Post by Sweet Meat aka CC on Jan 26, 2005 13:56:52 GMT -5
MARIO UNCENSORED: Singer talks Sam Cooke, trials, tribulations, his first movie and the clean image.
One thing to know if you ever have a conversation with Mario – he’s prone to break into song. The 18-year-old Baltimore, MD native serenaded EUR’s Lee Bailey with a little Sam Cooke before beginning their conversation about his skyrocketing success. Oh yeah, before we get started, he prefers that you pronounce his name "Marry-o" instead of more commonly used "Maury-o."
“That’s my man right there, I love Sam,” Mario said after launching into the smooth vocals that powered his current hit “Let Me Love You” to a record-setting reign atop multiple Billboard charts. The track is the first single from the aptly-titled CD “Turning Point,” featuring the brother looking down-right angelic in a crisp white suit.
“I wanna be known first as a good person,” Mario says. “Outside of just being an artist, I wanna be known as somebody who God has blessed with a gift, and I’ll use that gift to its full capacity. That’s why I try to listen to different music and try to relive in my mind, musically relive what those artists back in the day heard.”
The artist, who burst onto the scene at age 15 with “Just a Friend 2002,” says he can never duplicate what his idol Cooke did, “but I can take from him the characteristics of his music and his conviction. That’s something you have to find within yourself.”
Lee Bailey: DO YOU THINK YOU’VE FOUND THAT AT THE AGE OF 18?
Mari I think that I’m learning a lot faster as I grow. It’s very exciting for me. I keep a tape recorder with me and I’ll just sing into the tape recorder and I’ll listen back to it and be like, “Where did that come from?” It’s exciting to me. And of course as I grow with the next album and the album after that, God willing, I’ll be able to express myself more and more and you’ll have a fresh new sound.
SO YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOUR CAREER THUS FAR?
So far, I think that God had brought me through a lot, and everything I’ve been through has happened for a reason and has made me the young man that I am today.
HAVE YOU BEEN THROUGH TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS?
Put it like this. Imagine being a sophomore in high school, doing your thing, going to school, checkin’ out the shorties, you ain’t worried about your school work. Then all of a sudden, you get a break. God has given you a blessing, but with that blessing comes other responsibilities. I had to give up a lot of things that I used to wanna to do. I had to live life a different way because of my blessing.
Everybody’s been through trials and tribulations. But I look at it like He’s given me an opportunity to learn so much at a young age that as I learn and grow, I still have time to branch off and do other things – acting – there’s a number of things I wanna do. That’s why I’m very happy and appreciative of the people and things and all of the different stages I’ve went through.
IS IT A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO COME UP WITH A LOOK THAT’S NOT THE SAGGING, THUGGED-OUT KIND OF LOOK?
I have to give it all up to my stylist June Ambrose. She has a vision. Of course I had to be clean for “Turning Point” in all white. (Laughs).
I’M STARTING TO HEAR COMPARISONS BETWEEN YOU AND USHER, IN TERMS OF BEING AN EXCELLENT DANCER AND HAVING STAGE PRESENCE. YOUR THOUGHTS?
That’s actually a compliment. I can remember times coming up, actually before I ever signed any deals, listening to his music, watching his videos, just thinking, “Wow, he’s awesome.” But I still feel like we’re two totally different artists. Like if you put us next to each other, he has his own charisma, I have mine. He’s a lot older than me, he’s had time in the game and he’s led the way for artists like me.
YOU MENTIONED WANTING TO GET INTO ACTING? ANY GIGS LINED UP?
I actually did a role in this one movie, “Destination Fame,” coming out this summer. It’s about some young kids trying to get into the music industry. It shows some of the trials and tribulations they went through. One of the guys in the group had to decide whether to stay with the group or sign a deal of his own. His mother’s about to get kicked out and he needs the money. It’s a good movie. It stars [Michael Jackson’s father] Joe Jackson, [former New Kids on the Block singer] Jordan Knight, A.J. from the first season of “American Idol” and Doug E. Fresh. I didn’t do a real big role because I wanted to feel it out first, get my feet wet, but acting is definitely something I want to do.
DO YOU HAVE THE NEXT SINGLE LINED UP?
Yeah, it’s “How Could You.” You know, men, we hurt, too. So, I think it’s alright to share that. “How could you let somebody lay where I lay, give them everything that we made.” It talks about a bond between two people being broken.
I’M SURE THE VIDEO WILL HAVE ANOTHER HOT LIL’ MAMA IN THERE.
Aw, she gon’ be a woman this time.
DO YOU HAVE THE NEXT SINGLE LINED UP?
Yeah, it’s “How Could You.” You know, men, we hurt, too. So, I think it’s alright to share that. “How could you let somebody lay where I lay, give them everything that we made.” It talks about a bond between two people being broken.
I’M SURE THE VIDEO WILL HAVE ANOTHER HOT LIL’ MAMA IN THERE.
Aw, she gon’ be a woman this time
Yeah, it’s “How Could You.” You know, men, we hurt, too. So, I think it’s alright to share that. “How could you let somebody lay where I lay, give them everything that we made.” It talks about a bond between two people being broken.
I’M SURE THE VIDEO WILL HAVE ANOTHER HOT LIL’ MAMA IN THERE.
Aw, she gon’ be a woman this time
Well since he let the cat outta the bag...I'll be makin' my video debut!
It was so much fun filmin' the videos with him...ooops...I mean video. 
But seriously, I'm glad that's gonna be his next single...I LOVE that song! 
::singin':: I'll never te-elllll