R&B singer Mario is opening up about his personal life like never before.
His new single,Care For You,pulls back the curtain on his real-life heartbreak — and showcases his standout vocal talent has longtime fans excited about his return to music.
“The song is really about a man realizing that it’s okay to feel, it’s okay to be vulnerable,” Mario, 32, tells PEOPLE. “I think a lot of time in our lives, especially men who have gone through things and who have built this warrior shield around their heart, don’t want to admit when they feel something or don’t want to admit when they love someone. That’s where I wrote it from.”
It’s the second single from his fifth studio album,Dancing Shadows, and it’s a far cry from his well-known past hits like “Let Me Love You” and “How Do I Breathe.” The song’s music video takes fans on a journey of Mario’s life, starting with childhood and moving through his teenage years. In the first 30 seconds, the video confronts drug addiction, a national epidemic that Mario relates to on a personal level.
“Addiction doesn’t just affect the user, it affects the family,” he says. “In some cases, you also feel like you’re addicted because you’re so close to it. You’re so immersed into the hope of them healing and choosing a brighter path.”
After taking time to heal himself, Mario is hoping to light a path for others. “If anyone who may read this or hear this is going through a situation with someone close to them, it’s really important that you take time for yourself to heal and to un-blame yourself,” Mario said. “Realize that your love is the most important thing (to) that person because they don’t know how to say it …Even in their choice, we have to love them through it. Sometimes from afar, sometimes when they’re going through the healing process.”
Mario and his late mother, Shawntia Hardaway.Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images
Mario’s new music also pays tribute to other women who have made a powerful impact on his life, like his grandmother and a few ex-girlfriends. Whether positive or negative, Mario said each relationship helped shape him into the man he is today. And today, that man is a happy one. He says all of life’s challenges have prepared him to become a leader, both in the music industry and in his community.
The R&B singer also got to test out his acting chops on the small screen this year with a guest-star spot on Fox’s hit musical dramaEmpire.Mario played Devon, an up-and-coming R&B singer, in the show’s fifth season.
Jussie Smollett, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray on set ofEmpire.EMPIRE: L-R: Jussie Smollett, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray and Trai Byers in the “Had It From My Father” fall finale episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Dec. 5 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2018 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Matt Dinerstein/FOX.
The singer found himself filmingEmpirewhen one of the show’s stars, Jussie Smollett, was arrested after police alleged he plotted a hate crime against himself (charges have since been dropped). But despite the chaotic time, Mario says the ordeal did not significantly impact his work on set. ThoughEmpirecreatorLee Daniels said the cast “experienced pain and anger"in the midst of the situation, Mario found the environment to be nothing but professional.
“In terms of the actual rise and fall of the energy, it’s always shifting all the time,” says Mario, who had no scenes with Smollett. “So, I didn’t really feel a huge energy shift there. Everything was pretty normal … I think people were really trying to focus on the art [when] I was there. That’s what I was trying to focus on the whole time.”
Fox hasyet to confirmEmpirefor a sixth season. In the meantime, you can catch Mario on the Millennium Tour with the hit early-2000s boy band B2K, made up of Lil' Fizz, J-Boog, Raz-B and Omarion. “It’s really nostalgic, man, to be out on the road again in front of fans,” says Mario. And even though the boys have matured quite a bit over the last 20 years, their music still translates.
Mario.
“Young black men, getting along (and) doing positive on this stage,” Mario says of the camaraderie he has with B2K, adding that the overall experience has been professional and collaborative.
Plus, the fans love every second of it. So much so, that Mario said he needs extra security to keep things in check during meet and greets! “It can get intense. There’s like a three picture maximum. Some girls are like, ‘No, I don’t like that. I want a selfie!’ So, it gets crazy.”
That said, these days Mario only has eyes for one woman. “I’m dating someone right now. It’s very new. It’s very fresh,” he says. “The timing is crazy, right? Like, why would you date someone when you’re about to go on tour? But I think it’s really healthy. This person is a really positive influence in my life.”
Mario performing on stage.
He stops short of naming names but he can’t stop raving about his new love, who also happens to beverysupportive of his career.
“Every night when I talk to her on the phone, she’s like, ‘You better go out there and do that! You better go out there and bring that girl on stage, make those girls go crazy,'” he says with a laugh. “It’s so dope.”
source: people.com
