Singer Mario is going to be a dad! The “How Do I Breathe” singer announced that he and his girlfriend Esmeralda Rios are expecting their first baby together. “I can’t wait.”
The “Just a Friend 2002” singer took to Instagram Stories to share his baby news. He posted an image of his hand over Esmeralda’s bare baby bump. He wrote on the image, “It’s a whole universe in there! I can’t wait.” The R&B singer didn’t share any further details about his baby including their due date or sex.
Mario, whose full name is Mario Dewar Barrett, spoke about his future as a parent in a 2023 interview with V-103 Atlanta. “I don’t take having kids lightly,” he revealed. “Everybody I know [has] kids. Some of my friends [that are] younger have kids, some of my friends [that are] older have kids, and it comes with a lot of pros and cons. And I also grew up without a father. So, I want to do it right when I do do it. You know, I got time. So, I’m not rushing into that.”
The singer has been private about his personal life over the years, and up until this announcement, the identity of his girlfriend was unknown. The couple has posted together since May but it’s unclear when they started dating. In addition to the “Crying Out For Me” singer’s post, Esmeralda shared one of her own with the couple together, showing off her growing baby bump, and joked, “Whoopsss…I ate too many brownies.”
Congratulations to Mario and Esmeralda on the news of their first baby! We wish them all the best as they prepare for parenthood.
Kate Fann (she/her) is the BabyNames.com celebrity blogger, as well as an established content writer, aspiring author, and social media expert. She has been featured in online publications such as Bolde, ManoByte, Medium, The Social Observer, and more. Kate has ghostwritten numerous romance novels and is currently working on publishing her own works in the Young Adult genre.
Kate lives in East Tennessee with her husband Casey and her two sons, Quinn and Noah. When she's not writing or scrolling Instagram, Kate can be found tasting delicious wines, playing with make-up, baking yummy treats, or hiking the beautiful Smoky Mountains.
