Jason Mraz first came into our lives in a music video; the vivid image of a guy with a red hat driving a MRAZDA full of roosters, touting "The Remedy." He was the "Geek In The Pink" on the streets of Hollywood peddling his new album. And now, Mr. A-Z himself feels like dancing. The first single off Mraz's eighth studio album, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride (set for release on June 23), "I Feel Like Dancing" follows Mraz in a choreographed routine throughout the Via Verde Country Club in San Dimas, California, shot all in one take. The song has inspired a movement of TikTok dances in celebration of being unique to oneself, something Mraz has truly celebrated since the start of his career.
The Virginia native landed in San Diego in 1999 and developed his talents on the coffeehouse scene, frequenting acoustic nights at Java Joe's, where Jewel also got her start. Signing to Elektra Records in 2001, Mraz released Waiting For My Rocket To Come the next year, the album that would put him on the scene and find him a place somewhere between the burgeoning singer-songwriters of the time (John Mayer), the jam bands that came before him (DMB), and surf rock (Jack Johnson). He wasn't this or that, failing to be put in a box; he had a style of his own and he fully embraced it. His clever lyrics and rhythmic nature embodied all the senses, and he took the feel-good vibe from his music and turned it into a lifestyle.
Mraz has released seven studio albums to date with critical acclaim. He signed with Atlantic for his sophomore album, Mr. A-Z, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200 and paving the way for his third album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., which birthed his first Top 10 single, "I'm Yours." This song spent 76 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking a new record at the time. The album also featured two Grammy-winning singles, "Make It Mine," for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Collaboration for "Lucky" with Colbie Caillat.
In 2014, Mraz released Yes!, expanding his career as he teamed up with the all-female group Raining Jane as his backing band. He fell into a groove with these artists and has continued to collaborate with them for his live shows and subsequent albums, including Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride. Mraz had tried his hat at many other talents. In 2017, he made his Broadway debut starring as Dr. Pomatter in the musical Waitress, written by his friend and fellow songwriter, Sara Bareilles.
A social activist who is extensively involved in charity work worldwide, he also established the Jason Mraz Foundation in 2011 for inclusive arts education, food security and the advancement of equality, and in 2020, he donated all proceeds from his album Look For The Good to various charities.
Mraz cannot be placed in any category, musically or otherwise. He sings and dances to his own beat and encourages others to do so. He embraces that notion on this new album, one that had him reflecting about both where he's been and where he's going, and trying to find the balance in life when you're somewhere in the middle. It's nostalgic and hopeful. A passionate advocate, soulful and honest writer and performer, we see glimpses here of the Mraz from 20 years ago - the kid who told us, "I won't worry my life away." But the now 45-year-old man confidently sings, "If you think you've seen it all, stick around." It's a sure bet we will.
The Virginia native landed in San Diego in 1999 and developed his talents on the coffeehouse scene, frequenting acoustic nights at Java Joe's, where Jewel also got her start. Signing to Elektra Records in 2001, Mraz released Waiting For My Rocket To Come the next year, the album that would put him on the scene and find him a place somewhere between the burgeoning singer-songwriters of the time (John Mayer), the jam bands that came before him (DMB), and surf rock (Jack Johnson). He wasn't this or that, failing to be put in a box; he had a style of his own and he fully embraced it. His clever lyrics and rhythmic nature embodied all the senses, and he took the feel-good vibe from his music and turned it into a lifestyle.
Mraz has released seven studio albums to date with critical acclaim. He signed with Atlantic for his sophomore album, Mr. A-Z, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200 and paving the way for his third album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., which birthed his first Top 10 single, "I'm Yours." This song spent 76 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking a new record at the time. The album also featured two Grammy-winning singles, "Make It Mine," for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Collaboration for "Lucky" with Colbie Caillat.
In 2014, Mraz released Yes!, expanding his career as he teamed up with the all-female group Raining Jane as his backing band. He fell into a groove with these artists and has continued to collaborate with them for his live shows and subsequent albums, including Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride. Mraz had tried his hat at many other talents. In 2017, he made his Broadway debut starring as Dr. Pomatter in the musical Waitress, written by his friend and fellow songwriter, Sara Bareilles.
