Mark Borino is a 23-year old RnB/Pop singer/writer/producer/engineer from New Jersey who just dropped the new single 'Be Me' feat. Goody. Mark's influences include the king of pop, Michael Jackson, Donny Hathaway, Luther Vandross, Drake and Chris Brown, so you know he has a soulful perspective. We connected with him to learn more about musical background, his really dope EP "MCMXCII" that he produced, wrote, and mixed, and more.

Enjoy our QUICK Three interview with Mark and then head over to the DOPE Releases page to download MCMXCII, and after that, check out his DOPE Plug feature.

Carlton Boyd

In your bio, you mention that Stevie Wonder is one of your greatest influences; he's one of my all time favorite artists as well. Do you have a favorite song or album by him?

M: Yes. Stevie Wonder is definitely an influence along with many others such as Luther Vandross, Donny Hathaway, Peabo Bryson etc. I do have a favorite song by him and that is “Ribbon In The Sky.” I love writing, chord progressions along with the melodies he’s singing. A lot of soul behind that record.

You produced, wrote, mixed and most importantly sang all of the songs on your MCMXCII EP; how stressful and time consuming was that undertaking? 

M: Honestly, the MCMXCII EP kind of just clicked. A majority of the songs on that EP I put together in a short amount but generally speaking, doing everything on my own becomes very stressful at times. Sometimes it could take me a while to put something together, or times it happens quick. Some days ill be into producing, other days I just want to write and sing and not have to worry about production but I still need something to write to. I like to write to a beat looping over & over. Ill just pace back and fourth in my basement and start vibing and piecing words together. I don’t write my lyrics on paper either. Once I get a melody in my head, I record it then have that looping to start thinking of the next line I want to say. My creating process is all over the place at times.

When someone listens to the MCMXCII EP or sees you perform live for the first time, what do you want them to take away from the experience?

M: When someone listens to my MCMXCII EP, I just want them to be able to relate to the songs, whether it's 1 song or all of them. If a song I create can make the listener feel a certain type of emotion, then I know its something good and I did my job. When it comes to the live performance, I want to give them an authentic experience. That the words I’m singing aren’t just made up stories. They’re experiences I’ve actually had. Whether they’re current or from my past, they’re real.