Born & Raised:
Born: Mario Dewar Barrett, Aug. 27, 1986.
Raised in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Early Life:
Mario Barrett (known professionally as just Mario) was born in the city of Baltimore and raised in different parts of Maryland. His mother, Shawn, had a drug problem while young Mario was growing up, so the boy spent a lot of time being raised by his grandmother. In interviews, Mario has said that by the time he was four, he knew he wanted to be a singer. But he got sidetracked and eventually joined a gang and was selling drugs. His mother though, tried to keep him away from street life by encouraging his talent for singing and performing.
His Big Break:
Partially due to his mother's encouragement, Mario dedicated himself to music and began to make a name for himself locally. When he was only 14, was offered a deal with - and signed by - J Records. In July 2002, when he was only 16, Mario's self-titled debut album was released, selling more than half a million copies. At this time, Mario became a bona fide teen sensation. Two years later, in December 2004, his follow-up album, Turning Point, was released. At this point, Mario was 18 and the album was more mature than his first released, as evidenced by the cover photo, with Mario wearing a suit jacket.
Family Life:
Mario's third album, originally titled Mario Barrett - Effortless, was originally slated for in release in November 2006, but would up being pushed back several times throughout the following year. In October 2007, MTV aired the documentary I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom, which dealt with his mother's addiction to drugs. In the documentary, Mario tries to get help for his mother. Then in December 2007, Mario's third album, retitled Go, was finally released by J Records.
Other Endeavors:
In addition to singing, Mario is both an actor and part of the songwriting/production team Knightwritaz. In 2006, he appeared as a character in the dance-themed movie Step Up and in 2007, he played an inner-city high school student in the movie Freedom Writers. Knightwritaz is a four-person team and also includes Warren "Oak" Felder, Marsha Ambrosius (of British duo Floetry) and Sterling Simms. They have produced songs for Mario, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Brown, among others.
Quote:
"There’s nothing like hearing an album mixed and mastered, and as a full body of work. People have been hearin’ music here and there, some snippets, some records on the web, but a full body of work itself is amazing." Mario to DJBooth.net, November 2007.
