Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''
Waiting for My Rocket to Come
''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on October 15, 2002, by Elektra Records. It was his only studio release on that label before he moved to Atlantic Records. By Dec ...
'' (2002), which spawned the single "
The Remedy (I Won't Worry)", that reached the top 20 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.
[Jason Mraz: Chart History](_blank)
The Hot 100, ''Billboard''. Retrieved May 25, 2014. His next two studio albums, ''
Mr. A-Z'' (2005), and ''
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' is the third studio album by American musician Jason Mraz, released on May 12, 2008. The album peaked at number three in the ''Billboard'' 200, making it Mraz's highest-peaking album at the time. Mraz took ...
'' (2008), peaked in the top five on the
''Billboard'' 200; with the latter album spawning the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
winning singles "
Make It Mine", and "
Lucky" with
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre.
After signing with Universal Republic ...
.
The album's lead single "
I'm Yours", reached the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while spending a then-record 76 weeks on the Hot 100, and was certified
Diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA). His fourth album, ''
Love Is a Four Letter Word'' (2012), peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming his highest-charting album to date, and spawned the single "
I Won't Give Up", which became his second top ten on the Hot 100.
Along with receiving two Grammy Award wins, Mraz is also the recipient of two
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...
, a
People's Choice Award and the
Hal David Songwriters Hall of Fame Award. As of July 2014, Mraz has sold over seven million albums, and over 11.5 million in digital singles. His musical style, from rhythmic feeling to his use of nylon string guitars, has been heavily influenced by
Brazilian music.
Early life
Mraz was born and raised in
Mechanicsville, Virginia
Mechanicsville is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Hanover County, Virginia, United States. The population was 36,348 during the 2010 census, up from 30,464 at the 2000 census.
History
The area was settled by Englis ...
.
[Keith Bellows]
"Traveling Troubadour,"
'' National Geographic Traveler'', March 2011. He is of
Czech descent through his grandfather, who moved to the United States from
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
in 1915.
His surname is
(, ). His parents, Tom (Tomáš ) 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.
His father is a postal worker, and his mother is vice president at a branch of
Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
.
[Ruggieri, Melissa (October 5, 2003). "All That Mraz: After Breaking Big, Musician Comes Home to His Family, and Maybe Brunswick Stew". ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (Richmond, Virginia). p. H1.]
Mraz's first concert was
Young MC
Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young M.C., is a British-born American rapper, singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit " Bust a Move". His debut album ''Stone Cold Rhymin found international acc ...
, the rapper known for ''
"Bust a Move."''
While attending
Lee-Davis High School, Mraz was a member of the
cheerleading
Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...
squad,
school chorus, and drama club. He starred as
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...
in ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. ...
'' and as
Snoopy
Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...
in a play about the
Peanuts
''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and inf ...
characters. Mraz graduated in 1995.
During this period of his life, he struggled with his sexuality at times, wondering if he was gay.
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."
After high school, Mraz attended the
American Musical and Dramatic Academy in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
for about a year and a half, originally to work in musical theater.
[Ruggieri, Melissa (November 27, 2002). "Jason Mraz Home, and Just Look at Him Now". ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (Richmond, Virginia). p. E1.] When his roommates played guitar he would provide the vocals.
Eventually, a friend gave him a guitar that was about to be thrown away and Mraz learned to play and write his own music.
Mraz moved to the
Shockoe Bottom neighborhood of
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, where he took a series of odd jobs, including elementary-school janitor, and joined the Ashland Stage Company.
[Joan Tupponce]
"Jason Mraz,"
''Richmond Magazine'', March 24, 2010. Mraz then enrolled at
Longwood University
Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia. Founded in 1839, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of the hundred oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Previously a college, Lo ...
in
Farmville, Virginia
Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County.
Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox ...
, on a scholarship.
Instead of attending classes, he headed west on a road trip that ultimately brought him to
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, where he decided to stay.
Music career
Coffee house beginnings (2000–01)
Soon after moving to San Diego in 1999, Mraz became a roadie for the band
Elgin Park. He met future band member Toca Rivera at Java Joe's, a coffee house in the
Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego known for being formative in the careers of Jewel and Steve Poltz. Mraz performed once a week for nearly three years, building a following in San Diego and online.
