mid-2011 under the tentative title Restoration. Songs from this album included "My Bed", "Killa", "Bermuda", "The Walls", "Recovery", "Falling Down" and "Computer Love". During Mario's appearance on BET's 106 & Park on July 10, 2013, Mario stated that he felt the album recorded with Rico Love did not feel part of his career plan and that he scrapped that album and went on to record his then titled album Evolve, which was set to be released in September 2013, but was delayed to 2014. For his fifth album, Mario stated the album will include "Love songs, ballads, club records and general R&B", and has said there will be no EDM songs on this album. Mario took writers Jeremiah "Sickpen" Bethea and Jimi Bonet under his wing amongst others to write for this album. Production on the album includes work by Glass John, Bam Alexander, Pollow da Don and possibly Ne-Yo.

In an interview with Vibe, Mario was asked what direction he was trying to go with on his fifth album; his answer was, "I wanna give as much honesty as I can. I want to be honest, but grab the attention of everybody, but still compete so when you hear it on the radio it’s pushing the envelope. The melodies coming out of me now are unorthodox— melodies I've never expressed before". He also confirmed he has five tracks that are definitely going on. "These tracks are like movies, they are intense", he added. Nevertheless, the album will probably feature a song centered on his mother, written by himself.[18] In August 2011, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Mario, and all other artists previously signed to these three labels, will release his future albums on the RCA Records label.[19][20]

Through his official Twitter page, on May 17, 2013, Mario confirmed that he has been working with Polow Da Don, for the lead single "Somebody Else" featuring rapper Nicki Minaj was already recorded and released.[21][22] The song was made available in the iTunes Store on May 21, 2013. He thanked Polow Da Don, Jeremiah Renaldo, Nicki Minaj and CJ Hilton for composing the song. He stated that his album would be released in September 2013 and may include guest appearances from Minaj, J. Cole and Sevyn Streeter. "Fatal Distraction" will be his next single.[23] Mario announced during a USTREAM interview with Music Choice, his album will be released in October 2013 but was pushed back.[24] [25] The second single "Fatal Distraction" was released on September 10, 2013.[26]

In the summer of 2015, Mario announced that he was planning on releasing a new album, titled Never 2 Late, it was scheduled to be released on December 4, 2015, however this album release never materialized. It was to be supported by the single "Forever" featuring Rick Ross.[27]

New label and Dancing Shadows (2016–present)

In May 2016, Mario premiered his new single, "I Need More" on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show. He also announced that his fifth studio album would be now titled Paradise Cove, that is set to be released off of his newly founded independent label New Citizen. On December 13, 2016, he released the next single off the album, which is called "Let Me Help You".[28]

In March 2017, in an interview with Music Choice, Mario revealed that his fifth album will be no longer called Paradise Cove and that the new album title is called Cosmo 17, stating "The new album title is Cosmo 17, and I love Paradise Cove too absolutely. I can’t say that this album has an island vibe. I think "Let Me Help You" is the only record. The rest of the album developing it, it kinda took a life of its own. It’s kinda like I was talkin to myself as a kid telling him like, love still exists like it’s still real like you know you still believe in it don’t give up, and if you can’t find it here on earth maybe you gotta go to the cosmos to find it."[29]

He released a new single "Pain is the New Pleasure" on June 16, 2017.[30][31] In October, he collaborated with THRDL!FE and Kelli-Leigh on a new charity single called "For Love".[32]

Mario spoke with the FunX radio station during the Oh My! Music Festival in June 2018, announcing that the album Cosmo 17 is now re-titled Dancing Shadows and will be released in the late fall with a new single called "Drowning": "We changed the name of it. Making an album is like giving birth to something. You go through different names and different vibes." [3]

On July 20, 2018, Mario released "Drowning" and the accompanying music video. “This song is about being faced with the reality of having multiple women I love for different reasons," he said in a press statement. [33]

On October 5, 2018, Dancing Shadows was finally released. The album debuted at number 1 on iTunes R&B chart.[34]

Other ventures

Acting career

Mario starred as Miles Darby in Step Up, a dance-themed film released on August 11, 2006. He also appeared in Freedom Writers, which was released on January 5, 2007. Mario did not take acting classes before undertaking the role.[4] Mario has stated that he would like to own his own film production company entitled "Inside Paris Productions" and become a director.[35] On March 5, 2009, Mario said on Twitter that he had made an ABC network testing for a new pilot.[36] As result, he made an announcement to The Electric Company on PBS, with the "Soft G".[37] He starred in One on One as Spirit's date to the dance.

