Hey TWIST Girls!

TWIST just got off the phone with the super-talented (and cute!) Mario! He told us about his upcoming CD, which hits shelves in July. He also dished about what inspires his music and how he has grown as an artist. "It's a fun album, but it's also very emotional and very personal," he tells TWIST! Check out our Q&A where Mario shares an embarrassing moment and spills a hilarious celebrity crush!

TWIST: Hey Mario! Your 4th album is coming out soon! Tell us more about it.
MARIO: Yea, it's coming out this summer - it's my best album yet! I had a great time recording it. I spent a lot of time in LA, Miami, New York, Atlanta - moving around a lot, getting different vibes. I did some recording in Europe, which was cool. The name of the album is "And Then There Was Me". The whole process was different from anything I've ever done before, in terms of recording. I also wrote a lot more on the record.

TWIST: Why is the album called "And Then There Was Me"?
MARIO: There's a lot to the title. For the most part, I think growth-wise and how different my music sounds from my other albums. Also how different it sounds from what's on the radio right now. To me, it's going to be the best that's out when it comes out, so I made it that for that reason. And also, the growth I've experienced as an artist and what I'm going to bring to my fans when it comes to my music and my style. It's like the rebirth of a new me.

TWIST: You said your sound has changed, how would you describe it now?
MARIO: First, I would describe it as natural. Musically, I would say as I evolved, and as I got older, I think I've needed to feel more. I've needed to express more. I've needed the music to have more depth to it. I think that this album shows that.

TWIST: Where do you get the inspiration for your music?
MARIO: From my life and my experiences, but also being around other people. Seeing how vulnerable we are as humans. This is an escape for me, from anything I could possibly experience in life. A lot of people don't have that escape, or maybe they do, they just haven't realized what that escape is for them. But music, it's universal, it touches the world, it touches everybody. So I'm inspired by that.

TWIST: Tell us about the most personal song on the album.
MARIO: They are all personal. And I did them all for different reasons. The most personal sounding record on the album is called "The Hardest Moment". It's personal because I say things in the record that have multiple meanings. Like the chorus says, "A man that ain't afraid to cry is a man that's not afraid to die." That to me, even though I'm talking about a relationship in the song, I'm talking about that point in a relationship where everything is over. It's like, you guys are cool, you guys are friends, but you're totally going separate ways. That's probably one of the hardest things a young man and young woman can go through in their relationship. And, so that's what I'm saying in that line. But it also means to me that a strong man is not afraid to be vulnerable, to cry and let it out. I just felt it was a line that people can connect with.

TWIST: Can you tell us about a recent embarrassing moment you've had?
MARIO: I was driving my car and I parked on a hill. And I forgot to put my emergency break on! When you're driving a stick shift, you've gotta put your emergency break on. So as I'm getting out of the car, the car starts moving! And when the car is moving it's hard to jump in and put your foot on the brake. I scuffed my brand new sneaks and there were people around, they were like "woah, that's Mario!" It was embarrassing.

TWIST: Who is your celebrity crush?
MARIO: You might laugh at me when I say this, but Oprah. She's fascinating.

Photo Credit: Startraks