Mario has returned with his sixth album, ‘Glad You Came,’ and the R&B crooner made his debut on ‘The Masked Singer.’ He shares what it was like to create the iconic “Let Me Love You,” the breakdown of “Spaces,” being reintroduced to the world by Drake & Nicki Minaj, going on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and more!
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00:00I mean, you can breathe, obviously, but it's like five times harder breathing and delivering.
00:05Honestly, it looks like a lot of rock and roll, man.
00:08It looks like sex, love, partying, you know, crying.
00:13It felt classic, for sure, out the gate.
00:16It felt very intentional in terms of the lyricism.
00:21Yo, what's up, y'all?
00:21It's Mario, and you are watching Billboard News.
00:28Yo, yo, what's going on, y'all?
00:29I am Billboard Deputy Director of R&B Hip-Hop, Mr. Karl Lamar.
00:33Got an R&B star, R&B legend.
00:35Let's go, let's go.
00:36Gravy nominate.
00:37Let's go.
00:38Kicks, you didn't know.
00:40Mr. Mario, how you feeling, my brother?
00:42What's up, my boy?
00:42You good?
00:43I'm good.
00:44You here, so it's even better.
00:45Hold on.
00:46Mario.
00:47I got it.
00:48You feel me?
00:48That's my...
00:50I had to tap in, warm the voice up.
00:53I don't even think you remember this.
00:54You came to Power Players.
00:55Yeah.
00:55And we were chilling backstage, and we all just happened to be sitting there,
01:01and I just happened to belt out a little, Mario.
01:03I go, what this nigga doing?
01:07That's like your Batman call, man.
01:09That's like your Batman, like, you feel me?
01:10Do you normally get that publicly?
01:12Like, fans just come up to you and...
01:13Now, because I've been doing it more, just like, you know,
01:15since the last couple of years that I've been tapping back in.
01:18Right.
01:18Well, you're officially tapped back in, because you got a new album, Glad You Came.
01:23Absolutely.
01:24Your first album in six years, man.
01:26Yeah.
01:26Talk about some of the stories you were able to tell on this album
01:29that fans have never heard from you before.
01:31Absolutely.
01:31I mean, we can start with Space.
01:40Yeah.
01:40Which was the warm-up single that I put out for the album.
01:43Space is a retro-futuristic vibe produced by my boy, Benny X,
01:48written by me and James Fauntleroy.
01:49This is an ode to the music that I grew up listening to,
01:52my grandfather, who used to play jazz and drink liquor.
01:55Yeah.
01:55And make me come over as a kid and just listen to jazz music,
01:58and then you go to records like Glad You Came.
02:00I think the conversation in that record is more about the woman,
02:03and putting her first, and inviting her into a space
02:07where she can feel comfortable and feel herself.
02:08I think it's the same energy and intention of me on Just a Friend,
02:13but just a way higher and more mature version of it, right?
02:17Listening to the album, I got an evolved version of you.
02:21Yeah.
02:21The mature version of you.
02:22And James, big homie James, if you didn't know,
02:25his songwriting credits are nasty.
02:27Of course, he executive produced the album.
02:28Executive produced the album, man.
02:30Talk about what he was able to lend you from a songwriting perspective
02:33and shaping the vision you wanted for Glad You Came.
02:35Honestly, man, James just...
02:37I really absorbed how he takes his time to process the music
02:42and process the storytelling, not rushing the storytelling.
02:45I like to work like that too, where I like to get my melodies down first,
02:48lock in melodies.
02:50You might have a word here and there,
02:51but just really lock in melodies and intention behind it,
02:54and then just be free in the thought process of it.
02:56So I think just that process and also just living in it from a standpoint,
03:01is this something that we like?
03:03Would we like this if we heard it?
03:05You know what I'm saying?
03:05And would we appreciate this texture, this conversation, this approach?
03:10That's kind of what we would often think about.
03:13But James is great.
03:14He might be sitting listening to something for 45 minutes, an hour,
03:18and he'd just go in the studio and just do something crazy.
03:21I'm glad you gave a proper breakdown of Space,
03:24because I remember when it first came out,
03:26the fans were like,
03:27yo, this frackin' is a little Lucky Day coded.
03:31In actuality, it was a whole story behind it.
03:33So when you first saw those reactions...
03:35I think people just...
03:37He's been putting out more of the super musical melodies and textures,
03:42but people forget.
03:43You gotta go back to my first album and listen to records like
03:46Bring My Hair.
03:49Before I even say anything, you got harps and strings.
