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Mario Doesn’t Think There’s Another Singer Who Can Compete With Him Vocally

He hasn’t had his chance at a Verzuz just yet, but Mario is subtly challenging other R&B singers in the music game. The 34-year-old singer has had a career since he was a teenager, and according to him, he’s continuing to evolve into a much more well-rounded entertainer. Recently, Mario released his five-track EP Closer to Mars, and during a chat with Angie Martinez, Mario declared himself one of the leading vocal forces in the industry.

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“If I had to put somebody in the same room with me, as far as vocally, I can’t see—there’s no one that’s in the game that can [compete] with me vocally,” said Mario.”It’s nobody because it’s too much sauce… I think they know it, too. I don’t think there’s one person that can say yo, if it’s me and Mario in the room, I can f*ck with him vocally. If you can get somebody to admit that Ang, we can set up whatever you want, however you want it.”

Angie Martinez didn’t have to ask anyone to step up to the plate because, as she noted, there are many artists who will accept Mario’s challenge. “There’s dudes behind the scenes that love to sing people’s songs all day on they Instagram that’s vocal beasts,” Mario added. “I’m talking about dudes in the game that had success, had records on the charts, put actual albums out, Grammy-nominated people. There’s nobody.”

Back in April, Mario crowned himself the “King of R&B,” so this his recent comments come as no surprise. Check out his interview below and let us know who you would put up against Mario’s vocals.

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Kyle Ashen’s sun-drenched recollection with new release “That Local Girl”

Kyle Ashen’s latest release, “That Local Girl,” is a gorgeous trip down memory lane, a country single that explores that golden glow of memory, like flipping through old photographs touched by salt air and summer sunlight. It’s warm, cinematic, and deeply relatable, a song about the kind of love story that never quite goes away, even as time moves on.

“That Local Girl” is filled with imagery that quickly takes the listener into a world they can walk right into. You got a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl on a boardwalk street by the ocean, a souped-up truck driving through town, neon lights reflecting off the ocean breeze, and the electric innocence of young love burning in the background.

But under all that cutesy trapping is something more than that, longing. Some people, some places that leave permanent marks on Kyle Ashen and us know that. What’s so brilliant about this song is that it marries those two ideas, making love and hometown memory feel beautifully inseparable. Sometimes you miss a person. And with that person, you miss an entire version of life. “That Local Girl” is more than a country love song from Kyle Ashen. He is a living postcard from the past, sun-faded, bittersweet, and glowing with feeling. A reminder that summers pass by, but some memories stay with us forever.

Connect with Kyle Ashen on Spotify || Instagram || Facebook || Youtube

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ECHOFLIP inspires faith and fire with triumphant anthem on “Kingdom Rise”

ECHOFLIP marches forward with commanding purpose on “Kingdom Rise,” a single that not only demands attention but also commands it. Driven by pounding drums, soaring melodic textures, and full-conviction lyricism, the song arrives like a battle cry with the heart of worship. Bold and energized and spiritually charged from beginning to end.

“Kingdom Rise” is street realism meets kingdom vision at its heart. It’s got grit in its pulse but grace in its message as well. Each bar rings with resilience with ECHOFLIP, a record that embodies struggle, perseverance, and steadfast faith in the face of adversity. The result is music that is rooted in reality while reaching for something much larger.

What makes the single particularly compelling is how seamlessly it combines high-energy Christian trap with uplifting spiritual themes. The hard-hitting production has edge and urgency, and its faith-centered focus gives it soul. It’s motivational without being pushy. Worshipful without momentum loss, without losing authenticity. Ideal for trap gospel, inspirational rap, and urban playlists that aim to uplift as much as energize, “Kingdom Rise” delivers on all fronts. It moves the body, it sharpens the mind, it stirs the soul.

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