Almost three years after the release of his sophomore project, 2004’s “Turning Point,” which spawned hit singles like the Ne-Yo penned “Let Me Love You,” R&B singer Mario will return July 31 with his next J album, “Go.”
“You got different types of artists — timeless artists, artists that look good right now, some that look good later and others that only look good on video but don’t sell no records,” the 20-year-old singer tells Billboard.com. “I’m one of the artists that fortunately sell records. So, you make your pick.”
“Go” features A-list production from the likes of Akon, Pharrell, Timbaland, Polow Da Don, Big Reese and Jasper and Stargate. The latter is responsible for the first single, “How Do I Breathe.” The Polow Da Don-produced “Crying Out for Me,” written by Jasper, is anticipated to be the second single. “It’s a song about me wanting to come and save a girl because I don’t want to be stuck in the middle, seeing her get hurt while I know she still loves [him],” says Mario. “The track really feels like a late-’80s, early-’90s record.”
Mario’s production team, Nightriders, produced three songs on the album as well, and has recently worked with Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown, Usher and Raven-Symone. “I’d say I wrote and produced about 20% of this album, though I don’t want to call myself a producer,” Mario says. “I’m definitely more of a writer.”
“Go” also includes the title cut (“It’s different from a lot of records that people would expect me to do,” Mario says) and “Kryptonite.” The artist is planning to tour later this summer, with dates to be announced.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news