A social activist who is extensively involved in charity work worldwide, he also established the Jason Mraz Foundation in 2011 for inclusive arts education, food security and the advancement of equality, and in 2020, he donated all proceeds from his album Look For The Good to various charities.
Mraz cannot be placed in any category, musically or otherwise. He sings and dances to his own beat and encourages others to do so. He embraces that notion on this new album, one that had him reflecting about both where he's been and where he's going, and trying to find the balance in life when you're somewhere in the middle. It's nostalgic and hopeful. A passionate advocate, soulful and honest writer and performer, we see glimpses here of the Mraz from 20 years ago - the kid who told us, "I won't worry my life away." But the now 45-year-old man confidently sings, "If you think you've seen it all, stick around." It's a sure bet we will.
Jason Mraz: Yeah, it does. You know, a number of times throughout my career, I thought, "You know what, this is it for me, I'm gonna hang up my hat. I've had my ride." And what a trip to be on another ride, especially with this song leading the way. I think we have a few more great songs coming soon behind this one. I'm just thrilled. I'm so grateful and humbled by it all. I'm thrilled I get to do it with my friends. And the song, "I Feel Like Dancing," it's not trying to save the world. It's just trying to bring a little dance and movement and rhythm into it. It's just another dance song for us all to enjoy.
Songfacts: You went from playing solo acoustic, to a trio at Java Joe's, to a band, to collaborating, and now you're going on tour with a "Superband." What is that growth like from your perspective?
Mraz: It's very exciting, because this Superband is basically a bus full of my best friends and music. People that I've met through the years at small clubs or studios and we've just become fast friends. Playing this music and how we play it - it's the kind of band where I give everybody freedom. I say, "This is how the song goes, but you can play it however you want." Because of that, people bring so much joy, improvisation, and creativity into the band. When we pass solos around, they're never the same. Everyone feels heard and appreciated and seen. It makes life on and off stage a real pleasure. Most of touring is traveling from one gig to the next. The show is two hours. Twenty-two hours are spent with your family. That's what the Superband is for me, it's family, and we love it.
Songfacts: You've been collaborating with Raining Jane for a while, and you go on these writing retreats. When you go, do you just immerse yourself in that music and mindset for a while? What is your process?
Mraz: This is something we've done since 2007. We do it at least once a year, sometimes several times a year. In this case, we knew we wanted to make an album together. We first got together in 2019 with this batch of songs. We did it at my place, we'd go out to Joshua Tree a couple of times. We did a trip up to Santa Rosa. Sometimes we pair it around tour dates, if we know we're going to be in a certain city, then we'll go to that city a few days early or stay late. We'll hole up and the five of us will sit in a circle with all our instruments and just jam. Everyone's got ideas for the music or for a song idea. We just share. It's so therapeutic. We get to share our growth and the insights we've had through life and as writers - you write them down and try to weave them into your songs. And to do that with five people means you get to amplify the learning and amplify the growth.
With this project, anytime we would write an idea for a song, it just remained in its own lane. Even though I wrote a bunch of other songs through the past couple years, this album was really about the songs in that lane with Raining Jane because I knew I wanted them to also be my studio band as well. It's mostly like mental-health dates. Therapy dates. Where we're gonna just sit in a circle and share. We're gonna share until that sharing becomes singing, and hopefully that singing becomes tears of healing and tears of joy. Processing getting older and surviving a pandemic, processing our families getting older, processing time. That's really what a lot of this album was about. Time. We're all in our mid-40s and older. And we can't help but feel it. We all still feel like kids. But when we look around the world, there's a lot of younger people. Pop culture has always been driven by the late teens and early 20s, that's where it's the most fiery. We're a long way from that now, but we still feel like kids. Maybe that's one of the illusions of time. And that's what this album is about.
Songfacts: "Getting Started" is an inspiring song with a nice little nod to "The Remedy" ("I won't worry this life away") in there.Mraz: Yeah! Thank you for noticing that!