Mraz released ''A Jason Mraz Demonstration'' in 1999, ''From the Cutting Room Floor'' and ''Oh Love, In Sadness (The E Minor EP in F)'' in 2001, which were self-released and pressed in a limited number of copies. In 2001, Mraz released the live acoustic album ''
Live at Java Joe's,'' performing with percussionist Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan. The album featured Mraz's freelancing vocal style and several songs he would later re-release, including "1000 Things", "You and I Both" and "Halfway Home." The album was made available to download on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
on March 11, 2008, under the title ''
Jason Mraz: Live & Acoustic 2001''. Mraz returned to perform at Java Joe's for the 15th anniversary of the album on January 29, 2016. Mraz' last self-released album was ''Sold Out (In Stereo)'' on March 21, 2002.
''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002–04)
In late 2001, Mraz signed a recording contract with
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
and moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
.
In 2002, he opened for
Jewel on her tour. On October 15, 2002, Mraz released his first major label debut album, ''
Waiting for My Rocket to Come
''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on October 15, 2002, by Elektra Records. It was his only studio release on that label before he moved to Atlantic Records. By Dec ...
'', which peaked at number 55 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The first single, "You & I Both," was sent to radio stations time for the album's release, but received minimal airplay, which led Elektra to reconsider whether a mid-tempo song was the right way to introduce Mraz.
In early 2003, the label took a new approach with the more upbeat "
The Remedy (I Won't Worry)." The track was co-written by music production team
The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...
, and became Mraz's first top-40 single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 15, becoming one of the biggest songs of 2003.
The song was inspired by a high school friend who was diagnosed with cancer.
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 because it had started as a special and experimental song and the record label had "chalked up this chorus".
[Garin, Nina (October 10, 2002). "Coffee Break: With all those Java Joe's gigs under his belt, Jason Mraz tests the recording waters". ''The San Diego Union-Tribune''.] The day after the album's release, Mraz played on "
The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn
''The Late Late Show'' is an American late-night television talk and variety comedy show on CBS. It first aired in January 1995, with host Tom Snyder, who was followed by Craig Kilborn, Craig Ferguson, and current host James Corden. The show or ...
".
Elektra would return to "You & I Both" a second time, shooting a music video and re-releasing it as the second official single.
On May 19, 2005, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' was certified Platinum, for selling 1 million units.
[Searchable Database](_blank)
(search under: Jason Mraz), RIAA. Accessed July 15, 2014.
Mraz opened for
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and " Give Me One Reason".
Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...
in 2003 at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
in London. 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 from
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler (formerly known as "The Establishment" or "The Black Cat Jam" or "The Establishment Blues Band") is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. They are known for extensive use of segues in live performan ...
frontman
John Popper
John Popper (born March 29, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter, known as the co-founder, lead vocalist, and frontman of the rock band Blues Traveler.
Early life
John Popper was born in Chardon, Ohio. His father was a Hungarian immig ...
.
''Mr. A–Z'' (2005–08)
On July 26, 2005, Mraz released his second major label album, ''
Mr. A–Z'', produced by
Steve Lillywhite
Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...
for
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...
. The album's lead single, "Wordplay", was produced by
Kevin Kadish,
["Mraz Nails Down New Album, Alanis Dates,"](_blank)
''Billboard''. Retrieved May 25, 2014. and entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at number 5.
[Keith Caulfield]
"Jason Mraz Vs. Lionel Richie For No. 1 Album Next Week,"
''Billboard'', April 19, 2012. The album earned a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while Lillywhite received a nomination for Producer of the Year.
Mraz began a long-running tour in support of ''Mr. A–Z'' at the
San Diego Music Awards on September 12, 2005. The tour featured several opening acts, including
Bushwalla and
Tristan Prettyman, with whom he had written the duet "Shy That Way" in 2002. Mraz opened for
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with two ...
during her 2005 ''
Jagged Little Pill Acoustic'' tour,
and for the
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
on five dates during their 2005–06 world tour.
In March 2006, he performed in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
as part of the annual
Mosaic Music Festival
Mosaic Music Festival was an annual 10-day-long music festival in Singapore that featured both local and overseas acts. From 2005-2014, the festival showcased a variety of music genres, ranging from indie-folk to hip-hop. It aimed to provide a pla ...
. 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 supported James Blunt The tour included a May 6, 2006 acoustic show with
P.O.D.,
Better Than Ezra,
Live
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
*'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD)
Music
* Live (band), American alternative rock band
* List of album ...
