Mario celebrates the birth of his first child

Mario has become a father for the first time, welcoming a child with his girlfriend Esmeralda Rios.

The American singer, widely known for his 2004 single Let Me Love You, has confirmed that he and Esmeralda are now parents to a baby boy.

Mario, born Mario Dewar Barrett, shared the news on Monday evening through his Instagram Stories, posting an image of himself dressed in medical scrubs inside what appeared to be a hospital setting.

He captioned the photo with the words, "Women are God's greatest creation cuz what I witness today was ONLY GODS work! Healthy baby boy!"

The artist had first shared news of the pregnancy toward the end of August, letting fans know that he and Esmeralda were expecting their first child together.

At the time, the 39 year old uploaded an Instagram Stories photo showing his hand resting gently on his partner’s bare baby bump.

Alongside the image, he wrote, "It's a whole universe in there! I can't wait."

Mario has previously reflected on the idea of becoming a parent, speaking openly about it during an interview with V-103 Atlanta.

"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," he added. "So, I want to do it right when I do do it. You know, I got time. So, I'm not rushing into that."

Mario and Esmeralda began appearing together on social media in May 2025 and have largely kept their relationship away from the public eye.