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{{Infobox Musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
|Name = Mario
|Img = Mario FP1.jpg
|Img_capt = Mario being interviewed at a charity event for cancer in San Diego, September 14th 2008
|Background = solo_singer
|Birth_name = Mario Dewar Barrett
|Alias = Mario Barrett, Soul Truth
|Born = {{birth date and age|1986|8|27|}}
|Origin = [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], [[United States]]
|Genre = [[contemporary R&B|R&B]], [[pop music|pop]]
|Occupation(s) = [[singing|Singer]], [[songwriter]],[[dance]]r, [[actor]], [[Model (person)|Model]]
|Voice_type = Second [[Tenor]]
|Years_active = 2000-present
|Label = [[J Records|J]], [[Sony BMG]], [[EMI]], 3rd Street
|URL = [http://www.mario2u.com/ www.mario2u.com]
|Associated_acts =[[Mario (entertainer)#Knightwritaz|Knightwritaz]]
}}

'''Mario Dewar Barrett''' (born August 27, 1986)<ref>{{cite web|last=Southern|first=Nathan|title=Mario - Overview|work=[[Allmovie]]|url=http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:476803|accessdate=2008-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Entertainment Celebrities|last=Laufenberg|first=Norbert B.|year=2005|publisher=[[Trafford Publishing]]|isbn=1412053358|page=424|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=mzTW9Nitee4C&pg=PA424&lpg=PA424&dq=mario+%22August+27+1986%22&source=web&ots=EuYbQxLfXe&sig=MxY0tLwiufLy2YCp2Te66nE2FJo&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA424,M1}}</ref> is an American [[Grammy]]-nominated [[contemporary R&B|R&B]] and [[pop music|pop]] [[singer]]. He is best known for his hit singles "[[Just a Friend 2002]]" (2002) and "[[Let Me Love You]]" (2004), which won him two [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]] awards, as well as for appearing in the films ''[[Step Up (film)|Step Up]]'' and ''[[Freedom Writers]]''. His latest album, ''[[Go (Mario album)|Go!]]'' was released on December 11, 2007 in the United States, but was released in [[South Africa]] on October 9, 2007 under [[Gallo Records]]. Mario is currently working on his fourth album which is due out early 2009.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Mario, who is [[African American]] was born in [[Baltimore, Maryland]], and grew up in [[Pikesville, Maryland|Pikesville]], [[Randallstown, Maryland|Randallstown]], [[Gwynn Oak, Maryland|Gwynn Oak]] and other working-class neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland.<ref name="Mario2">{{cite news | last =Ollison| first =Rashod D.| coauthors=| title =A maturing Mario| pages=| publisher =The Baltimore Sun| date =[[2006-12-27]] | url =http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bal-to.mario27dec27,0,3126202.story?coll=bal-features-headlines| accessdate =2006-12-27 }}</ref> He grew up with his grandmother in different areas of Baltimore, Maryland, she also raised him while his single mother struggled with a drug problem.<ref name="Mario2" /> 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 high school with the oldest son of comedienne [[Mo'nique]]. He was always dedicated to having a musical career. He 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.<ref name="Mario2" /> 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]].<ref name="Mario2" /> His musical influences include [[Stevie Wonder]], Fernando & Q-Bah, [[Marvin Gaye]], [[Sam Cooke]], [[Nat King Cole]], [[Brian McKnight]], [[Boyz II Men]], [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]], and [[Joe (singer)|Joe]]. His first introduction to the music industry was the ''[[Dr. Dolittle 2]]'' movie soundtrack in 2001. He sang a captivating performance of the [[Stevie Wonder]] classic "You and I" at Clive's [[Grammy]] party in 2002, and began recording an album.

