Jason Mraz | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Mraz in 2020 | |
| Born | Jason Thomas Mraz (1977-06-23)June 23, 1977 (age 48) Mechanicsville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education | Lee-Davis High School |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouses | |
| Musical career | |
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Musical artist | |
| Website | www |
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Jason Thomas Mraz (/məˈræz/mə-RAZ;[1] born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album,Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" that peaked at number 15 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[2] His second studio albumMr. A-Z (2005) peaked at number five on theBillboard 200.
His third studio album,We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008), peaked at number 3 on theBillboard 200 and was certified four times Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album's lead single, "I'm Yours", reached the top ten on theBillboard Hot 100, while spending a then-record 76 weeks on the Hot 100, and it was certifiedDiamond by the RIAA.[3] The album also spawned theGrammy Award winning singles "Make It Mine" and "Lucky" withColbie Caillat.
His fourth album,Love Is a Four Letter Word (2012), peaked at number two on theBillboard 200 and spawned the single "I Won't Give Up", which became his second top ten hit on the Hot 100. He went on to release the top ten albumsYes! (2014) andKnow. (2018). After signing a three-album agreement withBMG in 2020, Mraz released the albumsLook for the Good (2020) andMystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride (2023).
Along with receiving two Grammy Award wins, Mraz is also the recipient of twoTeen Choice Awards, aPeople's Choice Award, and theHal David Songwriters Hall of Fame Award. As of July 2014, Mraz has sold over seven million albums,[4] and over 11.5 million in digital singles.[5]
In 2023, Mraz competed as a contestant onseason 32 ofDancing with the Stars, finishing in second place, behindXochitl Gomez.
Mraz was born and raised inMechanicsville, Virginia.[6] His parents, Tom Mraz and June Tomes, divorced when he was five years old, leaving Mraz to live with his father while his sister lived with his mother.[7] His father is a postal worker, and his mother is vice president at a branch ofBank of America.[8] He is of partialCzech ancestry on his paternal side.[9][10]
While attendingLee-Davis High School, Mraz was a member of thecheerleading squad,school chorus, and drama club. He starred asJoseph inJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and asSnoopy inSnoopy! The Musical.[11][12][13] During this period of his life, he struggled with his sexuality at times, wondering if he was gay.[7] Mraz graduated in 1995.[14]
After high school, Mraz attended theAmerican Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City for about a year and a half, originally to work in musical theater.[15] When his roommates played guitar he would provide the vocals.[7] Eventually, a friend gave him a guitar that was about to be thrown away and Mraz learned to play and write his own music.[15][16][17] Mraz credits an early girlfriend as being one of the influences that drove him to songwriting. She encouraged him to write his thoughts on paper which helped him get "all of the voices in my head to shut up" and "become something I could follow."[7]
Mraz moved to theShockoe Bottom neighborhood ofRichmond, Virginia, where he took a series of odd jobs, including elementary-school janitor, and joined the Ashland Stage Company.[18][15][19][20] Mraz then enrolled atLongwood University inFarmville, Virginia, on a scholarship.[15] Instead of attending classes, he headed west on a road trip that ultimately brought him toSan Diego, where he decided to stay.[21][19]
Mraz's music has been labeled aspop,[22]folk-pop,[23]rock,[24] andblue-eyed soul.[25] He also incorporates elements offolk,hip-hop,jam band, andsoft rock into his music.[22]
Soon after moving to San Diego in 1999, Mraz became a roadie for the bandElgin Park. He met future band member Toca Rivera at Java Joe's, a coffee house in theOcean Beach neighborhood of San Diego known for being formative in the careers ofJewel andSteve Poltz.[26] Mraz performed once a week for nearly three years, building a following in San Diego and online.[27][21][19]
Mraz self-published the albumsA Jason Mraz Demonstration (1999),From the Cutting Room Floor (2001), andOn Love, In Sadness (The E Minor EP in F) (2001). In 2001, Mraz released the live acoustic albumLive at Java Joe's, performing with percussionist Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan. The album featured several songs he would later re-release, including "1000 Things", "You and I Both", and "Halfway Home". The album was later released oniTunes, on March 11, 2008, under the titleJason Mraz: Live & Acoustic 2001. Mraz returned to perform at Java Joe's for the 15th anniversary of the album on January 29, 2016.[28] Mraz' last self-released album wasSold Out (In Stereo), released on March 21, 2002.[29]
