Mario

Mario Dewar Barrett (born August 27, 1986), known mononymously as Mario, is an American R&B singer.

Mario Dewar Barrett was born on August 27, 1986, in Baltimore, Maryland, to his mother Shawntia Hardaway and father Derryl Barrett Sr., a singer in a gospel group called Reformation.

He also has a half-brother Derryl "D.J."

Barrett Jr., who is a professional drummer.

He grew up in west Baltimore and other working-class neighborhoods in Baltimore County, Maryland.

He lived with his grandmother, who raised him while his single mother struggled with drug addiction.

At the age of four, Mario proclaimed that he wanted to become a singer.

In support of his dream, his mother 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.

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.

His musical influences include Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Usher, and Joe.

His first introduction to the music industry was the Dr. Dolittle 2 movie soundtrack in 2001.

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.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, he signed a record deal with J Records at the age of 14 and released his self-titled debut studio album (2002) to commercial success.

It contained the Billboard Hot 100-top five single, "Just a Friend 2002."

He sang a cover of the Stevie Wonder song "You and I" at Clive's Grammy party in 2002, and began recording an album.

The album's lead single "Just a Friend 2002", which was a cover of Biz Markie's song, was a success, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Follow-up singles were "Braid My Hair" and "C'mon".

He was the opening act on the Scream Tour 3, which featured headliners such as B2K, Marques Houston, Nick Cannon, Jhené Aiko and AJA.

His second album, Turning Point (2004) was supported by the single "Let Me Love You," which peaked atop the chart, won two Billboard Music Awards, received a Grammy Award nomination, and remains his most commercially successful release.

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" was successful, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks.

The single was written by Ne-Yo.

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 is certified platinum and the lead single double-platinum.

Aside from his musical career, he appeared in several television shows and films such as Step Up (2006), Freedom Writers (2007) and Empire (2018–2020).

As of 2006, his debut album has sold over 700,000 copies.

During this period, he became a draw in the teen market.

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.

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.

His third studio album, Go (2007) saw mild success with its singles "How Do I Breathe" and "Crying Out for Me".

His fourth album, D.N.A. (2009) was led by the single "Break Up" (featuring Gucci Mane and Sean Garrett), which peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In the following year, Barrett was ranked No. 98 by Billboard on their "Artist of the Decade" list.

His fifth album, Dancing Shadows (2018) saw further lyrical introspection and creative control than previous commercially-oriented projects, also serving as his first independent release.

In 2019, Mario starred in the live television production of the musical Rent.