===''Mario'' (2002-2003)===
{{Main|Mario (album)}}
Mario began recording his debut album ''[[Mario (album)|Mario]]''. A year before releasing it in July 2002. The lead single "[[Just a Friend 2002]]" , which was a cover of [[Biz Markie]]'s hit, was an instant success, peaking at #4 on the charts. Follow up singles were "[[Braid My Hair]]" & "[[C'mon]]" . He was the opening act on the ''Scream Tour 3'', which featured [[Bow Wow]], [[Nick Cannon]], [[B2K]] & [[Marques Houston]]. As of 2006, his debut album has sold over 700,000 copies.<ref name="Mario2" /> During this period, he became a draw in the teen market. <ref name="Mario2" />

===''Turning Point'' (2004-2006)===
{{Main|Turning Point (album)}}
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]] & [[Lil' Jon]]. He released his second album, [[Turning Point (album)|Turning Point]], 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",<ref name="Mario2" /> was successful, peaking at the number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for nine consecutive weeks. The single is written by [[Ne-Yo]].<ref name="Mario2" /> Other follow up singles include "[[How Could You]]" co-written by [[J. Valentine]], with a cameo appearance in the video by [[rapper]] [[Cassidy (rapper)|Cassidy]], "[[Here I Go Again(Mario song)|Here I Go Again]]", which video starred upcoming [[model (person)|model]] and [[singer]] [[Cassie (singer)|Cassie]], and "[[Boom(Mario song)|Boom]]" featuring [[Juvenile (rapper)|Juvenile]]. To date, [[Turning Point (album)|Turning Point]] has gone 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. Mario's new manager is [[J. Erving]] and he was chosen by Mario<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSN1828950620070619|title=R&B artist Mario gets personal on 3rd album}}</ref>. Mario has homes in [[Baltimore]], [[Atlanta]] and [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="Mario2"/>

===''Go!'' (2007-2008)===
{{main|Go! (Mario album)}}
Mario's third album ''[[Go! (Mario 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]], [[Eric West]], [[Lionell Davis]], [[Scott Storch]], [[Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis]], [[Timbaland]], [[Bryan-Michael Cox]], [[The Neptunes]], [[Jim Jonsin]], [[Akon]], [[Dre & Vidal]], [[Warryn Campbell|Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell]], [[Sean Garrett]] and [[Mr. Collipark]]. Mario, who has described the album as "sex...more personal...more passionate", had more creative control on ''Go'' than on his previous two albums.<ref name="Mario2" /> The first single to be lifted 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.<ref name="MTV News">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1557037/20070412/mario.jhtml | title="Mario Gets Back To Making Music With Akon, Timbaland, Neptunes}}</ref> 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 entire album was made available for the public to listen to on his [[Myspace]] page before its release. He also has a new song that came out on December 11, "[[Do Right]]".

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.djbooth.net/index/interviews/entry/mario-interview-053007/ |title=Mario Interview |publisher=Djbooth.net |date= |accessdate=2008-12-18}}</ref>

