The R&B singer on new music, his painful past and why singing has been his greatest therapy
“YOU SHOULD let me love you, let me be the one to give you everything you want and need…” There is very little chance you made it through 2004 without knowing the rest of this chorus taken from US singer Mario’s break-out hit Let Me Love You.
The feel-good track, which spent nine weeks at the top of the charts, made Mario a global star.
His debut single Just A Friend, a cover of Biz Markie’s hit, had peaked at an impressive No.4, but it was this particular slow jam, penned by fellow artist Ne-Yo, that was wheeled up whenever there was a broken heart to mend.
Even nine years after its release, it still has the power to move the masses.
Case in point; when over 12,000 people gathered at a recent R&B concert in London’s Wembley Arena his lyrics were recited the back to him. Verbatim.
“That was crazy,” says the 27-year-old, whose personal cameraman filmed the entire experience for the singer.
“Every time I perform [Let Me Love You], it’s like waking up in the morning. It’s like a re-birthing experience for me. I want [the audience] to have the same feeling they had when they heard the song for the first time.”
The song also introduced us to Mario – the grown man. Gone were the trademark braids and baby-faced cuteness that had us cooing in his debut video and here was this braid-less, bearded super star.
“Listen, DD,” he starts. It’s timely for me to insert here that Mario took it upon himself to shorten my name. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that pet name is reserved for close relatives only. This is Mario at the end of the day, so ‘DD’ it is.
He continues: “When I first heard Let Me Love You, I was unfazed by the actual experience, I just did what I love to do. I wasn’t as analytical, I was free of ‘I need to create this type of song’, the universe just made it happen. That’s how some of the best music is created, by just allowing it to be. I had no perspective on whether it was going to be a hit, it just happened.”
Despite the aforementioned success of Let Me Love You, I actually throw a curveball and tell the star that my favourite song of his is 2007’s Crying Out For Me.
“You know what’s funny? Crying Out For Me is actually my favourite song too! I just think it has a good range of melodies and shows my vocal abilities,” he says.
With his new album Evolve soon to be released, can we expect similar bangers from his new work?
“Absolutely,” he says without hesitation.
“There’s a song called Sexual Distraction on there [which can be compared]. Even the first single from the album Somebody Else (a duet with rapper Nicki Minaj) has the same thing going on. The album is pretty much that. You can expect more great R&B music, more great lyrics and great melodies.”
He adds: “Every time I perform a song, I pretend I’m sitting on a couch talking to a girl or over the phone talking to her – that’s what our conversation would sound like.”
Although known, famed and loved for songs of the slower variation, will Mario, like many of his R&B peers, experiment with different genres?
“I feel like I still have a very long career in music ahead of me,” he says. “I’ll continue to evolve with music and I’ll try new things. As far as doing electro or other genres, I think that will come at the right time. For me, I love electronic music, but I would want to do it with the right producer and make a body of work instead of one song I just throw out there.”
It’s this same thought process Mario applies to real life. Though only 27, Mario, a strict vegan, speaks like a man well above his years. His responses are considered, well thought-out and eloquent. Would he say this is a result of growing up in the music industry?
“I guess so. I learned so much at a young age. This opportunity [in music] is priceless. I had the opportunity to change not only my life, but the life of others. It’s great to get paid to do it too,” he laughs.
But his learning not only came from music, life sent him a few lessons too. It is well documented that the singer’s mother struggled with a drug addiction throughout the star’s younger years and he was consequently raised by his grandmother.
“My childhood growing up wasn’t normal,” he confesses.
In an interview with MTV, the singer said of his stance in regards to mother’s constant battle, “[I told her], ‘I love you, but I won’t love you to death’. I quote this during our chat.
“I think [her addiction] affected me in good and bad ways. It made me strong, which in turn prepared me for the industry and the world by introducing me to pressure, but what I was missing was the love of a woman and that’s tough on a man, especially in my position. It can challenge you when it comes to having relationships with women.”
Mario, who is single at the moment, says that music has acted as a therapy for life’s trials and he often throws himself into work to battle them positively. Asked for his advice to young people experiencing a similar upbringing, the singer, who founded Mario’s Do Right Foundation in 2008 to help and inspire kids who suffer from the drug addictions of their parents, says:
“I would tell them to remember that you are a person outside of that experience. Do not allow the experience to create your character. Learn from it and use it as a stepping stone. Before you go out into the world, make sure your personal foundation is correct. You need something to stand on when all else fails.”
Evolve is out soon. For more information, visit: www. mariosoultruth.com or follow @MarioSoulTruth on Twitter _ The Voice
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