In late 2001, Mraz signed a recording contract withElektra Records and moved to Los Angeles.[30][19]
In 2002, Mraz opened forJewel on her tour.[31]
On October 15, 2002, Mraz released his first major label debut album,Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which peaked at number 55 on theBillboard 200.[32] The day after the album's release, Mraz played onThe Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn.[33] "You & I Both" was released as a promotional single prior to the album's release, but received minimal airplay.[7]
In early 2003, Mraz released his first commercial single, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)". The track was co-written by music production teamThe Matrix, and became Mraz's first top-40 single on theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number 15.[2] The song was inspired by a high school friend who was diagnosed with cancer.[19] At the time of the album's release, Mraz said that he did not like "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" and had not wanted it on the album.[34] In June 2003, "You & I Both" was released commercially as the second single from the album.Waiting for My Rocket to Come was certified Platinum in May 2005 for selling 1 million units.[35]
Mraz opened forTracy Chapman in 2003 at theRoyal Albert Hall in London.[36] In 2004, while on tour, Mraz released a live album with an accompanying DVD,Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom. He performed with his touring band, including drummer Adam King, Rivera, Sheridan and keyboardist Eric Hinojosa, along with a guest appearance fromBlues Traveler frontmanJohn Popper.[37]
On July 26, 2005, Mraz released his second major label album,Mr. A–Z, produced bySteve Lillywhite forAtlantic Records. The album's lead single, "Wordplay", was produced byKevin Kadish,[38] and entered theBillboard 200 at number 5.[39] The album earned aGrammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while Lillywhite received a nomination for Producer of the Year.[40]
Mraz began a long-running tour in support ofMr. A–Z at theSan Diego Music Awards on September 12, 2005. The tour featured several opening acts, includingBushwalla andTristan Prettyman, with whom he had written the duet "Shy That Way" in 2002.[41] Mraz opened forAlanis Morissette during her 2005Jagged Little Pill Acoustic tour,[38] and for theRolling Stones on five dates during their 2005–06 world tour.[21] In March 2006, he performed in Singapore as part of the annualMosaic Music Festival.[42] That May, he toured mostly small venues and music festivals in the U.S., along with a few shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland where he supportedJames Blunt.[43] The tour included a May 6, 2006, acoustic show withP.O.D.,Better Than Ezra,Live, andThe presidents of the United States of America. Mraz was featured as a headlining guest ofSt. Louis's annualFair St. Louis and performed a free concert at the base of theGateway Arch on July 1, 2006. During this time, Mraz was also the opening act at several dates forRob Thomas'Something to Be Tour.
In 2005, Mraz was one of many singers featured in the fall advertisement campaign forThe Gap campaign "Favorites", singing a cover ofBob Marley's "One Love".[44] 2006 saw the release ofSelections for Friends, the live, online-only album recorded during the Songs for Friends Tour. In 2007, "The Beauty in Ugly", an earlier track penned by Mraz originally titled "Plain Jane", was rewritten for theABC television showUgly Betty. The song was featured as a part of ABC's "Be Ugly in '07" campaign.
On May 13, 2008, Mraz released his third studio album,We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The album debuted at number 3 on theBillboard 200 and was later certified quadruple platinum.[39][35] It broke into the top 10 of many international music charts.[45] Mraz said that the album title was taken from the work of Scottish artistDavid Shrigley.[21] Prior to its release, Mraz released three EPs, each with acoustic versions of songs from the album.[46]
The album's lead single, "I'm Yours", was written in August 2004 and was initially released in demo form on the limited edition EPExtra Credit in 2005. Through Mraz's live performances of the song, it gained in popularity with fans.[21] "I'm Yours" became Mraz's first Top 10 hit on theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 6 on September 20, 2008.[47] It ultimately spent 76 weeks on the Hot 100, longer than any other song in the magazine's 51-year history[48][49] (a record since broken byImagine Dragons with "Radioactive" in 2014).[50] It was a major commercial success in the US and was certified 7x multi-Platinum by theRIAA for sales of over seven million.[35] The song was also successful internationally, topping the charts in New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Sweden, and peaking in the top ten on the charts in 11 other countries.[51] By May 2012, it had gained over 125,000,000 hits on YouTube.[52] It was the first song to top the charts in four different radio formats: Mainstream Top 40, Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40 and Triple A.[53] "Make It Mine" was released as the second single from the album but failed to chart on theBillboard Hot 100. "Lucky" withColbie Caillat was released as the third single from the album and peaked at number 48 on theBillboard Hot 100.[2]