===''And Then There Was Me'' (2008-Present)===
{{main|And Then There Was Me (Mario album)}}
On October 2nd and 30th 2008 Mario confirmed he's been in the studio with producers [[Darkchild]], [[Babyface]], [[Polow Da Don]], [[RedOne]], [[CJ]] of Charlio Productions, [[Malay (producer)|Malay]], [[Jazze Pha]], [[Stargate (production team)|Stargate]], [[Kawan "KP" Prather|KP]], [[Tricky Stewart]] and [[The-Dream]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mario2u.com/blog/to-all-my-mario-fans-out-there/ |title=Mario in Studio with Rodney Jerkins, Babyface, Polow da don, Red One, CJ, Malay, Jazze Pha}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2008/10/30/mario-eyes-march-release-for-fourth-album/ |title=Rap-Up.com:// no one on the corner has swagga like us » Blog Archive » Mario Eyes March Release For Fourth Album |publisher=Rap-up.com |date= |accessdate=2008-12-18}}</ref><ref name="LIVESTEEZ - Exclusive Interview: Mario Bares It All">{{cite web|url=http://www.livesteez.com/news/news_detail/1427 |title=LIVESTEEZ - Exclusive Interview: Mario Bares It All |publisher=Livesteez.com |date= |accessdate=2008-12-18}}</ref> So far there have been several leaked tracks including "Me and My Girl" and "Love" produced by [[Oak (producer)|Oak]] and the last written by Mario, "Crazy Kind Of Love", "Stuttering", "I Choose You" and "Rules" all produced by Stargate and the second produced with [[Darkchild]], the first written by Phil "Taj" Jackson and by [[The-Dream]] and the second one written by [[LaShawn Daniels]], "Hello" produced by [[J. R. Rotem]] and co-produced by [[Jim Jonsin]] which is a cover of "[[Don't Disturb This Groove]]", "Break Something" and "Get Out" produced by [[Jim Jonsin]], "Love or Lust" and "If I Hurt You" produced by [[The Underdogs (duo)|The Underdogs]] and the last one, produced and written by [[Ne-Yo]], "Step Out" and "Apple Bottom" produced by [[Scott Storch]], "Do For Love", "Don't Do It" and "Missin My Woman" produced by [[Dre & Vidal]], "Better Man" produced by [[Bryan-Michael Cox|B. Cox]], "Promise Land" produced by [[Darkchild]] and by [[Stargate (production team)|Stargate]] and written by [[LaShawn Daniels]] and by Amber Rives and "Didn't Mean To Fall In Love" produced by [[Darkchild]] too, "Green Light" produced by [[Jazze Pha]], "I Miss My Friend" produced by [[Polow Da Don]], "Your's Forever" produced by [[Eric Hudson]], "Let Your Starlight Shine Down" produced by [[The-Dream]]. Mario said that the song was about going after a woman and describes it as dreamy and swaggerized<ref name="LIVESTEEZ - Exclusive Interview: Mario Bares It All " />, "Get a Lil More" featuring [[Young Chris]] produced by [[Dre & Vidal]] and by the [[Stereotypes (producers)|Stereotypes]],"Don't Walk Away" produced by [[Tricky Stewart]], "I'm Tryin To Be Down", "Inside Of You", "Before She Said Hi" featuring [[Young Chris]], "Encore" featuring [[Rico Love|Rico]] and "Jeanz" however all have been unconfirmed. Mario stated that the album will be realesed in March or April of 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRgTt_oUTpI |title=YouTube - Broadcast Yourself |publisher=Youtube.com |date= |accessdate=2008-12-18}}</ref> Mario has also made two cover's version of [[Ruben Studdard]]'s, "One Side" one features [[Ruben Studdard]] and the other doesn't, the versions are produced by [[Stargate (production team)|Stargate]] and written by [[Ne-Yo]]. Mario has stated he would like to work with no more than 4 producers for this album.

In a recent Saynow message on Sept 14th 2008 from Mario{{cn|date=December 2008}} he revealed that the new album is halfway done and he is finishing up the rest in a studio in L.A. he also sang a snippet of one of his new songs. Mario has described this album as World music, an old school R&B influenced with a modern dance pop sound<ref name="LIVESTEEZ - Exclusive Interview: Mario Bares It All" />.
Mario is calling this the “most personal, colossal album of his career.” Mario stated in a online chat with fans that he's working on a album titled ''And Then There Was Me'' and he's not sure yet and that the single will drop at the top of 2009 and will release an uptempo 1st single, but on January 10th mario told to Singersroom that the title may change for his effort which will reportedly have a single out within a few weeks<ref name="Mario Says 'Me & Pelle,' Fashion Spread & New Album">{{cite web|url=http://singersroom.com/news/entertainment-story-3050.asp |title=Singersroom - Mario Says 'Me & Pelle,' Fashion Spread & New Album|date= |accessdate=2009-01-10}}</ref>.

==Knightwritaz==
'''Knightwritaz''' is a production team of which Mario is a part. The production team includes Mario, [[Sterling Simms]], [[Oak (producer)|Warren "Oak" Felder]] and [[Marsha Ambrosius|Marsha]] of [[Floetry]]. Aside from producing songs for Mario's album [[Go! (Mario album)|Go!]], the team has written and produced songs for [[Jennifer Lopez]], [[Chris Brown (singer)|Chris Brown]], [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]] and [[Raven-Symoné]]. Mario claims to be more of the songwriter in the team.<ref>[http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003573905 Mario Teams With Akon, Timbaland on New Set]</ref>

==MTV special==
MTV aired a special on October 21, "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. 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." The documentary, produced by Gigantic! Productions, won a 2008 Prism Award for its accurate portrayal of drug abuse.

Mario has also 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, and highlights how much he looks up to her. The song is featured on his third album ''Go''.

