Mario tells his story.

Let’s get to know the man behind the music. Yesterday, Mario made a guest appearance on Hot 97 to plug his new single, “Somebody Else”, but discussed much more than just his music. Speaking candidly about his entire career, the singer gave insight into how he was signed and almost lost everything while dealing with personal issues.

Mario was first signed to J Records by Clive Davis and enjoyed success early on but despite scoring several monster hit singles, his career was almost derailed while he dealt with his mother, who was suffered from drug addiction. However, he is finally making his way back to his former glory, despite a temporary obsession with sex that he broke with a one year period of celibacy.

Still, with R&B also in an uneasy state, how will Mario return to the top of the charts? Well, he clearly understands the landscape of the music scene as he explained how the once dominant genre is experiencing a revival. Even if Mario’s predictions are inaccurate, features by Ne-Yo, B.o.B, Wale and Nicki Minaj on his album will certainly help his cause.

Watch Mario chat with the Hot 97 cast below:

Thoughts?