Marioo

Marioo is Omary Ally Mwanga, a Tanzanian singer, songwriter and producer born in Temeke, Dar es Salaam, on 31 December 1995. He grew up partly with his grandmother in Kibiti and left school in Form One. Before music he worked at a roadside food stall and as a mechanic in his uncle’s garage.

In 2016 a cover he posted got him into Tanzania House of Talent, where he began writing for others, including Nandy, Christian Bella and Shilole. His own “Dar Kugumu” (2018) broke him as an artist, and “Mama Amina” (2020) made him the leading name in Swahili amapiano. “Mi Amor” with Jovial and “Nairobi” with Bien took him across the border. He won three Tanzania Music Awards in 2022.

His debut album The Kid You Know (December 2022) brought in Tyla, Harmonize, Alikiba and Rayvanny. The Godson followed in 2024. That year Spotify Wrapped named him Tanzania’s most-streamed artist, with “Hakuna Matata” the country’s top local song. He runs his own label, Bad Nation, and in May 2026 released the EP MMMCXII, named in Roman numerals after his birthday.