==Other ventures==

On 10th of January 2009, Mario ventured to be the face of [[Pelle Pelle]]'s European Spring/Summer 2009 campaign with various press shots for the campaign running throughout the next few months<ref name="Mario Says 'Me & Pelle,' Fashion Spread & New Album"/>.

===''Dancing with the Stars'' Performances===
While on season 6 of ''[[Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 6)|Dancing with the Stars]],'' Mario performed the following dances with his professional partner, [[Karina Smirnoff]]:
{|class="wikitable" border="1" style="float:left;"
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="Center"|'''Week #'''
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="Center"|'''Dance/Song'''
|colspan="3" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="Center"|'''Judges' score'''
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="Center"|'''Result'''
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" width="10%" align="center"|Inaba
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" width="10%" align="center"|Goodman
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" width="10%" align="center"|Tonioli
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|1
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|[[Cha-cha-cha (dance)|Cha-cha-cha]]/ "[[Request Line]]"
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|N/A
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|2
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|[[Quickstep]]/ "[[Valerie (The Zutons song)|Valerie]]"
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|Safe
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|3
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|[[Tango (ballroom)|Tango]]/ "[[Moulin Rouge!|Roxanne]]"
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|7
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|6
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|Bottom Two
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|4
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|[[Paso Doble]]/ "[[Higher Ground (song)|Higher Ground]]"
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|7
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|Safe
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|5
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|[[Samba (dance)|Samba]]/ "[[A-Tisket, A-Tasket]]"
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|Safe
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|6
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|[[Rumba (dance)|Rumba]]/ "[[Let's Get It On (song)|Let's Get It On]]"
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|10
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|Bottom Two
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|7
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|[[Foxtrot]]/ "[[Call Me Irresponsible (album)|I'm Your Man]]"<br/>[[Mambo (dance)|Mambo]]/ "[[Andre Melendez|Mambo A La Sandoval]]"
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8<br />9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8<br />9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8<br />9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|Safe
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|8
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|[[Viennese Waltz]]/ "[[If I Ain't Got You]]"<br/>[[Jive (dance)|Jive]]/ "[[Little Bitty Pretty One]]"
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9<br />9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9<br />8
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|9<br />9
|align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|Eliminated
|}{{-}}

==Discography==
{{further|[[Mario discography]]}}
* ''[[Mario (album)|Mario]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Turning Point (album)|Turning Point]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Go! (Mario album)|Go!]]'' (2007)
* ''[[And Then There Was Me (Mario album)|And Then There Was Me]]'' (2009)

==Awards==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Mario}}

==Acting career==
Mario starred alongside [[Channing Tatum]] and [[Jenna Dewan]] in ''[[Step Up (film)|Step Up]]'', a dance-themed film released on August 11, 2006. For his next film, ''[[Freedom Writers]]'' he acted opposite [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-Winner [[Hilary Swank]] and [[Patrick Dempsey]] of ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]''. The film was a drama about inner-city school kids. It was released on January 5, 2007. Mario did not take acting classes before undertaking the role.<ref name="Mario2"/> Mario has stated that he would like to own his own film production company entitled "Inside Paris Productions" and become a director.<ref name="Mario1">{{cite news | last =Adler| first =Shawn| coauthors=| title =Mario Sheds A Tear For 'Freedom,' Says He Wants To Direct| pages=| publisher =MTV.com| date =[[2006-12-19]] | url =http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1548309/20061218/story.jhtml| accessdate =2006-12-19 }}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Films===
* ''[[Step Up (film)|Step Up]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Freedom Writers]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Destination Fame]]'' (2009)

