Mario

The R&B singer and actor Mario is probably best known for his award-winning singles "Just a Friend" and "Let Me Love You". He cites his musical influences as Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke and Stevie Wonder.

Mario always wanted to be a singer - as a schoolboy he was a member of a singing group, and he got his first record contract aged 14. At 15 he recorded his debut album Mario and sung "Tameeka" for the Dr Doolittle 2 soundtrack. His debut album went gold, promoted by the Top 5 single "Just a Friend", and helped by the Scream Tour 3 he went on with other R&B acts, including Bow Wow and B2K.

His follow-up album Turning Point went platinum, mostly thanks to the strength of the singles. "Let Me Love You" spent over two months at No.1 in the US and helped to earn Mario a host of awards including Billboard's Top R&B/hip-hop Single for the year. His latest album Go! featured collaborations with R&B's glitterati including The Neptunes and Timbaland.

In addition to his music, Mario has also had some acting roles, including the dance film Step Up and Freedom Writers, which features Hilary Swank. Mario also contributed his writing skills to the production team Knightwritaz, who have produced singles for artists such as Jennifer Lopez and Chris Brown, among others.