, and
The Presidents of the United States of America. Mraz was featured as a headlining guest of
St. Louis's annual
Fair St. Louis and performed a free concert at the base of the
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch is a monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, it is the world's tallest arch and Missouri's tallest accessible building. Some sources consider ...
on July 1, 2006. During this time, Mraz was also the opening act at several dates for
Rob Thomas'
Something to Be Tour
The Something to Be Tour was the debut concert tour by American recording artist and Matchbox Twenty frontman, Rob Thomas (musician), Rob Thomas. Visiting numerous countries in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, the tour supported his fir ...
.
In 2005, Mraz was one of many singers featured in the fall advertisement campaign for
The Gap entitled "Favorites", singing a cover of
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements ...
's "
One Love". 2006 saw the release of ''Selections 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 the
ABC television show ''
Ugly Betty
''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...
''. The song was featured as a part of ABC's "Be Ugly in '07" campaign. Also that year, on ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'', contestant
Chris Richardson
Christopher Michael Richardson (born February 19, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter who was the fifth-place finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''.
Personal life
Richardson was born in Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ...
performed a cover of Mraz's "
Geek in the Pink".. In a 2006 concert at
EBS Space Gonggam, Mraz said in an interview that he was going to make an acoustic album based on his first two albums.
''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' (2008–09)
On May 13, 2008, Mraz released his third studio album, ''
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' is the third studio album by American musician Jason Mraz, released on May 12, 2008. The album peaked at number three in the ''Billboard'' 200, making it Mraz's highest-peaking album at the time. Mraz took ...
'' The album debuted at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200.
It broke into the top 10 of many international music charts, and reached number 3 in the US and Australia. In March 2009, it was certified Platinum for selling 1 million units.
Mraz has said that the album title was taken from the work of Scottish artist
David Shrigley.
Prior to its release, Mraz released three EPs, each with acoustic versions of songs from the album.
The lead single, "
I'm Yours", was written in August 2004 and originally released as a free acoustic B-side when ''Mr. A-Z'' came out. Through Mraz's live performances of the song, it gained in popularity with fans. When he played it at a festival in Sweden in 2007, the fans were ecstatic and singing along, after which Mraz realized the song's popularity and decided to make it the centerpiece of his next album.
"I'm Yours" became Mraz's first Top 10 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at #6 on September 20, 2008. It ultimately spent 76 weeks on the Hot 100, longer than any other song in the magazine's 51-year history (a record since broken by
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their si ...
with "
Radioactive
Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consi ...
" in 2014). It was a major commercial success in the US, receiving a 7x multi-Platinum certification from the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
for digital sales of over seven million.
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. By May 2012, it had gained over 125,000,000 hits on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. 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. It also made the Latin Pop and Smooth Jazz charts.
Mraz won his first two
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
in 2010, for
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...
("Make It Mine") and
Best Pop Collaboration ("
Lucky" with
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre.
After signing with Universal Republic ...
). At the
2009 Grammy Awards, "I'm Yours" was nominated for
Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and ''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' was nominated for
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes:
* In 1959, the award was known as Best Engineered Record – Non-Classical
* In 1960, it was awarded as Best Engineeri ...
.
[Saul Relative]
"Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat and Steve Martin on SNL,"
Yahoo! Voices, February 2, 2009. "I'm Yours" was also named
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
's 2010 Song of the Year.
Mraz's 2008 world tour took him all over the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia. His personal photo travelogue from the world tour was published as a book, titled ''A Thousand Things'' (2008).
The book contains
Polaroids from his time touring and backpacking around Europe, and was launched with a photo exhibition at
Charles Cowles Gallery in New York City at the end of 2008.
Also in 2008, Mraz played with
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...
to a crowd of 45,000 in
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is a Grade I-listed major park in Westminster, Greater London, the largest of the four Royal Parks that form a chain from the entrance to Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Gre ...
, sold out London's Royal Albert Hall and performed at the
Nobel Peace Prize Concert in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. That year also marked his Music, Magic & Make Peace Tour with Bushwalla, The Makepeace Brothers, and magician
Justin Willman
Justin Willman (born July 11, 1980) is an American magician, comedian, producer, and television personality. He is the creator and star of '' Magic for Humans'' on Netflix. The third season of Magic for Humans was released on May 15, 2020. He ...