===Television===
* ''[[The Maury Show]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Sabrina, the Teenage Witch]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Big Time]]'' (2004)
* ''[[48th Annual Grammy Awards]]'' (2004) Performer
* ''[[Soul Train]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Punk'd]]'' (2004)
* ''[[All of Us]]''
* ''[[The View]]''
* ''An All-Star Salute to Patti LaBelle: Live from Atlantis''
* ''[[Mad TV]]''
* ''[[All That]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Step Up BET Music Special]]'' (2006)
* ''[[106 & Park: BET's Top 10 Live/feat Timothy Hodge]]'' (2004-2007)
* ''[[MTV Goes Gold: New Year's Eve]]'' (2007)
* ''[[The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Mario (singer) #MTV Special|I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom]]'' (2007)
* ''[[The Tyra Banks Show]] (2008)
* ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'' (2008)
* ''[[E! News Live]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Access Hollywood]]'' (March 2008)
* ''[[Regis & Kelly]] '' (March 2008)
* ''[[Dancing with the Stars (U.S. TV series)|Dancing with the Stars]]'' (March - April 2008)
* ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]'' (March - April 2008)
* ''[[Jimmy Kimmel]] '' (April 2008)
* ''[[Good Morning America]] '' (April 2008)
* ''[[6abc Ikea Thanksgiving Day Parade]]'' (November 2008)
* ''[[Victoria's Secret Fashion Show]]''
* ''[[Alma Awards]]'' with Lisa Lisa
* ''[[An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Patti LaBelle]]'' (2009) (post-production)
* ''[[Battleground Earth: Ludacris vs. Tommy Lee]]'' (2008)

==Trivia==
Mario is very fluent in Japanese. He can also speak some Korean and Cantonese.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Mario (singer)|Mario}}
* [http://www.mario2u.com/ Mario's Official website]
* {{imdb|1276562}}
* [http://www.myspace.com/mariojrecords Mario] at [[MySpace]]

==Interviews==
* [http://www.djbooth.net/index/interviews/entry/mario-interview-053007/ The DJ Booth: Mario Interview] (June 2007)
* [http://www.djbooth.net/index/interviews/entry/mario-interview The DJ Booth: Mario Interview] (November 2007)
* [http://thepopculturejunkie.blogspot.com/2007/12/exclusive-ready-set-go-with-mario.html Pop-Junkie.com: Mario Interview] (December 11, 2007)
* [http://www.hhnlive.com/features/more/377/ HHNlive.com] (December 2007)
* [http://www.thatgrapejuice.net/search/label/ thatgrapejuice.net] (November 2007)

{{Mario}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mario}}
[[Category:1986 births]]
[[Category:African American singers]]
[[Category:African American film actors]]
[[Category:African American songwriters]]
[[Category:African American models]]
[[Category:American actor-singers]]
[[Category:American child singers]]
[[Category:American singers]]
[[Category:American film actors]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American pop singers]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]]
[[Category:American songwriters]]
[[Category:American male models]]
[[Category:Dancing with the Stars (US TV series) participants]]
[[Category:J Records artists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Actors from Maryland]]
[[Category:Musicians from Maryland]]
[[Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland]]
[[Category:Sony BMG artists]]
[[Category:English-language singers]]

[[de:Mario (Sänger)]]
[[es:Mario Dewar Barrett]]
[[fr:Mario (chanteur)]]
[[it:Mario (cantante)]]
[[nl:Mario Barrett]]
[[no:Mario (sanger)]]
[[pl:Mario (piosenkarz)]]
[[pt:Mario Barrett]]
[[sv:Mario (artist)]]
[[th:มาริโอ (นักร้อง)]]
[[tr:Mario]]

Revision as of 17:37, 17 February 2009

Mario

Mario Dewar Barrett (born August 27, 1986)[1][2] is an American Grammy-nominated R&B and pop singer. He is best known for his hit singles "Just a Friend 2002" (2002) and "Let Me Love You" (2004), which won him two Billboard awards, as well as for appearing in the films Step Up and Freedom Writers. His latest album, Go! was released on December 11, 2007 in the United States, but was released in South Africa on October 9, 2007 under Gallo Records. Mario is currently working on his fourth album which is due out early 2009.

Biography

Early life

Mario, who is African American was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Pikesville, Randallstown, Gwynn Oak and other working-class neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland.[3] He grew up with his grandmother in different areas of Baltimore, Maryland, she also raised him while his single mother struggled with a drug problem.[3] 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 high school with the oldest son of comedienne Mo'nique. He was always dedicated to having a musical career. He 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.[3] 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.[3] His musical influences include Stevie Wonder, Fernando & Q-Bah, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men, Usher, and Joe. His first introduction to the music industry was the Dr. Dolittle 2 movie soundtrack in 2001. He sang a captivating performance of the Stevie Wonder classic "You and I" at Clive's Grammy party in 2002, and began recording an album.