Knightwritaz

Knightwritaz
Years active 2005—2010
Associated acts Raven-Symoné
Members
Past members
  • Mario

Knightwritaz is a production team of which Mario was a part of. The team included Sterling Simms, Warren "Oak" Felder and Marsha of Floetry. Aside from producing songs for Mario's third album Go, the team has written and produced songs for Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown, Jordin Sparks, Usher and Raven-Symoné. Mario claimed to be more of the songwriter in the team.[39] In an interview with Rap-Up, he said that he was no longer a part of the Knightwritaz.[10]

Do Right Foundation

Mario's Do Right Foundation was established on March 2008 to educate and inspire children who suffer from the drug addictions of their parents.[40] In May, Mario published a notice on the Facebook page of the foundation, saying that he had been in a studio in Miami all night re-recording the song "Do Right" from his 2007 album Go.[41]

Personal life

MTV aired a special on October 21, 2007, I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom, which dealt with his mother's heroin addiction. The documentary is about how the singer strives for help to stop his mother's addiction. While doing this, he seeks help from family and friends.[42] Mario wrote a letter to his mother stating how appreciative he is and begs her to stop her addiction. At the end of the letter he says, "I love you, but I won't love you to death".[43] On the documentary, produced by Gigantic! Productions, he won the 2008's Prism Award for its accurate portrayal of drug abuse.[44] Mario has written a song titled "Do Right" that is dedicated to his mother. This song explains his mother's addiction and how it affected his childhood.[45] The song is featured on his third album Go.

In 2009, Mario endorsed PETA in the campaign against killing animals entitled "Ink, Not Mink". He tells: "Be comfortable in your own skin, and let animals keep theirs".[46] Mario has homes in Baltimore, Atlanta and Los Angeles.[4]

Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Step Up Miles Darby Lead role
2007 Freedom Writers Andre Bryant
2007 Uncle P Himself Minor role
2012 Destination Fame Wizzy

Television

Year Title Role Notes Episode
2003 One on One Himself Minor role The Test [Season 2, Episode 15]
2003 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch Himself Guest role (Uncredited)[47] What a Witch Wants [Season 7, Episode 21]
2005 All of Us Himself Minor role Movin' on Up [Season 2, Episode 17]
2008 Dancing with the Stars Himself Contestant (Eliminated 8th)
2014 Love That Girl! Terrence Guest role
2018—present Empire Devon Guest/Recurring role

