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The 2014 Grammy nominations were announced last week and many of our favorite artists made the running for golden gramophone glory. As a fellow Staten Island native, I am particularly understanding of how big a deal it is for actor turned singer Mack Wilds to have scored a nom for “Best Urban Contemporary Album” for his debut album “New York: a Love Story.”

Not only was his album a great release, but his nomination proves that the Grammy committee was actually paying attention this time around, unlike previous years when they’ve ignored less-than-mainstream artists.

We caught up with the “Own It” singer and found out how excited he is over the acknowledgment!

HelloBeautiful: Where were you when you found out you were nominated and what was the first thing you did?

Mack Wilds: Richmond, Virgina in my hotel room. I didn’t know what to do. I was watching the nominations, not thinking I was going to be nominated. I had every doubt in my body, but there was a little spec of hope that I would. Then the label rep hit me and she said ‘You did it!’ and I was like ‘I did what?’ She said you were nominated and I said ‘f*ck you prove it!’ and she sent me the picture of the nomination. I literally said ‘Oh sh*t’ and text messages started coming.

HB: What does the nomination mean to you?

MW: It’s definitely one of the craziest feelings I’ve ever felt in my life. As a kid you watch the awards and you see all the amazing stuff that happens. You think to yourself ‘I’m going to be there one day.’ You don’t necessarily know those dreams will come true, especially being a kid from the hood but you say it just so you feel good. So to have that come true now is amazing. My mom wanted to give me this whole Lifetime movie special, I’m in my hotel room trying to hold back tears and she’s all crying on the phone talking about my whole life. Talking to my dad, he said ‘I remember all of the years that the Grammys came up and saying come on what are you waiting for? Lets just go and he kept telling me ‘No’ and when I’d ask why, he’d say ‘You don’t want to go until the day that you’re invited. Well you have to go now.’

HB: Are you done with acting now that you’ve attained so much success in music?

MW: Not at all. At the end of the day, I want to be known for being a creative, like a renaissance man.

HB: Do you and Michael B. Jordan joke about each others’ career since you guys started on “The Wire” together?

MW: That’s like a big brother. It’s always love. I remember when I was finishing up the album and I was sending links to certain people before it went to the streets and he was like ‘Little bro, you don’t know what you got here.’

HB: Did you know your debut album would be so successful?

MW: I didn’t know the impact because I knew I was making music that’s not the same as anything else that’s out right now. It could both ways, people could like it because it’s different and think it’s something dope of people will shun it.

HB: What happens if you don’t win?

MW: I go back home and get back in the studio and finish banging out this second album and hit them again next year. We’re half way through the second album.

HB: Who will be your date to the Grammys?

MW: My grandfather or my father.

CONGRATS!

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