Mario (2002-2003)

Main article: Mario (album)

Mario began recording his debut album Mario. A year before releasing it in July 2002. The lead single "Just a Friend 2002" , which was a cover of Biz Markie's hit, was an instant success, peaking at #4 on the charts. Follow up singles were "Braid My Hair" & "C'mon" . He was the opening act on the Scream Tour 3, which featured Bow Wow, Nick Cannon, B2K & Marques Houston. As of 2006, his debut album has sold over 700,000 copies.[3] During this period, he became a draw in the teen market. [3]

Turning Point (2004-2006)

Main article: Turning Point (album)

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 & Lil' Jon. He released his second album, Turning Point, 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",[3] was successful, peaking at the number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks. The single is written by Ne-Yo.[3] 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", which video starred upcoming model and singer Cassie, and "Boom" featuring Juvenile. To date, Turning Point has gone 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. Mario's new manager is J. Erving and he was chosen by Mario[4]. Mario has homes in Baltimore, Atlanta and Los Angeles.[3]

Go! (2007-2008)

Main article: Go! (Mario album)

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, Eric West, Lionell Davis, Scott Storch, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Timbaland, Bryan-Michael Cox, The Neptunes, Jim Jonsin, Akon, Dre & Vidal, Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell, Sean Garrett and Mr. Collipark. Mario, who has described the album as "sex...more personal...more passionate", had more creative control on Go than on his previous two albums.[3] The first single to be lifted 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.[5] 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 entire album was made available for the public to listen to on his Myspace page before its release. He also has a new song that came out on December 11, "Do Right".

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.[6]

And Then There Was Me (2008-Present)

Main article: And Then There Was Me (Mario album)

On October 2nd and 30th 2008 Mario confirmed he's been in the studio with producers Darkchild, Babyface, Polow Da Don, RedOne, CJ of Charlio Productions, Malay, Jazze Pha, Stargate, KP, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream.[7][8][9] So far there have been several leaked tracks including "Me and My Girl" and "Love" produced by Oak and the last written by Mario, "Crazy Kind Of Love", "Stuttering", "I Choose You" and "Rules" all produced by Stargate and the second produced with Darkchild, the first written by Phil "Taj" Jackson and by The-Dream and the second one written by LaShawn Daniels, "Hello" produced by J. R. Rotem and co-produced by Jim Jonsin which is a cover of "Don't Disturb This Groove", "Break Something" and "Get Out" produced by Jim Jonsin, "Love or Lust" and "If I Hurt You" produced by The Underdogs and the last one, produced and written by Ne-Yo, "Step Out" and "Apple Bottom" produced by Scott Storch, "Do For Love", "Don't Do It" and "Missin My Woman" produced by Dre & Vidal, "Better Man" produced by B. Cox, "Promise Land" produced by Darkchild and by Stargate and written by LaShawn Daniels and by Amber Rives and "Didn't Mean To Fall In Love" produced by Darkchild too, "Green Light" produced by Jazze Pha, "I Miss My Friend" produced by Polow Da Don, "Your's Forever" produced by Eric Hudson, "Let Your Starlight Shine Down" produced by The-Dream. Mario said that the song was about going after a woman and describes it as dreamy and swaggerized[9], "Get a Lil More" featuring Young Chris produced by Dre & Vidal and by the Stereotypes,"Don't Walk Away" produced by Tricky Stewart, "I'm Tryin To Be Down", "Inside Of You", "Before She Said Hi" featuring Young Chris, "Encore" featuring Rico and "Jeanz" however all have been unconfirmed. Mario stated that the album will be realesed in March or April of 2009.[10] Mario has also made two cover's version of Ruben Studdard's, "One Side" one features Ruben Studdard and the other doesn't, the versions are produced by Stargate and written by Ne-Yo. Mario has stated he would like to work with no more than 4 producers for this album.

