DWTS Welcomes Mario
On season six, which begins March 17th, “Dancing with the Stars” beauty Karina Smirnoff will be paired with another Mario - R&B star Mario.
Mario Dewar Barrett was born on August 27, 1986 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was often raised by his grandmother while his mother fought a drug addiction. He knew at an early age that he wanted to become a singer. He lists Stevie Wonder, Fernando & Q-Bah, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Brian McKnight, and Boyz II Men as his musical influences, although he credits his father and God for his gift of soul.
Mario learned to play the piano and attended Milford Mill Academy until the 10th grade. At the age of 14, he was offered a record deal with Clive Davis’ J Records. He released his debut album Mario in 2002. He covered Biz Markie’s hit single “Just a Friend,” which reached #4 on the charts. He followed that up with the singles “Braid My Hair” and “C’mon.” The album sold over 700,000 copies. He also appeared as the opening act for the Scream Tour 3, which included Bow Wow, Nick Cannon, B2K, and Marques Houston.
Mario released his second album, Turning Point, in 2004. It produced the hit single “Let Me Love You,” which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks. He also released the single “How Could You.” The sales from Turning Point caused the album to go double platinum.
His next album Go! was dedicated to his mom Shawntia Hardaway. It included collaborations with Jermaine Dupri, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, Nelly, and Alicia Keys among others. The first single released was “How Do I Breathe” followed by “Crying Out for Me” and “Music for Love.” He also filmed a special for MTV called “I Won’t Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom” which gave a look at Mario’s attempts to help his mother get off drugs.
Mario won the 2005 Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year award, a Billboard Music Award for Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year, and he has been nominated for a number of Grammys, BET Awards, Vibe Awards, MOBO Awards, and Soul Train Music Awards.
Mario is part of the production team Knightwritaz, which also includes Sterling Simms, Warren “Oak” Felder, and Marsha of Floetry. Knightwritaz has written songs for Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown, and Raven-Symone.
In addition to his music career, Mario has also starred in the film Step Up with Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan and Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey.
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