A noughties icon is adding a new member to the family!
R&B singer Mario Dewar Barrett – known to fans simply as Mario – has just announced that he and his partner are expecting their first child.
Taking to his Instagram stories on Thursday morning, Mario shared an image of his girlfriend Esmerala Rios' baby bump with his hand on it.
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"It's a whole universe in there," he captioned the image.
"I can't wait".
Rios lives a rather private life, with no images of her on Barrett's Instagram and her own account being switched to private since the baby announcement.
It's unknown how long the pair have been together.
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The 39-year-old artist has previously spoken about why he decided to wait to become a father, revealing the details in a 2023 interview with V-103 Atlanta.
While most realise the gravity behind the decision of bringing new life into the world, Barrett emphases that becoming a father is definitely not something he takes "lightly".
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"Everybody I know [has] kids," he said.
"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."
Barrett grew up in Baltimore, and while not much is known about his dad aside from the fact that he was a singer in a gospel group, the artist revealed that his father wasn't around growing up.
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"And I also grew up without a father," he said.
"So, I want to do it right when I do do it. You know, I got time.
"So, I'm not rushing into that."
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