We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mario Marauak. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mario below.

Mario, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
My mother is an artist. I was always surrounded by canvases, sculptures and music through my childhood. When I was 7 years old I was playing at the living room with some toys on a warm evening in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (the city I was born) when I heard a beautiful music coming from a TV show. It was a classical guitar player performing solo on a nylon Acoustic guitar. I stopped what I was doing and run to the kitchen to tell my mom I wanted to be a guitar player. She told me both of my grandparents were great guitar players, but they had passed away before I was born. She told me my grandfather’s guitar was in Rio with her sister. My parents didn’t have how to buy me a guitar at that time, so I grabbed the phone and made a long distance call to my aunt and tried to convince her to give me that guitar. After two years of waiting, my father decided to drive the family 995 miles down south for visiting my aunt in Rio. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to put my hands on that Acoustic Guitar. It was an old school Di Giorgio, made 65 years ago. It was a huge instrument for a kid to play and too expensive to be cared by a reckless kid. I was only 9 and my aunt had made me a surprise. She bought me a smaller guitar, Tonante, kids size so I could carry it and do the chords with a small hand. Since that day I never stopped. The singing came naturally as I learned how to play the guitar and ended up being a even bigger passion than the guitar playing for a while. The passion for music took over and I ended up perusing it as a work and lifestyle, and I became a full time singer, songwriter, guitar player and recording artist. I feel so blessed.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
We tend to make plans in life, but the reality is that we never know what fate has in store for us. In 2011, Marauak (Mário Gomes) arrives in Los Angeles, California with a suitcase of clothes and no musical instruments, other than his voice. The singer and guitarist from Bahia until then was the lead singer of the band Semente da Paz for 10 years. That’s when Love crossed his path taking him to a destination that was out of his plans. Starting from scratch in a new world, with a wife and daughter, in a city with a different culture and language, his plans were to reactivate his music career as soon as possible. However, just 2 years later, the performances in bars and streets of the city started. Voice and Guitar and sometimes percussion. In the old Brazilian fashion.

In the following years, Marauak worked with musicians from the most diverse nationalities and musical genres, as a guitarist and vocalist in front of some bands. This coexistence and interaction inspired him to create a fluid musical style, with influences from black American, Caribbean and Brazilian Popular Music. A world music / fusion feel.

In early 2016 Marauak selected some songs of his own to start the pre-production of what will be his new album. In January 2017, finally, after a year of preparation, exhausting all his finances, and living in his Ford Escort ZX2 for the winter, he had the pre-production of the record ready in hand. Recording proposals were received from interested producers and record labels, but by fate, the universe shows through mystical revelations that the path to your first album would be just one. Produce, direct and finance his first solo album independently.

However, after a year of hard work, now was the time to restructure spiritually and materially. Leave the street and then prepare to record the disc.

Faith and positive thinking are impelled in his music work and lifestyle since he was little. “What I’m looking for is also looking for me. It’s just a matter of continuity and time for the meeting.” Believing in this mantra, in 2018 Marauak started producing the album NATURAL at Studio West, with the help of producers Todd Hunsaker and Bonzai Caruso (6 Grammys Winner).

After 3 years of hard work, the album is finally ready and with release scheduled for the first half of 2022. With a number of 28 to 32 shows per month, Marauak resides in Ocean Beach in San Diego, California and is already planning a release tour of the album with his band and also with solo performances of looping, a technique mastered by the artist.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I believe we have to follow our hearts tendencies and do what we feel is right. Music choose me since I was a little kid. It saved me, gave me a life perspective, friendship, so many beautiful and precious moments and still does. It is like a conscious entity. I am aware that when I record a song, a message, we enter people’s privacy. People listen to music everywhere, on the bed, on the shower, making love, with friends, driving… I want my music to be a good and inspiring company. We make music for people and for making people’s life better. If I can make one person feel better each day, I am doing my job right.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I am constantly working and adapting. We don’t learn by making mistakes, but by trying, observing and adjusting to get the results we want. Sometimes things go even better than planned. That’s the magic of doing it. Just do it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marauak.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marauak
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marauak
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/marauak
• Other: I am constantly playing in town, follow my I.G. for next shows. I am constantly releasing music videos on my Youtube channel, watch my latest one: https://youtu.be/NapzXQF1jDA Subscribe! I am releasing my new album this year! Check me on Spotify and Apple Music Photografy by Abdallah Seoud, Camila Badaró and Danilo Montero Love!

Image Credits
Photografy: Abdallah Seoud Camila Badaró Danilo Montero