References

  1. ↑ Southern, Nathan. "Mario – Overview". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  2. ↑ "Artists Of The Decade Music Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
  3. 1 2 3 FunX Gemist (30 June 2018). "Mario: I would never make a second Let Me Love You". Retrieved 11 July 2018 – via YouTube.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Ollison, Rashod D. (2006-12-27). "A maturing Mario". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2006-12-27.
  5. ↑ "Mario Pays His Respects to Michael Jackson". Theboombox.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-04. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  6. ↑ Gail, Mitchell (2007-06-18). "R&B artist Mario gets personal on 3rd album". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2009-09-08.
  7. ↑ Rodriguez, Jayson. "Mario Gets Back To Making Music With Akon, Timbaland, Neptunes". MTV.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  8. ↑ Rock On The Net Staff. "Rock On The Net:Mario". Archived from the original on 2009-01-03.
  9. ↑ "Mario Interview". Djbooth.net. June 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  10. 1 2 Georgette Cline. "10 Questions for Mario". Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  11. 1 2 "Mario Already Conceptualizing Next Album". Billboard.com. 2007-12-14. Archived from the original on 2009-01-23. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  12. ↑ "Mario in Studio with Rodney Jerkins, Babyface, Polow da don, Red One, CJ, Malay, Jazze Pha". Archived from the original on 2009-02-02.
  13. ↑ "Rap-Up.com:// no one on the corner has swagga like us » Blog Archive » Mario Eyes March Release For Fourth Album". Rap-up.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  14. 1 2 Bella Vai (2008-11-07). "LIVESTEEZ – Exclusive Interview: Mario Bares It All". Livesteez.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  15. ↑ Pelle Pelle featuring Mario. Pellepelle-europe.com. Retrieved on 2012-08-28.
  16. ↑ Bossip Staff (23 February 2009). "Exclusive* Studio News: Mario's "And Then There Was Me". Bossip. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  17. ↑ Mario to turn in D.N.A. October 13th Archived 2013-01-28 at Archive.is. Mario2u.com (2011-12-22). Retrieved on 2012-08-28.
  18. ↑ "Mario Talks Refocusing On Music & New Mixtape [Pg. 3] VIBE". Archived from the original on 11 December 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  19. ↑ Christman, Ed. (2011-08-23) RCA's New Executive Team Named Under CEO Peter Edge Amid Layoffs (Update) Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine.. Billboard.biz. Retrieved on 2012-04-15.
  20. ↑ Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more! Archived 2011-11-08 at the Wayback Machine.. FMQB. Retrieved on 2012-04-15.
  21. ↑ "Mario Barrett on Twitter: "S/O to @PolowDaDon!!! ONE OF THE BEST TO EVER DO IT!! MY BROTHA!!!"". Twitter.com. 2013-05-17. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  22. ↑ "Mario Barrett on Twitter: "Yooww! Just heard the final mix! @NICKIMINAJ You put NY on ur back wit this one! Your the fucking best! @PolowDaDon Ur a genius fam!"". Twitter.com. 2013-05-17. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  23. ↑ "Mario Says He's 'Refined' On New Album, Talks Next Single, Duet with Sevyn Streeter | ThisisRnB.com - Hot New R&B Music, Videos, News". ThisisRnB.com. 2013-06-05. Archived from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  24. ↑ Archived August 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  25. ↑ "Mario Barrett on Twitter: "Just to clarify, the album is not called "Restoration". I will announce the album title very soon."". Twitter.com. 2013-07-17. Archived from the original on 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  26. ↑ "Fatal Distraction: Mario: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
  27. ↑ "New Music: Mario feat. Rick Ross - 'Forever' - Rap-Up - Rap-Up". www.rap-up.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  28. ↑ "Mario's A Selfless Lover On His New Song "Let Me Help You"". thefader.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  29. ↑ "Mario Changes Fifth Album Title to 'Cosmo 17'". ratedrnb.com. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  30. ↑ "Mario's "Pain Is The New Pleasure" Touches On Mental Health". vibe.com. 19 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  31. ↑ "Mario Premieres 'Pain is the New Pleasure,' Discusses New Musical Approach & Therapeutic Creative Process". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  32. ↑ "For Love". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  33. ↑ "Mario Gets Deep on New Single 'Drowning'". ratedrnb.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  34. ↑ http://www.itunescharts.net/us/charts/albums/rnb-soul/
  35. ↑ Adler, Shawn (2006-12-19). "Mario Sheds A Tear For 'Freedom,' Says He Wants To Direct". MTV.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  36. ↑ Barrett, Mario (2009-03-05). "Mario ABC network testing for a new Pilot". Twitter. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  37. ↑ "THE ELECTRIC COMPANY: Mario Barrett's "Soft G"". Youtube. 2009-03-13. Archived from the original on 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  38. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/pg/KnightWritaz/about/?ref=page_internal
  39. ↑ Concepcion, Mariel (2007-04-19). "Mario Teams With Akon, Timbaland on New Set". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-22. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  40. ↑ The Tyra Banks Show (25 January 2008). "R&B Singer Mario's Foundation for Children of Addicts". Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  41. ↑ Mario Barrett (29 May 2010). "I'M EXHAUSTED FB Friends". Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  42. ↑ R&B Star Mario Tackles His Mothers Drug Addition On TV Special Archived April 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.. Mog.com (2007-10-16). Retrieved on 2012-08-28.
  43. ↑ http://www.theinsider.com/news/723982_Singer_Mario_Launches_Do_Right_Campaign. Retrieved February 25, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  44. ↑ SAMHSA holds PRISM Awards and Voice Awards Archived 2009-01-18 at the Wayback Machine.. Samhsa.gov. Retrieved on 2012-08-28.
  45. ↑ "Mario Ready to 'Go'". Spotlight on RnB. 2007-04-22. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  46. ↑ Lauren Walker (2009-05-27). "Mario: A New Point of View". Archived from the original on 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  47. ↑ "Mario". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
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