Songfacts: You also sing on it:
I'm the same as I was when I was a kid
I always knew I would make it
I've done my time
I did my part.
Is your life the way that little kid imagined it?
Mraz: I don't think I knew the details but I knew I would be ok. I knew from a young age that I had a magic trick that I could perform, and that was through singing and entertaining. I felt connected to it from a young age and I knew I'd be okay as long as I stayed close to my gift and close to my magic trick. I didn't know if I'd be performing in a theme park, or I'd be busking, or I'd be in a coffee shop, or I'd be in a band. I didn't know those details. I just knew as long as I did my magic trick, I'd be ok. I didn't need to be financially ok because I got so much reward and so much life out of doing my magic trick. Early in my career, I would do my magic trick, I'd have no money in my pockets, but the kindness of my friends and family, and even strangers who saw my magic trick, they would then take me to dinner, or take me to the movies or buy me a coffee. Little things like that. It was like, my magic trick is working. My magic trick bought me dinner tonight.
I was living in San Diego early in my career. I had a bicycle. I didn't have a vehicle. A friend at the coffee shop was like, "I have this old clunker in my driveway. Why don't you drive this car around, so you can have a car to use." And just the kindness of strangers. Someone gave me a car to use all because of my little magic trick. I've had this experience my whole life, that if I stay close to my gift, I will be okay. But I never imagined I would be as well off as I am and have the freedom to travel the world and make albums and have these big bands. That's a little over the top. But there was a belief from a young age that I would be okay.
Songfacts: The beauty of the record is the full circle or spiral as you call it, of listening to the album through to "If You Think You've Seen It All," which brings us right back to the inspired beginning. As life has a way of doing, bringing us back to the beginning sometimes. Did you want us to have that feeling?
Mraz: Yeah, I did. The album ends with the lyric, "We're just getting started." Because as every door closes, another one opens. Specifically with that song, "If You Think You've Seen It All," that's another version of "I Won't Give Up." Because every now and then, my trickster mind says, "I've done enough." It's time to chill out and maybe find a new career. Which is ridiculous because I just told you my magic trick is providing me everything. But every now and then, I get this sense of, I can't go on, I have to just quit. So as a songwriter, I end up writing the songs that keep me going, which is "If You Think You've Seen It All."
"Hey man, you think you've seen it all. You want to quit because you think you've seen it all. But just stick around. Just keep going and you're going to be surprised at what's around the corner." It's another mental-health song to cheer me up, keep me going, stay positive. Even if this is the end of the record, even if it's the end of this year, you're ready to begin something beautiful. So, stay present, stay grateful, and enjoy the ride. That's how the record ends. And it's not even an ending because it's just an album, and it's 45 minutes or so, so it hasn't been that long. No reason to quit yet. Take it for another spin.
Songfacts: You have that theme throughout it, and a song like "Little Time" is cleverly crafted. You sing, "Do dreams disappear if I don't get to them?" and "Time be kind to me." You really capture the essence of a lot of struggles people in their 40s or hitting milestones go through. Are these feelings you've struggled with, or is it more like a pep talk for fans?
Mraz: It's usually myself I'm giving a pep talk to. As much as I think I know my audience, and want to want to know my audience, I'll look out and see people that range in ages. I'll see young people, I'll see old people. I'll see people my age, I'll see people with kids. I can't pretend to know these people, but I know we have something in common. We're all here together for something. But all the songs at their core, before they make it to the stage for the audiences, they really are peps talks for myself. And to be ok with where I'm at and to be hopefully even okayer with where I'm going."Little Time" was written right before the pandemic with Raining Jane, just feeling the passage of time. Feeling hopeful that there's still enough time to keep going, but we all know our fate. So, just asking for a little bit more time. I don't want fate to step in just yet. I just want a little bit more time to savor this, to experience everything we've accomplished so far. And maybe, just maybe there's enough time to get a little further.
