Why Is Jason Mraz So Happy? 8 Questions With The “I’m Yours” And “Have It All” Singer-Songwriter
He's here to send good vibes to all.
There is a kind of peace and Zen in Jason Mraz’s voice, even coming from, not 93 million miles away (which is the title of one of his songs), but definitely a long way, down a static-filled phone line from probably somewhere in the United States, where the folk-pop wunderkind has been touring with his Good Vibes with Jason Mraz concert. It’s unhurried and totally chill, the voice of someone who seems to have unlocked the secret of the universe and figured out how to share it with the world — through songs that are deceptively breezy, yet are able to send the message of love, contentment and happy vibes straight to your heart. On October 27, Jason Mraz will lead a giant karaoke session, we mean, hold his Good Vibes concert at the National Stadium, his only stop in Asia this year (yay!), held in conjunction with the final edition of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore. But first, we get 10 minutes with him and his gentle tenor on the phone.
8 DAYS: We’re looking forward to you being back in Singapore. Your concerts are always feelgood crowd-pleasers and happy singalong affairs. Can we expect Good Vibes to be any different?
JASON MRAZ: This one is the best singalong affair I’ve ever created. It’s a ton of fun, with a lot of dynamics and a wide span of songs that all still focus on love and joy and celebration and gratitude, and I have an amazing cast of characters in my band that add to the beauty and diversity of the show.
Love the new album, Know., and all its messages. How do you think your sound has changed and evolved over the course of six albums?
It hasn’t. I’ve tried to improve as a writer or just continue to solve the puzzle of how to make language reach the heart. And not much has changed. (Laughs) The messages have not changed, no. I continue to sing songs that feel good and have a happy resolve, that can be felt in the heart. That has not changed.
The world has grown ever more complex, and the politics ever murkier. And yet your songs are happy, breezy and optimistic about life and love. Is this optimism more needed than ever or are the songs too idyllic or idealistic?
I think happiness is the least idealistic. It’s the other way around, that people spend too much time idolising world leaders and money. Those are the wrong ideals. The ideals for peace and love and happiness — everything we do is built on love and relationships. We come into this planet immediately requiring love and relationships. If we don’t have that, we don’t last very long. I still sing of those primal relationships and universal truths. We’re here for such a limited time that it’s important that we enjoy it, that we live it. That’s the kind of art I prefer to make.
I read this interview with Billboard where you said you tried to react to Trump’s election with “teenage rebellion songs” but no one really liked them, ’cos they wanted a happy Jason Mraz. Was that discouraging?
No, it wasn’t discouraging, it was better.
So you got over the ‘rebellious’ phase and went back to happy songs. Is it difficult to maintain this happy and Zen image? Especially when you know the world isn’t being Zen.
I’m most of the time very content and I think happiness can be cultivated within and joy can still be experienced, regardless of your circumstance and condition. I believe we can have success over the mind and feel inner peace. To reach that, you have to practise it — you can’t wait for it to happen. I try to do that and it shows up in my music. I try to write about what I want to feel in love, about what kind of space I wanna sit in. If you sing about a peaceful space, you will create a peaceful space. It’s a practice. Are we here to master peace or are we here to master war? Did we come to this planet a complete and absolute blessing and miracle or are we here to watch television and compete with each other? No. For some people, maybe, but I think they’re missing the point. I think we came here to experience beauty.
One of your greatest hits, “I’m Yours”, and your current smash hit, “Have It All”. Both are wonderful songs about love and being happy. Which is your favourite to perform at the moment?
My favourite to perform is always the one that I’m performing. (Laughs)
When we spoke some years ago, you mentioned your avocado farm. You still have it and love hanging out there with your wife now. How close are you to your dream of retiring on your farm and eating avocados and drinking your own coffee?
(Laughs) It’s happening little by little every year.
Well, we hope for more years of happy Jason Mraz music. Since your concert here will be in conjunction with the WTA Finals Singapore, are you a tennis fan, and has anyone ever told you that you look like Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic?
(Laughs) That’s funny. No, no one has told me that and I don’t follow tennis. No, I don’t know what he looks like. But he must be very handsome. (Laughs)
Good Vibes with Jason Mraz is on October 27, 8pm, National Stadium. Tickets from www.sportshubtix.sg, Singapore Indoor Stadium Box Office and Singpost outlets.