Two-time GRAMMY nominee and R&B icon, Mario, has unleashed his sixth studio album, Glad You Came, executive produced by James Fauntleroy. The album, which features the Fauntleroy-produced lead single, “Space,” clocks in at 13 tracks, and features a guest contribution from the singer Rebe.
Glad You Came, Mario’s first full-length album since 2018’s Dancing Shadows, is the star singer’s first album to release via his label and production company, New Citizen, and Epic Records, which he joined in 2023. Mario, known best for the canonical classic R&B hit “Let Me Love You,” handcrafted Glad You Came beside Fauntleroy for much of the past two years, a process that has produced “a new era of Mario” that the singer is keen on introducing to the world. “The conversation throughout the album lends itself to my successes and failures in love, and my imaginations of both,” Mario says.
Mario’s career influences, which include Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye, inspire the range and impassioned duty to R&B that drive much of Glad You Came, which the singer positions as an “upgraded version of all the things that make me who I am.” The pocket he and Fauntleroy created on the album efficiently covers a vast spectrum of styles, like the piano-woven ballad “I’m Sorry,” or the tropical, uptempo atmosphere of “Run It Back,” without sacrificing the more traditional R&B fibers of Mario’s artistry.
“James and I have a similar philosophy when it comes to the love of timeless music,” Mario says of the co-architect of Glad You Came. “The omnipresence of all of the things that lends itself to the writing process. Our stories, our lives, what we observe and absorb.”
Mario, admittedly susceptible to recluse in recent years, has emerged of late and been celebrated by several generations of R&B fans. He took the stage in Los Angeles during a stop on Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 Tour, where he delivered a crowd-pleasing performance of “Let Me Love You,” and repeated that feat in Toronto at the behest of Drake, who was visibly moved by the hitmaker’s performance of his classic records.
Tour Dates
Thu, Jan 30 – Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum
Fri, Jan 31 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
Sun, Feb 2 – Memphis, TN, FedExForum
Mon, Feb 3 – Atlanta, CA – State Farm Arena
Wed, Feb 5 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
Thu, Feb 6 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Sat, Feb 8 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Tue, Feb 11 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
Fri, Feb 14 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Sat, Feb 15 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at The BJCC
Mon, Feb 17 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX
Tue, Feb 18 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center – TX
Fri, Feb 21 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
Tue, Feb 25 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Fri, Feb 28 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
Sat, Mar 1 – Inglewood, CA – Intuit Dome
Sat, Mar 8 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Wed, Mar 12 – Saint Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Fri, Mar 14 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sun, Mar 16 – Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Wed, Mar 19 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Sat, Mar 22 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Mon, Mar 24 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Wed, Mar 26 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Fri, Mar 28 – Atlantic City, NJ – Boardwalk Hall
Tue, Apr 1 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Wed, Apr 2 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
Fri, Apr 4 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
Sun, Apr 6 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Tue, Apr 8 – Hartford, CT – XL CENTER
Thu, Apr 10 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Fri, Apr 11 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
Mon, Apr 14 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Thu, Apr 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Thu, Apr 24 – Dublin, IE – Vicar Street
Sat, Apr 26 – Leeds, GB – O2 Academy Leeds
Sun, Apr 27 – Glasgow, GB – O2 Academy Glasgow
Mon, Apr 28 – Newscastle Upon Tyne, GB – O2 City Hall Newscastle
Wed, Apr 30 – London, GB – indigo at The O2
Thu, May 1 – Birmingham, GB – O2 Academy Birmingham
Sat, May 3 – Manchester, GB – O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester
Wed, May 7 – Paris, FR – SALLE PLEYEL
Sat, May 10 – Antwerp, BE – De Roma
Tue, May 13 – Tilburg, NL – 013 Poppodium
Thu, May 15 – Copenhagen, DK – Poolen
Sat, May 17 – Stockholm, SE – Fallan
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