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Jason Mraz (pron-en m?'ræz; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter, born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Mraz's stylistic influences include reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz, and hip hop.
Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)", in 2002 but it was not until the release of his second album, Mr. A-Z that Mraz achieved commercial success. The album peaked at number five 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 number three on the Billboard 200 was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of many international charts.
Mraz's international breakthrough came with the release of lead single from We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. titled "I'm Yours". The single peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Mraz his first top ten single. The song was a huge commercial success in the US with it receiving a triple-Platinum certification from the RIAA for sales of over three million. The song was successful internationally and topped the charts in New Zealand and Norway and peaking in the top ten of multiple international charts.
BiographyMraz is of Czech]] descent through his grandfather who moved to the United States from what is now the Czech public in 1915.[last=Blair ] His surname is Czech for "frost."
He attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, for a short time, studying musical theater before moving to San Diego.
Mraz also owns an avocado farm in Northern San Diego County near Fallbrook.
Music careerWaiting For My Rocket to ComeIn 2002, Mraz released his first major-label debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come
. The album was a relative commercial success, peaking at number fifty-five on the Billboard Hot 200 and at number two on the Top Heatseekers Chart. The lead single from the album, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" was co-written by music production team The Matrix and it was Mraz's first top twenty single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number fifteen.
Mr. A–Z and toursMraz opened for Tracy Chapman in March 2003 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In July 2005, Mraz opened for Alanis Morissette during her Jagged Little Pill Acoustic Tour. On July 26, 2005, he released his second major-label album, Mr. A–Z, for Atlantic Records. It entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 5. In December, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while its producer, the prolific Steve Lillywhite, received a nomination for Producer of the Year. Mraz's friend and former roommate Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood also collaborated on the album, co-writing "Curbside Prophet" and the album's third single, and "I'll Do Anything".
Mraz began his long-running tour in support of Mr. A–Z at the San Diego Music Awards on September 12. The tour featured a variety of opening acts, including Bushwalla and Tristan Prettyman, with whom he had co-written the duet "Shy That Way" in 2002. Mraz and Prettyman dated, ending their relationship in 2006. They also co-wrote the song "All I Want For Christmas is Us".
In March 2006, Mraz also performed for the first time at a sold-out performance in Singapore with Toca Rivera as part of the annual Mosaic Music Festival.
In December 2006, Selections for Friends, the live, online-only album recorded during the Songs for Friends Tour, was released. Selections for Friends features Jason's favorite songs from the Schubas Tavern and Villa Montalvo shows he played in July 2006. Jason Mraz began 2007 by debuting his new single "The Beauty in Ugly", an earlier track penned by Mraz entitled "Plain Jane" that he rewrote for the ABC television program Ugly Betty. The song was featured as a part of ABC's "Be Ugly in '07" campaign. He has since released a song in Spanish entitled "La Nueva Belleza (The New Beauty)".
In 2007, American Idol contestant Chris Richardson performed "Geek in the Pink", which subsequently garnered the song mass recognition and increased downloads at the American iTunes Store. It was also performed later that year by Canadian Idol contestant Greg Neufeld.
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., Sweden 2008
Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on May 13, 2008. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 200 giving Mraz his highest charting album to date. Following the success of lead single, I'm Yours, the album broke into the top ten of many international music charts and charted in the top three in Australia and the US.
The first single "I'm Yours" reached #1 on AAA radio charts in the US. The single was a B-side to Mr A-Z, and was made famous by recordings from his live shows. In September 2008, the song became Mraz's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking so far at #6. As of October 14, 2008, the album has been certified Gold by the RIAA, selling in excess of 500,000 copies in the US. The song was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of multiple European charts and topping the charts in New Zealand for six weeks.
Mraz and his song "I'm Yours" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 51st Grammy Awards. The album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2009. On January 31, 2009, Mraz was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "I'm Yours" and "Lucky", the latter with Colbie Caillat. "Lucky" has peaked on the Hot 100 at 48.
Discography- Studio albums
- Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002)
- Mr. A–Z (2005)
- We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008)
- Live albums
- ''Live at Java Joe's (2001)
- Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004)
- Selections for Friends - Live from: Schubas Tavern, Chicago, Montalvo Winery, Saratoga California (2007)
- ''Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess - Live from Earth (2009)
Copyright Citations
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