. Mraz brought along the magician after picking up magic as a hobby during recording sessions for ''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' On January 31, 2009, Mraz was the musical guest on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'', performing "I'm Yours" and "Lucky",
which peaked on the Hot 100 at number 82.
In 2009, Mraz was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award from the
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
.
''Love Is a Four Letter Word'' (2010–13)
In 2009, while preparing for his new album, Mraz recorded "The Way Is Love", an unreleased
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...
song, as a duet with
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...
. In November 2009, he released the live CD/DVD ''
Jason 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" with
Milton Nascimento, who sings in Portuguese while Mraz sings in English. He also did some writing with
Dido, and recorded new material with producer
Martin Terefe
Martin Terefe (born 1969, Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish record producer and songwriter, now living and working in London, who has produced Grammy, Brit and Juno award -winning albums with artists like Jason Mraz, James Morrison and KT Tunsta ...
. Mraz then released two live EPs: the ''Life Is Good'' EP on October 5, 2010, and the ''Live Is A Four Letter Word'' EP on February 28, 2012.
''
Love Is a Four Letter Word'' was released on April 13, 2012. It reached number 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200,
[Jason Mraz Chart History](_blank)
Billboard 200, ''Billboard''. Retrieved May 25, 2014. and the top 20 in 10 other countries. The lead single, "
I Won't Give Up", debuted at number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 1 on the Digital Songs chart.
[Gary Trust]
"Jason Mraz’s ‘I Won’t Give Up’ Storms Hot 100s Top 10,"
''Billboard'', January 11, 2012. It charted in 15 countries in total, and in October 2013 was certified 4x multi-platinum, for selling in excess of 4 million units.
Mraz premiered the track live during his 2011 tour, before an official version had been released. It began to receive a lot of attention through live performances, as well as online. The official lyric video gained over 2.5 million views in its first 10 days on YouTube.
''Love Is a Four Letter Word'' was nominated for a
2012 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Mraz won a
2013 People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Artist. He performed at
Farm Aid 2011 in Kansas City. In 2012 he played sold-out shows at the
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
in Los Angeles,
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...
in New York and the
O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to:
*The O2 Arena (London)
*O2 Arena (Prague)
*The 3Arena
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decemb ...
in London, and performed at President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
and family's lighting of the national Christmas tree at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
; a noted Obama supporter, he has also performed at numerous other events involving Obama and Vice President
Joe Biden. Also in 2012, he performed "You Did It" at the presentation ceremony for the
Kennedy Center's
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an American award presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts annually since 1998, excepting the years 2020 and 2021. Named after the 19th-century humorist Mark Twain, it is prese ...
, won that year by
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom ''Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". Sh ...
.
''Yes!'' (2014)
Mraz's fifth studio album, ''
Yes!'', was released on July 15, 2014.
[Lily Rothman]
"Jason Mraz Announces New Album, With An Exclusive Acoustic Performance,"
''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'', May 19, 2014. It is his first acoustic album, and was recorded with all-female
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
band Raining Jane. They had previously co-written "A Beautiful Mess" for Mraz's 2008 album ''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things''. Aside from a cover of the
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...
song "
It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday", every song on ''Yes!'' was written by Mraz and Raining Jane. The lead single, "Love Someone", was released on May 19, 2014, with Mraz performing an acoustic version of the song for ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
''.
On June 20, 2014, he released ''We Can Take the Long Way'', a music video trilogy for the first three songs on ''Yes!'' – "Love Someone", "Hello, You Beautiful Thing" and "Long Drive". It premiered on the ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' website.
''Waitress'' (2017–18)
On September 27, 2017, it was announced that Mraz would make his
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
debut in the musical ''
Waitress
Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...
''. He took on the role of Dr. Pomatter on November 3, 2017 for a 10-week run.
Sara Bareilles
Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...
re-joined the cast during his run and he extended his time as Dr. Pomatter playing his final show on February 11, 2018. He had previously sung "Bad Idea" and "You Matter to Me" on Sara Bareilles' 2015 album (based on the show's music) ''What's Inside: Songs From Waitress''.
''Know.'' and ''Look for the Good'' (2018–present)
Prior to and following his involvement in ''Waitress'', Mraz began work on a follow-up album to ''Yes!''. In June 2018, he announced his sixth studio album, ''
Know.''—a play on the previous album's title— it was released on August 10, 2018.
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."