Honestly, I've busied myself with music for so long that there's deferred maintenance on my house. There's hobbies and projects I've wanted to start but never have because I've been so glued to music. Just for example, this is so stupid, but birdhouses. I've envisioned myself building birdhouses, because I've got a lot of cute birds and I feed the birds and they live up in my eaves and they poop all over my porch and I wish they didn't. I wish they had little birdhouses. Part of me just wants to build birdhouses. It feels so charming and so cute. If I just had a little more time, I could get there. It's ridiculous.
Songfacts: It's not. Hobbies are important. It's a break and it's something just for you.
Mraz: Yeah, it's true. But the music is also for me too. I realize that is also valuable. But that's my point. The song is making me feel that it's the little pep talks that I'll be ok. I'll get to the bird houses and if I don't, it's been a good ride, and who knows what the next realm is going to bring me. Maybe in my next life, I get to be a bird.
Songfacts: You studied musical theater, and you're going to perform with the New York Pops on the final date of your summer tour. What an incredible opportunity. How was this initiated and how has your musical background shaped your career?
Mraz: I'd say that the gig with the New York Pops was initiated by the San Diego Symphony who I had become friends with through the years just by being a San Diegan, by being aware of what they do, and them being aware of what I do. We were in talks for years and years to collaborate. In 2021 we finally did a collab where they helped me orchestrate my catalog and create a night of music with the San Diego Symphony. And they did that knowing I'd be able to replicate that and collab with other symphonies around the country. So San Diego Symphony was really the champion for this event, the first, hopefully, of many more of this kind of event, starting with New York Pops.
I went to Carnegie Hall last holidays to perform with Ingrid Michaelson, because we have a holiday song that we sing together. She was with the New York Pops over the holidays. I thought, What a cool, fun thing, I'm going to go support my friend Ingrid. I got to go sing two nights at Carnegie Hall with Ingrid and the New York Pops. Those nights, it was great vibes and we all had so much fun together. Steven Reineke, the conductor, the musical directors and the staff of the New York Pops, we all just hit it off. Maybe it was one too many cocktails, but at the end of the night, they said, "You should play our summer show at Forest Hills!" And I thought, Sure. I didn't believe them but I got the phone call six weeks later and they asked me if I wanted to do the summer show. Now I'm working with the San Diego Symphony to revive the sheet music ready for the New York Pops. We're adding some new charts for some new songs to get it ready for the Pops and it's really exciting to go from a super band to the biggest possible, most beautiful band that you can play with, which, in this case, is the New York Pops.
Songfacts: That should be a fun show. A really magical experience for a musician.
Mraz: It should be great fun. It's a little like surfing. You don't really know what you're going to get. And the beat and the pace of the Pops is so fluid like the ocean, whereas when you're with the band, it's pretty much like 1-2-3-4, 2-2-3-4. You don't feel that so much with the Pops. You feel the breath, you feel it ebb and flow. Some sections move and rush through, and other sections have this nice, slow feeling, and that is wild. It's one of the more magical ways to perform music. I don't know if being in musical theater informed this at all. I think if anything, being in chorus growing up, singing in choral groups, that has informed this more than anything.
Mraz: Yeah sometimes. Everybody's a little different. Alan Parsons is very particular. What words he wants you to say, what melody, when to cut off the note. Very specific. Meghan is a strong singer. She knows the sound of the production when she's writing the song, which I think is beautiful. She knows how she's gonna want the beat and the bass and the funk. Me, I'm quite the opposite. I don't know how I'm going to dress up the song. I just think first about lyrics and melody. Can this song exist on the guitar or piano by itself and does it move me? After that, I can dress it up in a variety of ways. And I may not get it right when I dress it up. I may need to dress it up six or seven times before I find the right outfit for that song.
Anytime I work with someone else I definitely learn about their talent. I can see the scope of it. What I mostly learn is how these songwriters are taking care of themselves. Does this songwriter smoke? Does this songwriter eat a salad? That's what I get most tickled about. How is this songwriter feeding their soul so that they can show up and use their talent and be so great at what they do? I want to know, what kind of tea do you use? Do you wear insoles? Do you record with bare feet? Those are the things that get me excited more than, "How do you come up with these lyrics?"