At the2009 Grammy Awards, "I'm Yours" was nominated forSong of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance,[54] andWe Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. was nominated forBest Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[55][unreliable source?] In 2009, Mraz was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award from theSongwriters Hall of Fame.[56] In 2010, Mraz won twoGrammy Awards forBest Male Pop Vocal Performance ("Make It Mine") andBest Pop Collaboration ("Lucky" with Colbie Caillat).[57] "I'm Yours" was also namedASCAP's 2010 Song of the Year.[58]
Mraz's 2008 world tour traveled across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. His personal photo travelogue from the world tour was published as a book, titledA Thousand Things (2008).[21] The book was launched with a photo exhibition atCharles Cowles Gallery in New York City at the end of 2008.[19] Also in 2008, Mraz played withEric Clapton to a crowd of 45,000 inHyde Park, London, sold out London's Royal Albert Hall, and performed at theNobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo.[59] That year, he embarked on the Music, Magic & Make Peace Tour with Bushwalla, The Makepeace Brothers, and magicianJustin Willman.[60]
In 2009, Mraz recorded "The Way Is Love", an unreleasedRoy Orbison song, as a duet withWillie Nelson. In November 2009, he released the live CD/DVDJason Mraz's Beautiful Mess: Live on Earth, recorded in Chicago during the Gratitude Café tour. The following year, he went to Brazil to record "Simplesmente Todo" withMilton Nascimento, who sings in Portuguese while Mraz sings in English. He also did some writing withDido and recorded new material with producerMartin Terefe.[61] Mraz released the live EP,Life Is Good on October 5, 2010.
Mraz released the live EP,Love Is A Four Letter Word, on February 28, 2012. His fourth studio album,Love Is a Four Letter Word was released on April 13, 2012. It reached number 2 on theBillboard 200,[62] and the top 20 in 10 other countries.[63] The album's lead single, "I Won't Give Up", debuted at number 8 on theBillboard Hot 100, and number 1 on the Digital Songs chart.[64] It charted in 15 countries in total,[65] and in October 2013 was certified 4x multi-platinum, for selling in excess of 4 million units.[35] Further singles from the album were "93 Million Miles" and "The Woman I Love", but these releases were not as successful.
Love Is a Four Letter Word was nominated for a2012 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[66] In 2012, he played sold-out shows at theHollywood Bowl in Los Angeles,[67]Madison Square Garden in New York[68] and theO2 Arena in London,[69] and performed at PresidentBarack Obama and family's lighting of the national Christmas tree at theWhite House;[70] a noted Obama supporter, he has also performed at numerous other events involving Obama and Vice PresidentJoe Biden.[71][72] Also in 2012, he performed "You Did It" at the presentation ceremony for theKennedy Center'sMark Twain Prize for American Humor, won that year byEllen DeGeneres.[73]
In September 2013, Mraz was featured on the Hunter Hayes song "Everybody's Got Somebody but Me", which was later certified Gold.[74] The same month, he was featured on theTravie McCoy single "Rough Water".[75] That year, Mraz won aPeople's Choice Award for Favorite Male Artist.[76]
Mraz's fifth studio album,Yes!, was released on July 15, 2014.[77] It was recorded with all-femalefolk rock band Raining Jane, with whom Mraz had previously collaborated on the track "A Beautiful Mess" for his 2008 albumWe Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.[78][79][80] The album's lead single, "Love Someone", was released on May 19, 2014; Mraz performed the song forTime.[77] On June 20, 2014, he releasedWe Can Take the Long Way, a music video trilogy for the first three songs onYes!, which premiered on theUSA Today website.[81]
In 2015, Mraz was featured on "Bad Idea" and "You Matter to Me" on the Sara Bareilles albumWhat's Inside: Songs From Waitress.[82][83] On September 27, 2017, it was announced that Mraz would make hisBroadway debut in the musicalWaitress. He took on the role of Dr. Pomatter from November 3, 2017, until February 11, 2018.[84]
