NEED TO KNOW
Mario is going to be a dad!
The R&B singer, 39, is expecting his first baby with girlfriend Esmeralda Rios, announcing the news on his Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
In the post, Mario placed his hand over his girlfriend’s bare baby bump.
“It’s a whole universe in there! 🥹 I can’t wait”, he wrote in text at the bottom of the photo.
Mario/Instagram
A rep for Mario did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The Closer to Mars artist has opened up about the responsibility of having children before. During a 2023 interview with V-103 Atlanta, he revealed he doesn’t “take having kids lightly.”
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“I don’t take having kids lightly,” he said. “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.”