Mario says he needed a “more vocal” competitor during 2022 Verzuz against Omarion

Mario proved that R&B music is very much alive since the pandemic shutdown two years ago, when he floored millions of Verzuz viewers. Ever since then, he has been receiving his flowers despite countless fans who believe the “Just A Friend” singer remains an underrated talent.

On that fateful night in June 2022, there was no turning a blind eye, or ear for the matter, to his vocals. The viral showdown saw him go up against boy band favorite Omarion. Both acts had their fair share of hits and runs on the music charts during the early 2000s, but it was Mario who came out as the top dog after their matchup. The former B2K frontman certainly put on a show with his choreography and eyebrow-raising watermelon eating, but hiccups with his sound made it impossible for him to compete with Mario.

In a new interview for West Coast radio legend Big Boy, the Baltimore native shared his take on what really went wrong during their Verzuz, and it had nothing to do with faulty sound equipment or sabotage, as Omarion once claimed.

“I think that was an unfair Verzuz, to be honest, because Verzuz wasn’t built for live performances like what O is trying to do. It was built for just you, the mic, and the people,” Mario told Big. Moreover, the two-time Grammy-nominated hitmaker said that when it came to pitting him against a peer, it is hard to name someone who could go toe-to-toe with him.

“So it’s like it probably would have needed to be somebody more vocal,” he added. “But at the same time, who vocally in our era at that time was really — it wasn’t really about vocals; it was about performance and this, this, and that, and the smoke and mirrors, right.” In the end, Mario said that the battle came to fruition because “people wanted it.”

The crooner also recently released a new song, “Space,” from what will be his sixth studio album. And at the top of 2025, he will hit the road with Mary J. Blige and Ne-Yo for the Queen of Hip Hop Soul’s “For My Fans” tour. Dates for the upcoming performances are scheduled from Jan. 30 through April 14.