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R&B Legend Mario is keeping busy during F1 Miami race week. Not only is he peforming several times throughout the weekend, but he’s also taking part in the festivities, and attending some of the best parties F1 Miami has to offer.
On Thursday night, Mario attended Authentic Brand Group’s Sports Illustrated F1 Miami kickoff party at the Surf Club Restaurant alongside Kevin Hart, Draymond Green, Alix Earle, and other A-list celebrities.
We were able to sit down with Mario at the SI party to talk F1, cars, his current music endeavors, and what he thinks about Miami as a host city.
Hey Mario, it’s have you ever attended an F1 race?
Mario: “Yeah, so my first F1 was in Melbourne, Australia, I want to say like 6 or 7 years ago. And just the energy, the people, you know, it’s always great to meet new people, and also being able to enjoy it with friends, it’s always a great time.
Are you into cars, are you a car guy?
“I do like cars. So I’ve— my first car when I was like 17— was the M5 BMW. So we’re talking about like one of their faster cars. And my second car, was a Maserati GranTurismo, which I actually did the Gumball Rally 3000 in. Crazy, crazy time. We drove from Los Angeles, actually all the way to Miami.”
“We did it in like 7 days, and it was an insane time. So it’s like the most random people in the race with you. I seen cars flip off the on the road. I’ve seen guys massacre their Bugattis. I’ve seen all of it. partying, the driving, , the business deals being made on the road. Just great times. So yeah, I love cars.”
What are your thoughts on Miami as a host city for F1?
“I feel like in America, Miami is one of those cities that gives energy back to you.You can go out all night, party, whatever, go outside at 6 in the morning and just feel the breeze, and it just gives the energy back to you. A lot of places you don’t get that revitalization that you get when you go out in Miami. And I think it’s a sexy place, man. I think Miami is a place where it’s like, it makes you want to be successful. It gives you creative energy. A lot of hits made out here. I made Me Love You, one of my biggest hits here in Miami. A lot of memories there, um, so always— it will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Talking about your hits, What Mario songs would you recommend to F1 drivers to put on their playlist during race week?
“Oh man, they gotta listen to records like Break Up. They gotta listen to records like, Little Too Late, the new one I just dropped with my boy DJ Levi. What other songs would they listen to? I would say Just a Friend. I would say off the new album, Mood Swings, because I feel like you got to have a lot of mood swings to swift through the traffic, you know what I’m saying? Off the new project for sure. Yeah, that’s a good start. Mood Swings is a good start. It’s a feel-good song where you feel fly while you driving at the same time.”
What are your latest music projects?
“The one that I have out now is called “Mood Swings,” and it’s an R&B EP. If you love R&B, if you love music that feels like esthetically pleasing, like art, then I think you would love this project. It pays homage to the type of music I like. We got ’90s vibes on there, you know.”
“”Mood Swings” is giving like vintage funk R&B. So it’s a little bit of everything, man. All the textures that we love about R&B is on there. And then “Glad You Came” was project I put out right before that, which I feel like again pays homage to all my R&B inspirations from Stevie to Marvin to shout out to the homie Usher to, I would say even Joe, you know great project. So check those two projects out. You check them out on Spotify, Apple, any way you consume music.”
For fans looking to listen to Mario’s latest music, “Mood Swings” is out now on Spotify,, Apple Music, and elsewhere.