In a recent Saynow message on Sept 14th 2008 from Mario[citation needed] he revealed that the new album is halfway done and he is finishing up the rest in a studio in L.A. he also sang a snippet of one of his new songs. Mario has described this album as World music, an old school R&B influenced with a modern dance pop sound[9]. Mario is calling this the “most personal, colossal album of his career.” Mario stated in a online chat with fans that he's working on a album titled And Then There Was Me and he's not sure yet and that the single will drop at the top of 2009 and will release an uptempo 1st single, but on January 10th mario told to Singersroom that the title may change for his effort which will reportedly have a single out within a few weeks[11].

Knightwritaz

Knightwritaz is a production team of which Mario is a part. The production team includes Mario, Sterling Simms, Warren "Oak" Felder and Marsha of Floetry. Aside from producing songs for Mario's album Go!, the team has written and produced songs for Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown, Usher and Raven-Symoné. Mario claims to be more of the songwriter in the team.[12]

MTV special

MTV aired a special on October 21, "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. 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." The documentary, produced by Gigantic! Productions, won a 2008 Prism Award for its accurate portrayal of drug abuse.

Mario has also 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, and highlights how much he looks up to her. The song is featured on his third album Go.

Other ventures

On 10th of January 2009, Mario ventured to be the face of Pelle Pelle's European Spring/Summer 2009 campaign with various press shots for the campaign running throughout the next few months[11].

Dancing with the Stars Performances

While on season 6 of Dancing with the Stars, Mario performed the following dances with his professional partner, Karina Smirnoff:

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha-cha-cha/ "Request Line" 8 8 8 N/A
2 Quickstep/ "Valerie" 9 8 9 Safe
3 Tango/ "Roxanne" 7 6 8 Bottom Two
4 Paso Doble/ "Higher Ground" 8 7 9 Safe
5 Samba/ "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" 9 9 9 Safe
6 Rumba/ "Let's Get It On" 9 9 10 Bottom Two
7 Foxtrot/ "I'm Your Man"
Mambo/ "Mambo A La Sandoval" 		8
9 		8
9 		8
9 		Safe
8 Viennese Waltz/ "If I Ain't Got You"
Jive/ "Little Bitty Pretty One" 		9
9 		9
8 		9
9 		Eliminated

Discography

Further information: [[:Mario discography]]

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Mario

Acting career

Mario starred alongside Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan in Step Up, a dance-themed film released on August 11, 2006. For his next film, Freedom Writers he acted opposite Academy Award-Winner Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey of Grey's Anatomy. The film was a drama about inner-city school kids. It was released on January 5, 2007. Mario did not take acting classes before undertaking the role.[3] Mario has stated that he would like to own his own film production company entitled "Inside Paris Productions" and become a director.[13]

Filmography

Films

Television

Trivia

Mario is very fluent in Japanese. He can also speak some Korean and Cantonese.

References

  1. ^ Southern, Nathan. "Mario - Overview". Allmovie. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  2. ^ Laufenberg, Norbert B. (2005). Entertainment Celebrities. Trafford Publishing. p. 424. ISBN 1412053358.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ollison, Rashod D. (2006-12-27). "A maturing Mario". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2006-12-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "R&B artist Mario gets personal on 3rd album".
  5. ^ ""Mario Gets Back To Making Music With Akon, Timbaland, Neptunes".
  6. ^ "Mario Interview". Djbooth.net. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  7. ^ "Mario in Studio with Rodney Jerkins, Babyface, Polow da don, Red One, CJ, Malay, Jazze Pha".
  8. ^ "Rap-Up.com:// no one on the corner has swagga like us » Blog Archive » Mario Eyes March Release For Fourth Album". Rap-up.com. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  9. ^ a b c "LIVESTEEZ - Exclusive Interview: Mario Bares It All". Livesteez.com. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  10. ^ "YouTube - Broadcast Yourself". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  11. ^ a b "Singersroom - Mario Says 'Me & Pelle,' Fashion Spread & New Album". Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  12. ^ Mario Teams With Akon, Timbaland on New Set
  13. ^ Adler, Shawn (2006-12-19). "Mario Sheds A Tear For 'Freedom,' Says He Wants To Direct". MTV.com. Retrieved 2006-12-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mario.

Interviews

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