"Mario's stint on Dancing with the Stars probably won't hurt him. With the show's enormous audience, he's made himself present in the minds of a whole new group of fans. It was a savvy move on his part," says Sean Fennessey, music editor of VIBE magazine.
"By going on the show, he has given up a certain amount of edginess, because Dancing with the Stars is not edgy," says University of Maryland pop culture professor Sheri Parks. "But I think that's outweighed by the fact that appearing on the show could help introduce him to older African-Americans and white audiences - if they don't already know him. Expanding his audience can give him a longer career and lead to something like Las Vegas."
Parks, author of Fierce Angels: The Strong Black Woman in American Life and Culture, says Mario's potential is unlimited: "I don't think there is anyone on the pop culture landscape right now who combines that gosh-darn, clean-cut TV persona and the young black male the way he does."
He has already started cashing in on that potential, according to Carolyn Williams, vice president for urban marketing at J Records, the RCA Music Group label for which Mario records.
"Being on the show helped run his brand across the board - and we kind of see that as a longevity thing," Williams says. "We saw huge spikes in his digital sales [downloads and ringtones] every week. And I think it had a lot to do with his online visibility being at an all-time high while he was on the shows."
Mario says he understands the importance of striking while his image is still hit-TV-show hot. He says he will be reading today in Hollywood for a role in a feature film and a guest appearance on a TV series. J Records has just launched a promotional campaign for his single "Music for Love," which he will be on the road promoting in coming days.
"People have been calling and acting like they feel sorry or whatever that I am off the show, but I feel great about the way it went. I had a great time. I had a helluva of run, and I feel like it has opened a lot of doors for me," he said in a phone interview yesterday.
"If nothing else, I think some people who might have never really looked at me before now see me as a person beyond just music - I mean, integrity-wise. And because of that, they may now want to work with me. And if that's all that came out of this show, then that's good. That's enough for me."
Sun pop music critic Rashod D. Ollison contributed to this article.
david.zurawik@baltsun.com
