Jason Mraz

Name: Jason Thomas Mraz
Born: 23rd June, 1977 (Mechanicsville, Virginia, USA)

Profile: He is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz's stylistic influences include reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz and hip hop.

History: Grew up in a family who love music, with a piano in their house, young Mraz were always singing and making up songs. Mraz was 13 when he began writing and when he was 18, he started to play guitar and determined to be a great musician. He spent 3 years sitting in his apartment learning how to play guitar and writing songs.

Musically, he is influenced by almost any genre. He grew up listening to the radio, so was into 80's and 90's pop, then moved onto troubadours and jazz and is now becoming interested in world music. Keen for the music he produces to keep evolving, Mraz tries to use all of these influences when he is writing in order to bring new rhythms and melodies.

He discovered he had a knack for spontaneously creating songs on the spot, often spurred on by a random phrase or word someone would suggest. The favorable response Mraz got, and the immediacy with which it came, served as a creative epiphany for him. It also provided the impetus to drop out, the better to follow his muse anywhere it took him.

He attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, for a short time, then pursue his dream as a musician in San Diego to look for inspiration. When he just started to get involved in the music scene there, he took lessons on people who were going to open mike nights and learn from the other people playing. He worked on it until he started doing his own show there, and spent about 2 years doing his own show every Thursday night.

In 1999, Mraz was discovered by former San Diego concert promoter Bill Silva during an impromptu Las Vegas performance. This led to the Los Angeles-based Silva becoming his manager and lots of gigs at Java Joe's in Ocean Beach – and a contract with Elektra Records.

In 2002, his debut album 'Waiting For My Rocket to Come' was released. Mraz's listener-friendly blend of folk, rock, hip-hop and jazzy scat singing has only grown more popular since then. In 2005, he released his second album 'Mr. A-Z' that achieved commercial success. The album peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 200 and sold over one hundred thousand copies in the US.

In 2008, Mraz released his third studio album, 'We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.' The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of many international charts. Mraz's international breakthrough came with the release of the first single from the album, 'I'm Yours'. The single peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Mraz his first top ten single.

Currently, Mraz is planning to release his forth album this year (2010). He posted on his Myspace page that he will be coming back to studio and begin recording. The process is unlike any of the other records before this and he plan to hit the road for tour anytime soon.

Influences: Michael Franks

Axology: Taylor acoustic model 714CE ES and Taylor T5

Signature song(s): I'm Yours - Jason Mraz (We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things, 2008)

Link(s):

http://jasonmraz.com (Official website)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcrpfKrTLFE

"... I make music out of a happy moment, a hardship I've overcome, a lesson I've learned, a love story I got to live. So, for me, it's just a chronicle of my life and putting reason to the voices in my head". - Jason Mraz