Inspired by a blessing he received from a Buddhist monk during a trip to
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
in 2012, Mraz wrote the song "Have It All" with Raining Jane and producers
David Hodges, JKash, and Andrew Wells. The song was released as the lead single to the new album on April 27, 2018, and accompanied by a video filmed with performing arts students from his hometown of Richmond. With the announcement of the album in June 2018, Mraz released a second track off of ''Know.'' called "Unlonely".
In July 2018, Mraz shared the lyric video for the song "More Than Friends", a duet with
Meghan Trainor
Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...
. On August 7, 2018, he partnered with
Fathom Events on the one-night-only release of ''Jason 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.
On August 10, 2018, his sixth album, ''
Know.'', was released. In 2019, he was featured on the album ''
The Secret'' by
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Parsons was involved with the production of several notable albums, including the Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' (1969) and ''Let It Be'' ( ...
as lead vocalist of the song "Miracle". On August 13, 2019, Mraz was named the first-ever District Advocate Ambassador to continue the fight for music creators' rights. In June 2020, Jason Mraz signed a three multi-album agreement with
BMG 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.
Personal life
Relationships and sexuality
Mraz married Sheridan Edley in 2001. They divorced the following year.
Mraz was engaged to singer-songwriter and long-time close friend
Tristan Prettyman on Christmas Eve 2010; they broke off the engagement six months later.
Mraz lives a health-conscious lifestyle and has said that he eats mostly
raw vegan
Raw foodism, also known as rawism or a raw food diet, is the dietary practice of eating only or mostly food that is uncooked and unprocessed. Depending on the philosophy, or type of lifestyle and results desired, raw food diets may include ...
foods. His vegan diet has also influenced his music. He owns a five-and-a-half acre avocado farm in
Oceanside, California
Oceanside is a city on the South Coast of California, located in San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 census. The city is a popular tourist destination, owing to its historic landmarks, beaches, and architecture.
...
. He is an investor at
Café Gratitude, a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, and named his 2011 tour Gratitude Café in its honor. His hobbies include surfing, yoga and photography.
On October 25, 2015, Mraz married his girlfriend, Christina Carano, in a private ceremony in his hometown of
Mechanicsville, Virginia
Mechanicsville is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Hanover County, Virginia, United States. The population was 36,348 during the 2010 census, up from 30,464 at the 2000 census.
History
The area was settled by Englis ...
.
In June 2018, Mraz penned a "love letter" to the
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
community, as part of a ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' feature during
gay pride
LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to s ...
month. A line in the poem, "I am bi your side. / All ways"
led some media reports to state that the poem represented Mraz's
coming out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
as
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...
.
In an article published on July 19, 2018, by ''Billboard'', Mraz said he has had previous experiences with men, even while dating Carano.
Mraz said Carano defined him as a "
two-spirit
Two-spirit (also two spirit, 2S or, occasionally, twospirited) is a modern, , umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people in their communities who fulfill a traditional third-gender (or other gender-varia ...
",
a description that was criticized by some as misappropriating a word originally designed solely for the
native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
population, and for distorting the term's meaning. In August 2018, Mraz confirmed in an interview with the ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' that he now identifies as bisexual, speaking of the burden of being closeted ("I honestly didn’t know how to come out and sing these happy love songs..."; "It was tough, 'cause not even my mom knew it, you know?
..And I realized that’s the struggle that people in the LGBT community have. It can be a very stressful secret that we carry") and the lack of backlash once he came out ("And I think that’s the cosmic joke. We carry around these secrets, and then once you say something, nobody cares").
Social activism and philanthropy
Mraz is a social activist whose philanthropic efforts span wide-ranging issues, including the environment, human rights, and LGBT 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 the Make a Wish Foundation.
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.
In 2009, he participated in a rescue mission to
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and Tog ...
with members of
Free the Slaves
Free the Slaves is an international non-governmental organization and lobby group, established to campaign against the modern practice of slavery around the world. It was formed as the sister organization of Anti-Slavery International but has si ...
, a global nonprofit working to liberate children sold into slavery.
In 2012, he was featured as the first-ever straight man on the cover of ''
Instinct
Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing both innate (inborn) and learned elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a v ...
'' magazine in recognition of his efforts in support of
LGBT rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, ...
.
The Jason Mraz Foundation was established in 2011, with a mission to support charities in the areas of human equality, environment preservation and education.
