A night out with Jason Mraz

AFTER SELLING OUT his debut concert here back in 2012 and even drawing a healthy number of Thai fans to his show in Myanmar later that year, Jason Mraz is heading back to Bangkok next weekend for a special acoustic show featuring his “Yes!” collaborators, the all-girl folk-rock outfit Raining Jane. 

“Yes!”, Mraz’s fifth studio album, marks what is perhaps the most unexpected and accomplished collection of an already extraordinary career. Highlighted by the first single, “Love Someone”, the album debuted at number one on the sales charts in 46 territories around the world. In Thailand the single reached the top five, while the “Yes!” digital album is in the top 10 on iTunes and Deezer.

One of the world’s most prolific artists, Mraz’s journey has propelled him from the San Diego coffee house scene to arena, amphitheatres, and stadiums all over the world. A two-time Grammy Award winner and six-time nominee, Mraz made pop history with his record-breaking classic single, “I’m Yours,” while also earning platinum and multi-platinum certifications in more than 20 countries. His other global hits include “feel good” tracks like “I Won’t Give Up”, “The Remedy”, “You and I Both”, “The World As I See It” and “Everything Is Sound”.

Last year Mraz has made a conscious choice to perform in smaller venues and do multi-day residencies – including a six-show stint in New York City – and has selected a number of historic theatres and concert halls such as London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Casino de Paris, Amsterdam’s Royal Theatre Carre and Frankfurt’s Alte Oper. 

His second Bangkok show, although being hosted at Impact Arena, one of the country’s biggest event halls, is being trimmed down with ticket numbers limited to just 5,000. 

“I recently flew to Singapore to watch this exceptional show from Mraz,” says Neil Thompson, managing director of concert organiser Live Nation BEC-Tero.

“His live performance with Raining Jane was very intimate, moving, emotional and fun. The limited seats gave Mraz an opportunity to interact with his audience on a very personal level. The visuals were fabulous. The ambience was very coffee shop filled with great and powerful music. It was wonderful.” 

Earlier this month Mraz took time out for a brief e-mail chat about his new album.

 

WE’VE RARELY SEEN YOU COLLABORATE WITH OTHER ARTISTS BUT THIS TIME YOU CO-WROTE THE WHOLE OF “YES!” WITH RAINING JANE AND HAVE ALSO CHOSEN TO TOUR WITH THEM. WHY SO?

Their approach to music and their voices definitely bring a tenderness and sentiment to this record that some of my records don’t have. They’ve been a band for 15 years. The beauty of their vocals and what they’re doing cannot be replicated. Raining Jane co-wrote “A Beautiful Mess” with me, it’s the last track on “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things”. And we’ve been great friends and writing together for years, so it felt natural.

 

WHY DID YOU CALL THE ALBUM "YES!"?

The word inspires creativity. It’s what allows creativity to occur. Yes is love. Yes is what gave us life. Yes allowed us to make this record. The themes on “Yes!” are pretty much the same themes I’ve written about in the past: optimism, hope, love, healing, faith and gratitude. This is a conscious decision; I always feel a song should be an affirmation. It should get you through the present and into a more loving or realised future.

 

YOU’RE ALSO A VERY ACTIVE PHILANTHROPIST. WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE YOU CURRENTLY INVOLVED WITH?

The Jason Mraz Foundation supports a variety of different causes and charities, which cover subjects such as human equality, education like the SPARC Live Art program in Virginia and environmental preservation.

 

ARE YOU STILL DOING SOMETHING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE? 

Oh always! Just trying to increase awareness and constantly educate. And I do something myself every day in hopes that it will inspire others to do the same, like gardening for example. Start a garden or join a community one. Or even just shop at your local farmer’s market and support organic farmers. They are the ones taking care of the soil that will ultimately take care of us. 

 

YOUR MUSIC IS VERY HAPPY AND SOOTHING. IS YOUR DAILY LIFE AS CHEERFUL AS YOUR MUSIC?

I think my music revolves around happiness and optimism so that I stay focused on that, and I am not depressed all the time. It isn’t coincidence that most of my songs are about feeling better, because in reality it’s in my nature to generally wake up on the wrong side of the bed!

 

HAPPY IN LOVE

Jason Mraz performs at 8.30pm next Saturday at Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani. 

Tickets are Bt1,000 to Bt5,000. For details, call (02) 262 3838 or visit www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.