Music is the only thing that makes me happy
Stay true to your self because if you are in the industry and you are not doing what you like you are not going to be happy and your fans will notice it. Additionally know that ‘You are never too old to learn so continue to perfect your craft.’ Such are the utterances of RnB artiste Mario during his first visit to the local shores this past December.
After socializing with and then offering his soulful crooning abilities to his Guyanese fans the 24-year-old says he’s smitten by the Guyanese hospitality and definitely will be back to entertain on a larger scale.
Through the Next Level Entertainment group in association with Tower Hotel he was the star act on stage for those who ushered in year 2011 at the hotel’s pool side under the theme Allure. Popular for dishing songs such as ‘you should let me love you’ the music heart throb told television talk show host Mondale Smith that Guyana is no different from what he had heard from other artistes who visited these parts and he concludes that ‘Guyana (Georgetown) is a beautiful place with beautiful people for one to come and have a great time, hence he will be back.
No date has been set for his return but he’s working on his fifth album which he says will feature him “going for everything from classic to some great radio records that can be organic reflecting the dark as well as the great places” he’s been in over the past year.
Like the fairy tale story, growing up music was his main outlet and escape from a tough neighborhood and he is eternally grateful to his grandmother and mother for keeping good music around him. “As a kid my mother used to buy me mikes and stuff like that and I’d listen to the radio and by the time I was 10, 11 years-old I was entering talent shows with grown folks and winning” and that’s pretty much how he got started in music.
At age 15 while some were dreaming dreams his musical dreams began materializing with his first record and among the hits was the very celebrated teenage love story of ‘just a friend.’ Then came album two which had several and now with four chart toping albums to his name number five is on its way.
But above the music he sees education as playing a pivotal role in preparing one for handling your business in the ‘dog eats dog’ mainstream music industry. Noting his experience and self education he read lots of books and artistes’ biographies but as he puts it ‘there’s nothing like the experience’ in an industry that is ever evolving.
His admonition to artistes hoping to make the main stream is: remember that it’s very important to learn from your mistakes and “always keep smart people around you that you trust who are looking after your best interest and will be honest with you about everything”.
Mario says for his bigger production Guyana show that he wants to bring back he’s felling vibes of live instruments and promises that when he returns he’s “definitely coming with a full band because this (Guyana) is a beautiful place and I want to give the people that soul they want and deserve.” Assuring that he will keep it sexy for the ladies as well as classic when he returns to Guyana after ten years in the music business Mario says his drive to hear his music around the world and being given opportunities to make his fans happy keeps him going.