["Jason Mraz Establishes Jason Mraz Foundation,"](_blank)
Artist Direct, December 5, 2011. Organizations supported by the foundation include
VH1's Save The Music Foundation,
MusiCares,
Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation USA is a U.S. 501(c)(3) grassroots non-profit environmental organization that works to protect and preserve the world's oceans, waves and beaches. It focuses on water quality, beach access, beach and surf spot preservati ...
,
Free the Children, Life Rolls On, the
School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community, the
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bo ...
, and the
True Colors Fund
True Colors United (formerly True Colors Fund) is an American nonprofit organization addressing the issue of youth homelessness in the United States. Founded in 2008 by Cyndi Lauper, the organization focuses on the unique experiences of lesbian, ...
, which promotes LGBT equality.
Mraz was named the 2010 Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) Humanitarian of the Year. He also received the Clean Water Award in 2010 from the Surfrider Foundation, for helping to preserve the world's oceans and beaches. That same year, he teamed up with
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Nat ...
and created a PSA using his song "I'm Yours" to raise awareness about the nonprofit organization's efforts to protect the earth.
On December 16, 2012, Mraz headlined the Milestone Concert in
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
to raise awareness about
human trafficking
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extr ...
, making him the first foreign artist to play an open-air concert in Myanmar. The concert was organized by
MTV EXIT and held in the People's Square in
Yangon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
, with over 70,000 people in attendance, as part of an initiative to raise awareness about human trafficking in Myanmar. Also in 2012, Mraz spent a week in
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
with a group of environmentalists, scientists and researchers on a mission led by
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...
, to learn about the effects of climate change.
Mraz is a continued supporter of
WhyHunger
WhyHunger (formerly known as World Hunger Year, or WHY) is a non-profit registered 501(c)(3) organization working to end hunger and poverty by connecting people to nutritious, affordable food and by supporting grassroots solutions that inspire s ...
, a grassroots support organization dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty in the United States. The organization was founded by late musician
Harry Chapin
Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy A ...
and Radio DJ
Bill Ayres
Bill Ayres is a talk radio host and executive director and co-founder of World Hunger Year.
Biography
Ayres became a Catholic priest for the Roman Catholic diocese of Rockville Centre. Long Island, New York in 1966, but always had a fondness ...
in 1975.
On June 19, 2020, Mraz announced he would be donating all profits from his album "
Look for the Good" to
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
and other organizations working toward equality and justice.
Politics
On October 24, 2019, Mraz endorsed
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...
for President in the
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 3,979 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention held on August 17–20 to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2020 Un ...
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".
Discography
;Studio albums
*''
Waiting for My Rocket to Come
''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on October 15, 2002, by Elektra Records. It was his only studio release on that label before he moved to Atlantic Records. By Dec ...
'' (2002)
*''
Mr. A–Z'' (2005)
*''
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' is the third studio album by American musician Jason Mraz, released on May 12, 2008. The album peaked at number three in the ''Billboard'' 200, making it Mraz's highest-peaking album at the time. Mraz took ...
'' (2008)
*''
Love Is a Four Letter Word'' (2012)
*''
Yes!'' (2014)
*''
Know.'' (2018)
*''
Look for the Good'' (2020)
Awards and nominations
{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
, -
! scope="col" , Award
! scope="col" , Year
! scope="col" , Nominee(s)
! scope="col" , Category
! scope="col" , Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable",
, -
! scope="row" rowspan=4,
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
, rowspan="2",
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
, rowspan="2", "
I'm Yours"
,
Song of the Year
,
, rowspan=4,
, -
, rowspan=2,
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...
,
, -
, rowspan="2",
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, "
Make It Mine"
,
, -
, "
Lucky"
(with Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre.
After signing with Universal Republic ...
)
,
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers c ...
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan=2, Pop Awards
, rowspan=2, 2021
, Himself
, Icon of the Year
,
, rowspan=2,
, -
, ''Look for the Good''
, Album of the Year
,
, -
! scope="row" rowspan=15,
San Diego Music Awards
, rowspan=2, 2002
, rowspan=3, Himself
, Best Acoustic
,
, rowspan=2,
, -
, rowspan=2, Artist of the Year
,
, -
, rowspan=2, 2003
,
, rowspan=2,
, -
, "
The Remedy (I Won't Worry)"
, Song of the Year
,
, -
, 2004
, rowspan=2, Himself
, rowspan=2, Artist of the Year
,
,
, -
, rowspan=3, 2009
,
, rowspan=2,
, -
, "
Lucky"
(with Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre.