On August 10, 2018, Mraz released his sixth studio album,Know..[85] He referred to the new album as "bright and shiny" and a "classic-sounding pop acoustic, vocally driven record with positive lyrics and love songs."[85] The album was preceded by the release of two singles: "Have It All" was released on April 27, 2018, and was inspired by a blessing he received from a Buddhist monk during a trip toMyanmar in 2012. It was accompanied by a video filmed with performing arts students from his hometown of Richmond.[86][87] The album's second single, "Unlonely", was released in June.[85] In July 2018, Mraz shared the lyric video for the song "More Than Friends", a duet withMeghan Trainor.[88] On August 7, 2018, he partnered withFathom Events for the one-night-only release ofJason Mraz - Have It All The Movie, a concert film and behind the scenes footage of the making of the "Have It All" video, in 600 movie theaters throughout North America.[85] In 2019, he was featured on the albumThe Secret byAlan Parsons as lead vocalist on the song "Miracle". On August 13, 2019, Mraz was named the first-ever District Advocate Ambassador to continue the fight for music creators' rights.[89]
In June 2020, Jason Mraz signed a three-album agreement withBMG led by Vice President of A&R Jaime Neely, Executive Vice President of Repertoire & Marketing Thomas Scherer, Vice President of Marketing and Recorded Music Cyndi Lynott, and Vice President of Creative Synch Jonathan Palmer.[90][91] Jason also founded Interrabang Records, through which his 2020 album,Look for the Good, was released, as well as singer-songwriterGregory Page's eighteenth album,One Hell of a Memory.[92]
On February 15, 2023, Mraz released the single "I Feel Like Dancing" for his upcoming albumMystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride.[93] The album was released on June 23, 2023, which was also Mraz's 46th birthday.[94] In September 2023, Mraz began appearing onSeason 32 ofDancing With the Stars, partnered with pro dancerDaniella Karagach. He placed second during the season finale.[95]
Dancing with the Starsperformances
Average: 26.6/30
| Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' scores | Result | ||||
| Inaba | Hough | Guest | Tonioli | Total | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "I Feel Like Dancing" | 7 | 7 | N/A | 7 | 21 | Safe |
| 2 | Rumba / "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" | 8 | 8 | N/A | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive / "Do You Love Me" | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 34 | Safe |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "A Whole New World" | 8 | 8 | N/A | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep / "On the Road Again" | 9 | 9 | N/A | 9 | 27 | Safe |
| 6 | Contemporary / "Zombie" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 7 | Jazz / "Take On Me" Team Freestyle / "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" | 8 9 | 8 9 | 10 10 | 9 9 | 35 37 | Safe |
| 8 | Samba / "Higher Love" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 9 | Argentine tango / "Don't Blame Me" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | Safe |
| 10 | Viennese waltz / "I Won't Give Up" Paso doble / "Diablo Rojo" | 9 10 | 9 10 | N/A | 9 10 | 27 30 | No elimination |
| 11 | Foxtrot / "Fly Me to the Moon" Freestyle / "Happy" | 10 10 | 10 10 | N/A | 10 10 | 30 30 | Runner-up |
Mraz lives a health-conscious lifestyle and has said that he eats mostlyraw vegan foods. His vegan diet has also influenced his music.[96] He owns a five-and-a-half acre avocado farm inOceanside, California.[97][98] He is an investor atCafé Gratitude, a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, and named his 2011 tour Gratitude Café in its honor.[99] His hobbies include surfing, yoga and photography.[6][19]
Mraz married Sheridan Edley in 2001. They divorced the following year.[100]
Mraz was engaged to singer-songwriter and long-time close friendTristan Prettyman on Christmas Eve 2010; they broke off the engagement six months later.[101]
On October 25, 2015, Mraz married Christina Carano in a private ceremony in his hometown ofMechanicsville, Virginia.[102][103] On June 22, 2023, Mraz announced that he and Carano had divorced.[104]
In June 2018, Mraz penned a "love letter" to theLGBT community, as part of aBillboard feature duringgay pride month.[105] A line in the poem, "I am bi your side. / All ways"[106] led some media reports to state that the poem represented Mraz'scoming out asbisexual.[106][107][108] In an article published on July 19, 2018, byBillboard, Mraz said he has had previous experiences with men, even while dating Carano.[109] Mraz said Carano defined him as a "two-spirit",[109] a description that was criticized by some as misappropriating a word originally coined for the Native American population, arguing that it distorted the term's meaning.[110] In August of 2018, Mraz confirmed in an interview with theNew York Post that he is bisexual.[111]
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Mraz is a social activist whose philanthropic efforts span wide-ranging issues, including environmentalism, human rights, andLGBT equality.