Songfacts: You recently celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Waiting For My Rocket To Come. How did that milestone make you feel and what does that album mean to you?
Mraz: It's funny because I don't listen to my old albums, and when the 20th Anniversary comes up, I take it for a spin. Like, "Whoa, I totally forgot that was on there," and, "Ooooh, I can't believe I said that." It's almost like looking back through a yearbook or something, like, "Oh my gosh I can't believe I dressed like that or I acted that way." But I know I was in my early 20's and I know that my motivations and my attitude and my awareness was very different than what it is now. So I let that go. I understand what my issues and concerns were in my early 20's. Once I get past that, I'm quite tickled. I'm like, "This thing sounds pretty good," and then I get nostalgic for who played on it and how lucky I was to make that record. Because the success of that record really gave me all the energy and momentum that the rest of my career followed. If I hadn't had success on that record, I probably wouldn't be having this conversation. I would've ended up in a much different situation. I'd still be doing my magic trick somewhere, but I don't know if I'd be talking about my eighth record this way.
Mraz is often honored for his charity endeavors. He was the recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award in 2009 at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 40th Anniversary Awards Dinner, the 2010 Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Humanitarian of the Year Award, recipient of the Clean Water Award in 2010 from the Surfrider Foundation, and the 2020 National Association of Music Merchants "Music for Life" award recipient.
Songfacts: You've also used your career to spread good, really from the start. Early on, you held food drives at shows, sold your personal t-shirts online for the Make a Wish Foundation, and all proceeds of your album Look For The Good were donated to charity. What type of work are you doing now with the Jason Mraz Foundation and why?Mraz: We shine for inclusive arts education, the advancement of equality, and food security. We've added food security because we realize a lot of the programs we support, they provide snacks and hot meals for their program attendees, and for some of those attendees, they really rely on that, so we didn't want to overlook that going forward. So we've added that to our mission.
Thanks to the pandemic, we went nationwide. Prior to that we were just in San Diego and Richmond, Virginia, my two hometowns. Thanks to the pandemic, we weren't able to get into classrooms and interact with programs but we helped programs around the country expand their virtual reach and continue their efforts. Basically, we send out grants and scholarships. Grants so those programs can add teachers and supplies, go virtual, whatever they need. They know more than us what they need. And scholarships so students can get enrolled in these programs tuition-free. I do that because I got to do that as a kid growing up. I got to go to great programs in the summer and after school and I know that was because of generous donors and scholarships that made it possible for young people to go to these programs. So that's what I'm doing, and in the fall, we're gonna launch our Second Annual Shine Concert which we did back in 2020, luckily before the pandemic. Now we're launching it again this fall with a program concert that will be in the spring of 2024. So as soon as this tour ends with the New York Pops, I'm gonna come back to San Diego, become a program attendee, and help this concert experience happen with the Shine Series.
Songfacts: I admire you and applaud your charitable nature. These things really make a difference in kids' lives, especially those who need it. And music is a very powerful force.
Mraz: I want to do it because my experience in school was really great. I had great teachers that cheered me on that were on my team, but in general, when you're a kid, school sucks. Especially when you're in middle school. That was tough for me. So I thought maybe I could just do more of the stuff that makes school fun or just keep the afterschool programs awesome so that awkward teens can become less awkward adolescents. Having more stuff you like makes the struggles a lot easier.
Songfacts: Giving back to the community starts right at home with your Mraz Family Farms. How does that keep you busy when you're not touring?
Mraz: The farm is a huge endeavor that I never thought I would do. But I was always a fan of Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, and Neil Young, and how they were advocates for the family farm and preserving and conserving land and environment and habitat. I thought, Hey, I have an opportunity to do that in my own backyard. So, throughout the years, whenever a neighboring piece of agriculture came up, I would grab it and keep farming it, so we have an expansive property of avocados, coffee, passionfruit and bananas, a whole bunch of medicinal herbs and flowers and the birds are singing. We just need a few more birdhouses.
June 21, 2023
For album details and tour dates, visit jasonmraz.com.
Our 2014 Interview with Jason Mraz
photos: Shervin Lainez
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