03:52And I've always been super musical.
03:54It's just that you gotta go listen to my first independent album,
03:58Dancing Shadows.
03:59Musically, I was there already.
04:01People compare music, especially in genres,
04:05that they're familiar with.
04:08And it's okay.
04:09It's okay.
04:09Lucky Day's a great artist.
04:12I'm Mario, and it's a different texture.
04:15There we go.
04:16Turning Point.
04:17Turner 20, of course.
04:19Big records.
04:19Let Me Love You, number one.
04:30How could you?
04:31Not to sound a little redundant,
04:33but where did you notice the turning point in your career
04:36that ultimately helped you become that star?
04:39Working with Scott Storch and really making that...
04:42that the round of sessions that made Turning Point,
04:48the types of people I was working with,
04:49the producers I was working with.
04:52I think choosing to try new things that were uncomfortable for me.
04:58When you're in a studio and you end with different writers,
05:02sometimes you're making pop R&B records.
05:05Sometimes you're making contemporary R&B records.
05:09My first album was just R&B.
05:11You know, this album was a little more expanded
05:14in terms of trying new things.
05:15And a sound that was a little bit more pop leaning,
05:19more simple, less backgrounds,
05:21more direct, simple vocals, simple conversations.
05:27And it was more mature in terms of the intention behind the album.
05:30And I think that's what got me out of that comfort zone
05:34that I didn't know that would initially turn into hit records.
05:38And this new sophomore jinx is over now.
05:43So being uncomfortable and doing things
05:45that I wouldn't normally do vocally or song-wise
05:51is what made people or introduced people
05:54to the versatility that is Mario.
05:57And it was a blessing having that.
05:59So you listen to Turning Point,
06:00you listen to my first album,
06:02you see that shift creatively, sonically,
06:07production-wise to show a very definite shift
06:11in where we're going with the project and with my brand.
06:15I think it's interesting, man,
06:16because I read an interview that Ne-Yo did this year
06:19regarding the anniversary for Let Me Love You.
06:22Yeah.
06:22And he was saying initially,
06:24he didn't know that you were ready for that type of record
06:28because you were so young.
06:29Yeah.
06:30How did you go into the studio with the mindset
06:32of I'm going to own this record and make it mine?
06:34I think him coming in as a writer,
06:38and not knowing me personally
06:40and just hearing my voice and all that.
06:43Of course, writing that type of record is like,
06:46okay, this should be for somebody more mature.
06:49But I think that with music
06:52and with the fact that I was already so soulful
06:55at a young age, it changed all of that narrative for me.
06:59I never thought about age or what the record meant
07:02or the fact that I never even said
07:04let me love you to a girl before.
07:06It was more about how my voice sounded on the record
07:09and how I delivered it.
07:10So for me, I always go into the studio
07:12and I deliver at my best.
07:14It was different.
07:15It felt classic, for sure, out the gate.
07:19It felt very intentional in terms of the lyricism.
07:24Ne-Yo writes very intentional.
07:26And I think in that era of his writing,
07:29we got some of the best records
07:30that we had ever heard in R&B,
07:33R&B pop or just R&B in general.
07:36It was a great time to even kick that sound off.
07:39Y'all boys hitting the road with Ms. MJB next year.
07:42And you were talking about for this album,
07:44Glad You Came,
07:45you're already mentally preparing for the tour.
07:46What did that look like so far?
07:48Give us a little glimpse.
07:49I mean, honestly, it looks like a lot of rock and roll, man.
07:55It looks like sex, love, partying, crying.
08:01Everything that you would want to feel at a show,
08:04all of the human emotions is going to be on a stage that night.
08:07You know what I'm saying?
08:10It's going to be beautiful, man.
08:11For me, it's about taking Glad You Came, this moment,
08:14and translating it on,
08:15like making it as much a part of my show as possible,
08:17but also giving the fans those classic moments that they want.
08:21Yeah.
08:21You feel me?
08:22It's got to be all of it.
08:23And I got to do it in whatever time I get on stage.
08:27Yeah.
08:28So that's always the difficult part is deciding what songs,
08:30but the exciting part is the journey
08:33and reintroducing myself as a performer to the fans
08:37and to those who are fans of the other artists
08:40and bringing it all together, telling a story.
08:43You said something that was interesting in terms of the reintroduction aspect.
08:47And I know you got brought out for Nicky.
08:49Drake had brought you out this year.
08:51Talk about that experience, that feeling of being reintroduced
08:55to maybe fans who were too young to experience you
08:57or just wasn't familiar at all.
