Jason Mraz

Tweet

Jason Thomas Mraz (born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter, born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond. Mraz is an eclectic artist with multiple and varied stylistic influences, including Pop, Rock, jazz, Country, and hip-hop/rap. He is popular in the United States, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Australia and has played with various artists, including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Paula Cole, John Popper, Makana, Alanis Morissette, The Ohio Players, Tristan Prettyman, and Jewel. Mraz went to Chickahominy Middle School (8th grade) and Lee Davis High School (grades 9-12) in Mechanicsville, Virginia where he fell in love with his high school sweetheart Kristina Early. His last name is from the Czech word mráz, meaning "frost". Though he did not pick up the guitar until the age of 18, his musical appetite was strong. After a brief stint studying musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, he moved to San Diego. There he became a hit on the Southern California club scene, playing with percussionist Toca Rivera and his brother, latin-pop guitarist Carlos Olmeda, in a regular gig at the now-defunct Java Joe's coffee shop—the same venue where fellow musician Jewel played a good deal during her early career. In 2001 he was briefly married to a woman named Sheridan; however, they divorced amicably and still remain good friends. Mraz's clear, strong tenor voice and easygoing, optimistic lyrics gained popular acclaim in 2003 when his first single, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)," began to receive regular play on radio, MTV, and VH1. Co-written by music production team The Matrix, the popularity of "The Remedy" boosted the sales of his major label debut release, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which would be certified platinum by the RIAA in May 2005. Mraz has often collaborated and performed with funk-hip-hop-folk artist Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood, a friend from New York who studied musical theater with Jason. They perfected their skills by jamming and freestyle rapping for hours while living in New York. Together, they have written and recorded several songs, including "Curbside Prophet", a track from Waiting for My Rocket to Come which was later released as a promotional single. They both describe each other as one of their biggest influences. Anybody else like Jason Mraz? What's your favorite song?