In 2003, after learning one of his beer bottles was listed for sale on eBay, Mraz was inspired to auction off items of his wardrobe online, raising money for theMake a Wish Foundation.[7]
During early tours, he encouraged his fans to drop off food items as they arrived at the venue, an effort to support local food banks.[7]
In 2009, he participated in a rescue mission toGhana with members ofFree the Slaves, a global nonprofit working to liberate children sold into slavery.[6] In 2012, he was featured on the cover ofInstinct magazine in recognition of his efforts in support ofLGBT rights.[112]
The Jason Mraz Foundation was established in 2011, with a mission to support charities in the areas of human equality, environment preservation and education.[113] Organizations supported by the foundation includeVH1's Save The Music Foundation,MusiCares,Surfrider Foundation,Free the Children, Life Rolls On, theSchool of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community, theNatural Resources Defense Council, and theTrue Colors Fund, which promotes LGBT equality.[113][114][115]
Mraz was named the 2010 Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) Humanitarian of the Year.[116] He also received the Clean Water Award in 2010 from the Surfrider Foundation, for helping to preserve the world's oceans and beaches.[117] That same year, he teamed up withThe Nature Conservancy and created aPSA using his song "I'm Yours" to raise awareness about the nonprofit organization's efforts to protect the earth.[118]
On December 16, 2012, Mraz headlined the Milestone Concert inMyanmar to raise awareness abouthuman trafficking, making him the first foreign artist to play an open-air concert in Myanmar. The concert was organized byMTV EXIT and held in the People's Square inYangon, with over 70,000 people in attendance, as part of an initiative to raise awareness about human trafficking in Myanmar.[119][120] Also in 2012, Mraz spent a week inAntarctica with a group of environmentalists, scientists and researchers on a mission led byAl Gore, to learn about the effects of climate change.[121]
Mraz is a continued supporter ofWhyHunger, a grassroots support organization dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty in the United States. The organization was founded by late musicianHarry Chapin and Radio DJBill Ayres in 1975.[122]
On June 19, 2020, Mraz announced he would be donating all profits from his albumLook for the Good toBlack Lives Matter and other organizations working toward equality and social justice.[123]
On October 24, 2019, Mraz endorsedBernie Sanders for president in the2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries stating, "Bernie is the perfect candidate to follow Trump & continue to shake up the system for the benefit of true American values: Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness".[124]
Studio albums
| Award | Year | Nominee(s) | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | 2009 | "I'm Yours" | Song of the Year | Nominated | [125] |
| Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||||
| 2010 | "Make It Mine" | Won | |||
| "Lucky"(withColbie Caillat) | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | Won | |||
| Pop Awards | 2021 | Himself | Icon of the Year | Nominated | [126] |
| Look for the Good | Album of the Year | Nominated | |||
| San Diego Music Awards | 2002 | Himself | Best Acoustic | Won | [127] |
| Artist of the Year | Won | ||||
| 2003 | Won | [128] | |||
| "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" | Song of the Year | Won | |||
| 2004 | Himself | Artist of the Year | Won | [129] | |
| 2009 | Nominated | [130] | |||
| "Lucky"(withColbie Caillat) | Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. | Album of the Year | Won | [131] | ||
| 2014 | Himself | Artist of the Year | Won | [132] | |
| "Love Someone" | Best Music Video | Won | |||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | [133] | |||
| Yes! | Album of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Himself | Artist of the Year | Nominated | [134] | |
| "Have It All" | Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Know. | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Jason Mraz | Pollstar Concert Industry Awards for Best New Touring Artist | Nominated |
| 2009 | Teen Choice Award for Choice Music – Male Artist | Won | |
| We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. | Teen Choice Award for Choice Album (Male Artist) | Won | |
| Jason Mraz | American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist | Nominated | |
| Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award | Won | ||
| 2010 | People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Artist | Nominated | |
| 2010 | "I'm Yours" | ASCAP Song of the Year | Won |
| 2010 | Jason Mraz | Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Humanitarian of the Year | Won |
| 2010 | Jason Mraz | Surfrider Foundation Clean Water Award | Won |
| 2012 | "I Won't Give Up" | Best Love Song | Nominated |
| 2012 | MVPA Awards for Best Adult Contemporary Video | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Jason Mraz | ASCAP Foundation Champion Award | Won |
| 2013 | Jason Mraz | People's Choice Award for Pop Male Artist | Won |
| 2013 | Jason Mraz | MTV Europe Music Award For Best World Stage | Nominated |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Big Fix | Himself | Produced / Documentary film |
| 2015 | Unity | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2019 | Trouble | Himself (voice) | Animated film |
| 2020 | Clouds | Himself | Feature film |
| 2020 | Kiss the Ground | Himself | Documentary |