08:59Yeah.
09:00But this heard the music, didn't know the face.
09:03I just focused on being present, you know what I'm saying?
09:05Like me and Nicky, we talked about doing more music and stuff.
09:09So it was just like a confirmation that at some point we should tap back in.
09:18Absolutely.
09:18And do something special.
09:20But more than anything, it just reminds you to just shoot for making classics.
09:26Yeah.
09:26Classics always cut through whatever's going on in the world
09:31and whatever's going on in music.
09:32Making classics, man, in her show and what she does in music clearly is like
09:37it's not a lot of artists that can go out there and sell out arenas, right?
09:40After just having so many other artists come out and do what they do,
09:45but you're still standing on top in your own way.
09:48I feel like that in the R&B world, you know, where it's like
09:52I feel like I get better and better with time, you know,
09:55in my approach to it and how serious I take it in the studio.
09:59I feel like it's my first album again.
10:02I tell myself that.
10:03That's honest.
10:03Like, I really feel like Glad You Came is a reintroduction,
10:07but it's also like just a part of the train.
10:10It's not disconnected from it.
10:12I always thought it was funny.
10:13I don't know if Cat's ever brought it up to you in an interview.
10:16I know I was going to be that guy.
10:17Who's that?
10:18Man, shout out to Usher Raymond, first and foremost.
10:20He had Just a Friend.
10:22He did the reference.
10:23Yeah.
10:23Hey, you say you heard the reference?
10:25I heard the reference.
10:27Love you, Usher.
10:28You bodied the track for what it is today.
10:39How did the record fall in your lap?
10:40Honestly, it was just a part of the animal process at the time, right?
10:44But then when I went to L.A. to work with Warren Campbell and Harold Lilly,
10:47they played me a couple of records.
10:48Yeah.
10:48And then they played that record as well.
10:50We was going to cut that regardless.
10:51But just that whole moment was like, yo,
10:53these are the guys that's going to help me illustrate
10:56who I am to the world for the first time.
10:58When I first heard Just a Friend, I was like, yo,
11:00it made me feel like I was still in Baltimore.
11:03Like, I remember being on the bus stop singing to the girl,
11:06but I was singing music so child, Just Friends.
11:09Wow.
11:09You know what I'm saying?
11:10So I was like, this is my version of Just Friends.
11:13And then I didn't find out until later that Usher had the record before.
11:16But I knew that's what the feeling I got from it.
11:19I'm like, OK, this is going to be my version of that.
11:22So yeah, we did the record.
11:23And then I left town to go do promo or something.
11:27The night we came to New York, we did Braid My Hair,
11:29Quad Studios right here in New York.
11:31Right here, yeah.
11:32Came to the studio, hair half out, half in.
11:34But I was like, I was frustrated because
11:37the girl who usually braids my hair lives in Baltimore.
11:40And so I'm like, bro, like, I didn't want to work.
11:42I didn't want to record at all.
11:43Yeah.
11:43So we're in the studio with the track to Braid My Hair playing.
11:46He's like, man, what's wrong?
11:47I'm like, man, I just, I want to go home and let my girl braid my hair, bro.
11:50This is crazy.
11:51I got to be out here like this.
11:52He's like, man, we're in New York, like plenty of girls braid.
11:55So I go in the lounge room.
11:57I come back in and he got half of the song written already.
11:59Wow.
12:00So when you hear that, like, you hear it like, that's her.
12:03That's her, man.
12:04He's different.
12:05That's genius.
12:07Another record, which it's weird because like,
12:09when you look at the album credits in terms of like the features,
12:13you were like, not there.
12:14But when you hear the song, bodied it.
12:17Talking about Nas.
12:18Oh, yeah, yeah.
12:19On King's disease.
12:20Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:21Talk about being on a serious record.
12:23How did that even come about?
12:30I was in a studio meeting with Hit-Boy, but he had been in a session with Nas already.
12:34He was like, you're in my session running over.
12:36And then a homie Double was like, yo, just come in here.
12:38Just vibe.
12:40Walked in the room and he was in there just playing records, talking about music.
12:44And, you know, dapped up Nas, whatever, whatever.
12:47The GOAT.
12:48And he's like, yo, pull up that one joint.
12:50They had a joint plan.
12:51He was like, yo, turn it up.
12:52Like, yo, you might as well just hop on it.
12:54Like, just like that.
12:55It just happened because I happened to be coming to the studio.
12:59And so I'm like, man, say less, bro.
