Jason Mraz knows love songs | Sound stories and interviews | Fold | The Weekly Source

Mraz’s way of talking about the human connection to music makes it all so simple and easy. He understands the power of emotion. He knows this because that is what he is looking for in music as a listener. It’s a big reason his writing helped launch such a successful career.

That career really hit its stride with the release of her debut album, “Waiting for My Rocket to Come,” which turns 20 in October. Next, Mraz says his ambitions were much different and more aligned with someone in their twenties. He wanted to be cool, smoke cigarettes and have fun on tour. He’s a far cry from the version of himself today who does a lot of humanitarian and environmental work. The notoriety and speed of the industry was an unexpected challenge for his younger self, who was just a singer making a name for himself at cafes like Java Joes in San Diego.

“I kind of went with the flow. I trusted the musicians around me. I trusted my manager. I trusted the enthusiasm of the label. But I have to admit man, I was so scared, but I didn’t have time to be scared because our schedule was so full,” he says.

The song that really helped Mraz’s debut take off was “The Remedy”. Not only was it the first Mraz song that myself and many others have heard, but it reached #15 on the Hot 100 and was one of the biggest songs of the year. It also opened a door full of insane opportunities.

“The most important thing is that it kept us on the road. When we started we were an opening act and when that song took off we started getting into bigger clubs and theaters, and backing bigger bands. [We were] On tour with the Dave Matthews Band. We had to open for the Stones a few times,” says Mraz. “We eventually went from a van to a tour bus. But at the same time, we were just reckless. It was a party. Which is the complete opposite of what we are today. Because sustainability is about taking care of yourself and your environment. And 20 years ago, I didn’t think about it at all. I even smoked during the show! Which is crazy.

All jokes aside about his early days in the industry, Mraz reiterates how blessed he feels to have had a past life of which “The Remedy” was a big part. Yet even with that success that happened two decades ago, Mraz has managed to find success all these years later.

“You know, my manager told me you’ll be lucky if you get 10. That’s average. And that kind of bet [in my head] like, ‘Okay. Let’s have fun but also keep working. Keep showing up and keep trying to write great songs,” Mraz recalled. “I was 28 and had been writing songs for about 10 years when I wrote ‘I’m Yours’. And then I released it a few years later. Which brought the machine back to life. C was bananas. So it saved me another 10 years. I was really lucky.

Mraz’s luck didn’t stop there. He won Grammys for “Make It Mine” and “Lucky” the following year in 2009. Then in 2012 he released “I Won’t Give Up” which debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Since then, he has released three more studio albums. With his ability to craft witty, straightforward songs that hit home with their relatability, it’s no wonder the hits just kept coming. So what is Mraz writing about at this point in his career? What inspires him?

“The guideline is optimism. Especially in this world we live in where we feel like we are going backwards in many ways. As technology advances, there are other things in civil and social situations that just going backwards. And at the same time, I’m getting older,” he says. “So I’m trying to stay optimistic about all these different things and not having, say, a midlife crisis, but I’m definitely going through, you know, get there. So that’s what my songs reflect. A new perspective with the same familiar optimism.