After signing with Universal Republic ...
)
, Song of the Year
,
, -
, ''
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' is the third studio album by American musician Jason Mraz, released on May 12, 2008. The album peaked at number three in the ''Billboard'' 200, making it Mraz's highest-peaking album at the time. Mraz took ...
''
, Album of the Year
,
,
, -
, rowspan=4, 2014
, Himself
, Artist of the Year
,
, rowspan=2,
, -
, rowspan=2, "
Love Someone"
, Best Music Video
,
, -
, Song of the Year
,
, rowspan=2,
, -
, ''
Yes!''
, Album of the Year
,
, -
, rowspan=3, 2019
, Himself
, Artist of the Year
,
, rowspan=3,
, -
, "
Have It All"
, Song of the Year
,
, -
, ''
Know.''
, Album of the Year
,
Other awards
, -
, 2004
, rowspan=2, Jason Mraz
,
Pollstar
''Pollstar'' is a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. The publication was purchased by Oak View Group, a venue consultancy founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, in July 2017.
History and profile
Founded in 1981 in Fr ...
Concert Industry Awards for Best New Touring Artist
,
, -
, rowspan=4, 2009
,
Teen Choice Award for Choice Music – Male Artist
,
, -
, ''
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
''We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.'' is the third studio album by American musician Jason Mraz, released on May 12, 2008. The album peaked at number three in the ''Billboard'' 200, making it Mraz's highest-peaking album at the time. Mraz took ...
''
,
Teen Choice Award for Choice Album (Male Artist)
,
, -
, rowspan=3, Jason Mraz
,
American Music Award
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produ ...
for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist
,
, -
,
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
Hal David Starlight Award
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" , 2010
,
People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Artist
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" , 2010
, "
I'm Yours"
,
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
Song of the Year
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" , 2010
, Jason Mraz
, Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Humanitarian of the Year
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" , 2010
, Jason Mraz
,
Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation USA is a U.S. 501(c)(3) grassroots non-profit environmental organization that works to protect and preserve the world's oceans, waves and beaches. It focuses on water quality, beach access, beach and surf spot preservati ...
Clean Water Award
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" ,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
, rowspan="2" , "
I Won't Give Up"
,
Best Love Song
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" , 2012
, MVPA Awards for Best Adult Contemporary Video
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" , 2012
, Jason Mraz
, ASCAP Foundation Champion Award
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" , 2013
, Jason Mraz
,
People's Choice Award for Pop Male Artist
,
, -
, style="text-align:center;" , 2013
, Jason Mraz
,
MTV Europe Music Award
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...
For Best World Stage
,
, -
Bibliography
* ''A Thousand Things'' (2008, I Love Books)
Filmography
Film
{, class="wikitable sortable"
, -
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" , Notes
, -
, 2012
, ''
The Big Fix''
, Himself
, Produced / Documentary film
, -
, 2015
, ''
Unity
Unity may refer to:
Buildings
* Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building
* Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper
* Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England
* Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...
''
, Narrator
, Documentary
, -
, 2019
, ''
Trouble
Trouble may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin
* ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film
* ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film
* ''Trouble'' ...
''
, Himself (voice)
, Animated film
, -
, 2020
, ''
Clouds
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid drop (liquid), droplets, ice crystals, frozen crystals, or other particulates, particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. ...
''
, Himself
, Feature film
, -
, 2020
, ''Kiss the Ground''
, Himself
, Documentary
, -
Television appearances (selected)
* ''
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...
'' (2003)
* ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (2003)
* ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
'' (2003, 2005, 2008)
* ''
New Year's Rockin' Eve
''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (''NYRE'') is an annual New Year's Eve television special broadcast by ABC. The special broadcasts primarily from New York City's Times Square and prominently features coverage of its annual ball drop ev ...
'' (2004)
* ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
'' (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014)
* ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...
'' (2004, 2005, 2009, 2012)
* ''
EBS Space Gonggam (EBS 스페이스 공감)'' (2006)
* ''
Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...
'' (2008, 2009, 2012)
* ''
Nobel Peace Prize Concert'' (2008)
* ''
Rachael Ray
Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program '' Rachael Ray'', and the Food Network series ''30 Minute Meals'' ...
'' (2008)
* ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...
