Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Mario Winans has worked with some of the biggest names in R&B, gospel and hip-hop. As a solo artist, he’s best known for the 2004 smash “I Don’t Wanna Know”. • Winans grew up in Detroit under the influence of gospel music. His mother Vickee and his aunt CeCe are both famous singers in that field. • Mario gravitated toward percussion and piano at a young age. After high school, he began producing gospel records for artists like The Clark Sisters and Fred Hammond—as well as members of his family. • He signed a production deal with Dallas Austin’s Rowdy Records label in the mid-’90s and worked with the likes of R. Kelly and 98 Degrees. • After signing to Motown, Winans released his debut album, Story of My Heart, in 1997. • In the late ’90s and early 2000s, Winans produced songs for artists like Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube. His work with various members of Diddy’s Bad Boy roster led to a deal with that label. • His 2004 sophomore album, Hurt No More, features the Diddy-assisted hit “I Don’t Wanna Know”. Based on a sample of “Ready or Not” by Fugees (which samples Enya’s 1987 song “Boadicea”), “I Don’t Wanna Know” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. • He won a Grammy in the Best Gospel Performance category for cowriting and producing “Pray”, a 2005 song by his legendary aunt CeCe. • Winans served as executive producer on Last Train to Paris, the 2010 joint album by Diddy and the duo Dirty Money. • He’s since produced for artists such as Pusha T and Trey Songz.