It's been nearly five years since Detroit-based recording artist Logan Mario sat down for an interview with BTL. Since that time, Mario has been busy. When last we spoke Mario had just released "Love is Love," a bonafide pride anthem. In 2015 he released a Valentine's Day EP called #VDAY and later in the year a full-length mixtape called #BlueHeart.
His output in 2016 was minimal – just one single, "New Year" – but nevertheless Mario was hard at work on his latest masterpiece. On Jan. 26th, Mario will release a full-length album titled Emerge.
"It symbolizes existing in all your facets, all your colors," Mario said. "Truly being all that you are and all that you were meant to be. Like my song 'Human' says, 'You're not monochromatic. Let all your colors be.' I've learned to do that."
The album, Mario said, is about life lessons and what he's learned in the time between releases.
"These songs honestly are the lessons I've learned over the last year and a half when it comes to life and love," he said. "These songs show my orientation towards self-love above all other forms of love. Cause it all starts with me."
That is why Mario chose his 30th birthday as the release date for the project.
"It's significant because I've never felt like more myself than I do right here, right now," said Mario. "I am a singer and songwriter. I'm past the point of talking about it. I'm doing it. After all, you can't chase the dream forever. Eventually you catch it. You live it. Like my classmate Big Sean said, you 'Dream it' then 'Real-life it.'"
With this collection of songs, "my entire vantage point is different," Mario said. "I've started allowing myself to have fun. I know what I bring as an artist and am comfortable standing on that, versus trying to convince people. I'm not afraid to be sexy. Confident. Independent. Vulnerable. I'm letting this music speak for itself."
A prolific lyricist, writing, Mario said, comes naturally to him.
"Writing is such a magical process for me. When I find a track that I respond to, I can already hear the song before I write anything. It's like it's already there, I just have to sing it. Isn't that crazy? I honestly feel like more of a listener than a songwriter. I sing what's already there."
Despite the simplification, Mario's lyrics are mature and sophisticated. His rhymes and hooks capture you quickly and lure you in to that place where you can really feel the emotion of his words. A self-produced artist, Mario is adept at weaving tales that pull at the heart strings and actually sting with the ring of truth when he talks about lost and unrequited love.
A reformed perfectionist, Mario said now he has learned to relax when making music.
"I used to be a perfectionist but I had to let that shit go," he said. "It was stifling. I replaced that with artistic freedom, which is much more valuable to me. I had to get to a place where releasing music was simple. When you produce yourself you can keep editing and adding and editing and adding … you can get lost in that loop. Now that I've let that go, I'm able to maintain the quality of my sound, celebrate what's been created and get out. It's that simple.
The day following the album release, Saturday, Jan. 27, Mario will be performing a special album release concert at Spread Art, located at 5141 Rosa Park Blvd. in Detroit. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the door. Hard copies of Emerge: Deluxe Edition will be available for purchase at the show. The album will also be available through iTunes, amazon.com and other online retailers. For more information, visit www.loganmariomusic.com.