13:01Yeah.
13:02Press record.
13:02I went in the studio and just freestyled.
13:04That was extra.
13:05You added, elevated the soul of that record.
13:07Thank you, bro.
13:07Yeah, no, it's timeless.
13:09You know, it's just one of those like God moments.
13:11Yeah.
13:12That you can't even, you can't even plan that.
13:14It's just, this is all God.
13:15I love that.
13:16Yeah.
13:17I gotta ask you, man.
13:19Dancing With The Stars, did your thing, embodied it.
13:23How did that time help you become a better performer?
13:26I don't know that it helped me become a better performer.
13:28It's such a different world.
13:30It's just like culturing yourself, like getting more culture.
13:32Yeah.
13:32You know, doing these different dances and stuff.
13:35I think it helped me just work better under pressure.
13:37Dancing With The Stars was a lot.
13:38I was touring at the same time.
13:40So my partner was traveling with me.
13:42Sometimes we only had three days to rehearse or two days to rehearse.
13:45That whole process helped me a lot to just mentally become stronger.
13:50The more stress you want in, like you still delivering under it.
13:53It's like, it just makes you better.
13:55Yeah.
13:55Yeah.
13:55I would say that.
13:56Obviously, I wasn't singing on it, which would have been cool.
13:59Probably today, if I was on it, they would be like, yeah,
14:02they might let you do something, you know, to make it cool.
14:04Right.
14:04Just like that pressure and just like being able to learn things quick.
14:09I get that.
14:10I mean, you were singing on a new show.
14:13I heard it's safe to talk about it.
14:15Yeah.
14:16Um, Matt Singer.
14:17Yes, sir.
14:18Yeah.
14:19Yes, sir.
14:20Let's talk about it, brother.
14:22We got the green light, right?
14:23So we can finally count out the bag.
14:27Yeah.
14:27Somebody was the wasp.
14:28Yeah, man.
14:36Talk about that experience.
14:37I'm just waiting for them to send me my costume, you know,
14:40like I feel like I feel connected to this guy, man.
14:43It's like.
14:43Are you going to hang it up in the air?
14:45Like, no, I'm going to I'm going to put it up.
14:46So you walk in and you're going to sit in the living room on the side.
14:49I got a lot of plants and stuff.
14:50Yeah.
14:50It makes all the sense in the world.
14:52You just send it.
14:53Just who else is going to be the wasp?
14:55No one else is going to be the wasp but me.
14:57That's an amen to that.
14:58Amen to that, bro.
14:59Nah, man.
15:00It was such a good.
15:01That was that was fun.
15:02Yeah, that was fun.
15:03That was fun.
15:03Speaking of being like challenged, being, you know,
15:08so many great things came out of that for me personally.
15:10You know, I have a wild imagination.
15:12So just using my imagination to imagine how the wasp would move,
15:15you know, even if I was just standing still.
15:17If you recognize, like, just really creating this character was really fun.
15:22I just enjoy challenging myself, singing different songs like Aretha Franklin.
15:25Yeah.
15:26All these different.
15:27It was fun.
15:27It was fun as well.
15:28And then obviously, like Boyz II Men, right?
15:31Those are my guys.
15:32I grew up like if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here.
15:35Right.
15:35I have energy.
15:36So, yeah, it was crazy.
15:38In terms of like we were just talking about like preparation,
15:41is there any similarities between, I mean, I can't imagine wearing a wasp outfit
15:46and then we're dancing with the stars.
15:47I rehearsed in my mask the whole time because, I mean, you could breathe, obviously, but
15:54it's like five times harder breathing and delivering.
15:57And even if you listen and go back and watch my performances,
16:00you hear a little bit of the muffledness of the, but that's what made it real.
16:06Yeah.
16:06Right.
16:06And it's like once the costume is done, you've got to commit to it.
16:11Yeah.
16:11So I was committed.
16:12And it was just becoming one with every time I would go to work and put it on.
16:19It just became one with it.
16:21And I felt like I was in my own world, bro.
16:24Even with people screaming and the cameras on and the lights,
16:27and you feel like you're in your own fantasy world.
16:30It's like it's kind of interesting, man.
16:32I didn't expect it to be as fun.
16:34Yeah.
16:35And I didn't expect it to be as challenging at the same time,
16:39you know, because you're taking direction from stage managers,
16:42from you got to step or somewhere, you got to make sure you can see where you're going.
16:45And I was doing choreography.
16:46So again, it goes back to like being a new artist again.