'' (2009, 2019)
* ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' (2009, 2019)
* ''
Spicks and Specks (TV series)
''Spicks and Specks'' is an Australian music-themed comedic television quiz show in which the host, Adam Hills, asks two teams, of three people each, varying music-themed questions in different games. Team leaders are Myf Warhurst and Alan Broug ...
'' (2009)
* ''
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, as part of NBC's ''Tonight Show'' franchise. O'Brien had previously hosted NBC's ''Late N ...
'' (2009)
* ''
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
'' (2009, 2010)
* ''
Family Guy'' (2010)
* ''
The Jay Leno Show
''The Jay Leno Show'' is a talk show created and hosted by Jay Leno. Premiering on NBC on September 14, 2009, the program aired on weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET/ PT through February 9, 2010. The program was modeled upon the format of a late ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Chelsea Lately
''Chelsea Lately'' is an American late night comedy talk show created by Brody Stevens and hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler which was broadcast on E! The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and was produced by Handler's production company, Border ...
'' (2012)
* ''
Conan'' (2012)
* ''
Dancing With the Stars'' (2012)
* ''
The Fresh Beat Band
''The Fresh Beat Band'' (originally known as ''The JumpArounds'') is an American live action musical children's television series created by Scott Kraft and Nadine van der Velde for Nickelodeon. The show stars the "Fresh Beats" (Kiki, Shout, M ...
'' (2012)
* ''
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' (2012)
* ''
Opening Act'' (2012)
* ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'' (2012)
* ''
VH1 Storytellers
''Storytellers'' is a television music series produced by the VH1 network.
In each episode, artists perform in front of a (mostly small and intimate) live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat ...
'' (2012)
* ''
Watch What Happens: Live'' (2012)
* ''
Live from Daryl's House
''Live from Daryl's House'' (simply known as ''Daryl's House'' and often abbreviated as ''LFDH'') is an online music series that debuted in the autumn of 2007. The show features singer-songwriter Daryl Hall performing with his band and various gu ...
'' (2012)
* ''
American Restoration
''American Restoration'' is an American reality television series airing on the History channel. Produced by Leftfield Pictures, the first six seasons were recorded in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicled the daily activities at ''Rick's Res ...
(2015)
* ''
Live from the Artists Den
''Live From the Artists Den'' is a three-time New York Emmy-nominated music television series that features popular recording artists performing in non-traditional settings throughout North America. ''Live From the Artists Den'' broadcasts nation ...
'' (2014)
* ''
K-pop Star 4
The fourth season of the South Korean reality television competition show ''K-pop Star'' premiered on SBS on November 23, 2014, airing Sunday evenings at 4:50 pm KST as part of the ''Good Sunday'' lineup. Yang Hyun-suk, Park Jin-young, and You ...
(케이팝 스타 4)'' (2015)
* ''Today Show with Hoda and Jena'' (2019)
* ''
Celebrity Show-Off'' (2020)
* ''
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
''Wheel of Fortune'' (often known simply as ''Wheel'') is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show has aired continuously since January 1975. It features a competition in which contestants solve word puzzles, similar ...
'' (2021)
* ''
Rick and Morty
{{Infobox television
, image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png
, alt =
, caption =
, genre = {{Plainlist,
* Animated sitcom
* Adult animation
* Science fiction
* Black comedy
* ...
'' (2022) -
Brachiosaurus
''Brachiosaurus'' () is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic, about 154to 150million years ago. It was first described by American paleontologist Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in th ...
(voice; in "Juricksic Mort")
References
External links
*
*
*
Jason Mraz collectionat the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
's live music archive
Playlist: Jason Mraz–
Nightline 07/17/09 – Reggae to rock, Mraz reveals his musical influences.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mraz, Jason
1977 births
American male singer-songwriters
American people of Czech descent
Atlantic Records artists
Bisexual male actors
Bisexual musicians
Elektra Records artists
Grammy Award winners
LGBT people from Virginia
LGBT producers
LGBT rights activists from the United States
LGBT singers from the United States
LGBT songwriters
Living people
Musicians from Richmond, Virginia
Musical groups from San Diego
Singer-songwriters from Virginia
American folk-pop singers
Guitarists from Virginia
American male guitarists
People from Mechanicsville, Virginia
21st-century American singers
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people
Singer-songwriters from California
American Musical and Dramatic Academy alumni