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terms. It's going to be authentic —because we actually have a connection." His new outlook has even made him view music differently. "Before it was like, 'Let's get a hot song, put it out and get some success.' Now it's like, 'Let's create music that's going to last forever and affects people's lives.'" Feeling empowered and spiritually-awake, in the beginning of 2016 Mario began writing a self-help / lifestyle book. The book is his perspective on growing up in the business, how he has handled it, and the tools he has used to grow, move forward, and connect. "It gets pretty deep. I touch on some things spiritually, metaphysically, but I write it in a practical way whereas a 16-year-old could still understand it." To establish a true connection, the energy needs to flow, he explains. When he's with a girl, he helps clear her energy. "By us clearing our energy, we're going to have a much more amazing moment together than us carrying all this bull crap, egotistical stuff — all the things we pick up from other people. You may be having thoughts or feelings that aren't yours and you don't even know. Same with me, but I'm conscious of the fact that I do. Some people aren't… That's what my book talks about too, teaching people how to connect on a real level again." says Mario, who has read a list of books on a variety of subjects to get to this point of "self-liberation." Mario's extraordinary depth may come as a surprise to fans as it's not something he normally shows in interviews or even through social media. Impressed with his confidence and the transparency he's shared with me in the hour we spent together, I have to ask, how at just 30 years old, are you so wise? "You want to know the truth? I really feel like I've been here before —millions of times. I feel like I've been everything," he says sincerely, referring to reincarnation. "It's coming back to me. When I'm just naturally me, the things that I'm attracted to or that interest me are things that when I read up on it, it's like, 'I already know this!' I've practiced Tantra before. Ohmygod. I've practiced Reiki before. I know spiritual healing… So, I just apply it to my life in a real way, because I see the result." If you really want to change your life, Mario suggests that you return to nature. Nine months ago, he went to Joshua Tree –a place he visits often to look at the stars and talk to God— equipped with a knife, flashlight, and pepper spray and slept out there alone. "It's really dark. I wanted to face some fears… There's nothing out there for miles and miles. I went out there with a blanket and a pillow, found a boulder and I slept behind it. If you haven't had a lovemaking session with nature, you should definitely do it. It's so healthy for you. You, as a writer, would enjoy it," he says with a big smile. ML Keep up with Mario on Twitter: @OhYesMario, Instagram @MarioWorldwide, and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mario/ ON THE RADIO, IN THE CLUB… The next single he'll release is "Help You." "It's one of the few songs I heard and instantly fell in love with it. It's basically about a girl who is very independent and doesn't feel like a relationship is going to be beneficial to her life. But as a man, I'm saying, 'Look, I see you're independent… you don't want to owe nobody, but let me help me. You don't have to love on your own.' It's kinda a reggae vibe, you can dance to it. It's sexy." A dance mix that'll be in the club? "It'll be in the club, on the radio, in your car, in your bedroom, it'll be everywhere. It'll be in you," he says suggestively. Nice. "She said nice." He smiles. We Want More! You ranked #98 on Billboard's "Artist of the Decade" list at the end of the 2000s decade… "That's insane, man. To be in that category. It's a lot of pressure." He laughs. "Nah, it's a blessing. I feel like this lifetime, for me, is a special one, and I just want to do everything and be as authentic as possible and do everything in my power to just be as bright as possible. Not just for singing, but just a voice and a creative and an inspiration and everything. Any gift I have, I want it to illuminate. No doubts. No fears." What was a song you sang when you were younger? "It was Boyz II Men's 'I'll Make Love To You.' I went around singing that song. I would also sing Troop's 'All I Do is Think of You.' Michael Jackson, Jackson 5. Stevie Wonder was my go-to… My mom started taking me to the barber shop and I would sing and all the barbers would pay me $10. I would walk out of there with $100. I'm like, 'Mom, I could get paid doing this.' That's a lot of money for a kid at that time." [Note: Mario serenaded me with a few lines of Troop's song, and I had to consciously keep my jaw from dropping. He's good.] What's it like when your song is on and you're with a lady? "It definitely changes things. For me, it's great to see the reaction because I'm a very, very passionate-central person... I always set vibes. She opens up more —let's just say that. It's just more of an opening invitation, more of a beautiful experience." It's you on all different levels. "Right! OK, cool, you get it. It's like being stimulated from every — that's my thing, man, I think understanding the way the anatomy of the body works and sound, taste, and smell. All those things I've dove into these last few years... I like pleasing women. It's not just about sex. Woman can be cool to hang out with, talk to about different things in life. There's so much depth there, especially if it's the right woman. Women birth us, you cultivate the male and feminine energy within your womb and you birth it. So what makes you think that she can't help you do the same thing in the physical realm?" You had roles in films Step Up and Freedom Writers, do you plan to do more acting? "That's my next adventure. I'm about to start taking classes again and really taking it serious. Acting is something you really got to dig your feet and your heart into. There's a lot of competition and it's something that I feel like I would have to take really, really serious. I don't think I've taken it that serious in the past few years." What are you watching on TV? "When I moved back [to L.A.], I didn't get a TV. I was in a space of not caring what was on TV and more about caring what's on the inside of me…But I have social media, that pretty much is television. The last show I watched? I'll watch Netflix on my phone Dexter, Narcos, and a few other shows."