16:49Like all those things, all those things make you great, you know, make you better.
16:53I know the cardio games on like a honey right now.
16:56Yeah, yeah, for sure.
16:57Got to be on.
16:58You're going to bring the wife out on the tour?
17:00You know, the costume?
17:01Like I said, if they let me get the costume, I might.
17:04The boss might come out with his own album.
17:08The boss might have a whole other lane of music that he does.
17:12I heard about it that brother.
17:13Lastly, before I let you go, man, with over 20 to damn near 25,
17:1825 years of, you know, experience in the music industry.
17:21Yeah.
17:22What are you hoping to accomplish or perfect that you haven't done so far in your career?
17:28Honestly, just building, hiring the right people.
17:32Like behind the scenes, you know, as I build the music side,
17:36I got a movie out called Stop Me for Christmas right now.
17:40BT plus.
17:40Just wanted to expand all of these different areas of who I am as a entrepreneur, right?
17:47Building the right team, you know, learning how to hire
17:53the right people to help you along the journey.
17:55And also just timing, perfecting timing.
17:59If that's such a thing, right?
18:01Because sometimes things happen on God's time and you can't control it.
18:03But, you know, really when it's time to deliver, just perfecting,
18:08you know, those things and having everything come full circle, man,
18:12keeping the story connected, you know, just having everything, you know,
18:17learning what parts of the year to take away from music to give to film,
18:20you know, to give these other things because you have to.
18:23You know, I just I was at F1 and then I had an audition.
18:27So I had to choose between doing this F1 show and being on time
18:32or going to this audition.
18:34And it was just like, ah, trying to balance both worlds out.
18:36Right.
18:37So, yeah, just putting the time into play,
18:41connecting with my fans, learning new ways to tell my story.
18:45Yeah, man, just all these things.
18:47Yeah.
18:47Yeah.
18:48And I think you're definitely in the right trajectory.
18:50If you guys don't believe me, check out Glad You Came.
18:54Yes, Glad You Came.
18:55Mario, you're back outside.
18:56It's yours.
18:57Thank you all so much for downloading, streaming, sharing.
19:01I can't wait to see you on the road for my fans tour.
19:05I'll get your tickets right now.
19:06Meet and greets will be available soon.
19:08Thank you, Billboard, for having me.
19:10So are you ready for Beat the Buzzer?
19:13Yeah, let's go.
19:13OK, so in this game, you'll have 60 seconds to answer the questions in rapid fire style.
19:17All right, bet.
19:18Your goal is to answer the most questions in 60 seconds.
19:21Let's start the timer.
19:24Let's go.
19:24Let's go.
19:25Let me love you or how do I breathe?
19:26Let me love you.
19:27Acting or singing?
19:28Singing.
19:2890s or 2000s?
19:292000s.
19:30Baltimore or New York?
19:3190s, Baltimore.
19:32Going out or staying in?
19:34Staying in.
19:34Past or present?
19:36Present.
19:36Acting in movies or TV shows?
19:38Movies.
19:39TikTok or Instagram?
19:40TikTok.
19:40Solo tour or festival performance?
19:43Solo tour.
19:43An iced out chain or iced out watch?
19:46Iced out watch.
19:47Step up or empire?
19:48Empire.
19:49Drums or flats?
19:50Step up, sorry.
19:51OK.
19:52Drums or flats?
19:54Drums or flats.
19:55Flats.
19:56Drums.
19:57My man.
19:57Arm day or leg day?
20:01Today leg day.
20:02Beard or mustache?
20:03Beard.
20:04Gold or platinum?
20:05Gold.
20:06Beard or liquor?
20:08Liquor.
20:08Dressed up or dressed down?
20:10Dressed up.
20:11In the booth or on stage?
20:13On stage.
20:14Pre-game or after party?
20:16Pre-game.
20:17Sweet or spicy?
20:18Sweet.
20:18Choreo or freestyle?
20:20Choreo.
20:20Hits or deep cuts?
20:22Deep cuts.
20:23Mario or DNA?
20:25DNA.
20:27We have one more.
20:28Fire.
20:29Fire.
20:30OK.
20:30Fire.
20:31For fun?
20:32OK.
20:32Dancing with the stars or Max Singer?
20:34Max Singer.
20:35There we go.
20:36Let's go.
20:36So I almost did them all.
20:37Hey!
20:38That's because he was reading them slow.
20:40I was ready.
20:40He was going slow.
20:42I just stumbled on a few.
20:43I ain't gonna hold you.
20:44I just stumbled on a few.