Biography of Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz was born on June 23, 1977 in Mechanicsville, Virginia. His parents Tom Mraz, a local postal worker, and June Mraz, split when he was five. He is of Czech descent through his grandfather, and his surname means 'frost' in Czech.

Jason grew up listening to radio stations that played 1950s and 1960s soul and Motown, the music that his father listened to all the time. As he grew older, his music horizons widened to include reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz, and hip hop. In high school he discovered the works of singer-songwriter Dave Mathews, whose storytelling style inspired him and gave his own music direction. He is quoted saying to Fred Shuster in the Los Angeles Daily News "Through Mathews, I started listening to jazz because suddenly there was a saxophone in my life,". To this he added, "I really love writing lyrics. I love words and internal rhymes. I think of lyrics as a very rhythmic instrument and to twist a message around in there is fun. That's where I really get the most pleasure."

His career as an artist commenced at the age of 13, when he procured his first professional gig as a member of an R&B band called 'Dressed to Kill'. He was the youngest member of the band and interestingly, as his voice had not yet changed, sang all the high parts. "My hair was like Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block, and I wore big shoulder pads in my jacket", he recalled to Marisa Laudadio in People.

On graduating from high school, Mraz headed to New York City to study musical theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. However, formal musical education was not to make up his body of knowledge. In an Entertainment Weekly interview with Rob Brunner, he said that he dropped out of school and spent his days in Central Park learning to play from whoever was out there. It was during this time that he developed much of his original style. After spending time in New York, Mraz moved to San Diego, where he played in coffee houses and earned a weekly gig every Thursday night at Java Joe's. His popularity soared and soon his performances were sold out for the following year and a half. During this time, in a trademark laid back style that is reflected in his music, he slept in a booth at the back of the store, and spent his free time hanging out at the beach, playing pool, and drinking coffee.

However, soon after this, his recording career began to take off. He signed up with recording company Elektra in 2002 and released his first major-label debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come. The lead single from this album, The Remedy (I Won't Worry) was his first top-twenty single on the Billboard Hot 100, achieving an impressive number fifteen status. 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 and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-classical. Starting with the San Diego Music Awards on September 12, 2005, Mraz began tirelessly touring in support of Mr. A-Z. After more than a year and a half of hectic activity, he took a year long sabbatical, the outcome of which was his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., which released on May 13, 2008. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 200 and became his highest charting album to date. The lead single, I'm Yours received phenomenal success and found a place among the top ten of many international music charts.

Jason Mraz's music is lyrically rich and perfectly complemented by laid back guitar playing interspersed with quirks and twists. His faithful fan base appreciate not only his music, but also his down-to-earth persona.