Tag Archives: Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz’s new album ‘YES!’ inspires a short film about love

Jason Mraz’s fifth studio album YES! hit shelves on Tuesday and you can pick up a copy today digitally at iTunes and physically at Amazon. Jason’s collaborative effort with Raining Jane boasts 14 tracks led by the charming single “Love Someone” which now is featured in a three-part short film posted on YouTube. “We Can Take The Long Way” is essentially a long-form music video featuring three songs from YES!: “Love Someone,” “Hello, You Beautiful Thing,” and “Long Drive.” It follows a pair of good looking youths finding, embracing, and giving back love. Jason describes the short like this:

Making a music video is challenging. To me a song is personal: its story, message, or melody resonating uniquely with each listener. And adding moving pictures can sometimes paint a mood or suggest an attitude that is different from the way the listener may hear the song in his/her heart. “We Can Take The Long Way” is an effort to not make one finite music video, and instead tell a story about love and life with several songs from ‘YES!’ playing a supporting role. I recommend you turn down the lights, crank up the volume, snuggle up to your beloved, and enjoy the film.

His YouTube channel also includes live renditions of 12 tracks from the album recorded at his very own Organics’ Avocado Ranch. Also, check out a stripped down version of the single at Time; in addition to the performance Jason shares the inspiration behind the track and the new album in general.

The #SummerOfYES! has arrived.

Jason Mraz readies fifth studio album ‘YES!’

I come bearing very exciting news for Jason Mraz fans. The wickedly talented artist also known as Mr. A-Z is releasing his fifth studio album this summer! This will likely come as a surprise to his fanbase because in the past Mraz typically took 3 to 4 years to release new collections of material and it’s only been a little over 2 years since his last major release Love is a Four Letter Word.

Jason’s new album is titled YES! and it’s a very special release because it serves as a collaboration between himself and indie pop-rock-folk all-women band Raining Jane. The Sacramento Bee has the full scoop on the collaboration, but in a nutshell it goes like this:  Raising Jane is a band featuring four talented ladies: Mona Tavakoli on percussion, Mai Bloomfield on guitar and cello, Becky Gebhardt on bass and sitar, and Chaska Potter on guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and glockenspiel. Raining Jane opened for Mraz in 2007 at a show in SoCal and he was immediately impressed by their musicality. They began writing music together that year; they co-wrote a total of 50 songs, 15 were recorded, and 12 in all will be included in YES!. You can preview Raining Jane’s music at their YouTube channel. You may recognize enthusiastic drummer Mona Tavakoli (on Jason’s immediate right in the photo above); she’s toured with Mraz for the last two years. Following the release of YES! Jason and the girls of Raining Jane will go on a brand new tour together.

So what do we know about the new album so far? Jason’s been unveiling details piecemeal on his website; every day something new is unlocked. 5 of 7 locks have been cracked and they’ve included the name of album 5, possibly the album cover featuring five birds in flight, the 14-song track list*, and hand-written lyrics for one of the tracks titled “Love Someone” which may end up being the album’s lead single.

Head over to Jason’s YouTube channel to get a taste of YES! as we wait for the final two locks to open up; perhaps a preview of the single and a firm release date are coming soon.

*According to the SacBee 15 tracks in total were recorded by Jason and Jane; here’s hoping that the missing song not included in the tracklist ends up releasing as a bonus track!

Update: Called it! Jump after the break to hear Jason’s brand new single “Love Someone;” in addition to the standard audio track you’ll also get to experience a live performance of the song performed by Jason and Raining Jane from The Om Studio at Mraz’s very own Organics’ Avocado Ranch. YES!, an album “containing songs about love, friendship, healing, hope, and consciousness” is out July 15. If you preorder the album today at iTunes you’ll receive a new song every Monday leading up to release day. Has anyone coined the term “Mraz Monday” yet? In a blog post Mraz also commented on tour plans: “We’ll be touring across the U.S. later this summer before heading to Europe, Asia, and Australia in the fall and South America in 2015.” Continue reading Jason Mraz readies fifth studio album ‘YES!’

Jason Mraz hosts an emotional ‘VH1 Storytellers’ this Friday night

This Friday Jason Mraz will take the stage and host the season premiere of VH1 Storytellers, the music/reality channel’s original program that invites artists across all genres to perform a collection of their songs and share insight into how the music came to be. In this installment VH1 promises that viewers will be privy to “a rich assortment of songs from [Mraz’s] truly outstanding body of work,” including tracks from his latest album Love Is A Four Letter Word. And things will get emotional. In a nearly nine minute preview clip embedded after the break, Jason explores the inspiration behind his hit single “I Won’t Give Up” and tears flow before he performs the song in front of a live audience. The gifted singer/songwriter is known for digging deep into his mind and soul and past life experiences to come up with lyrics and rhythms for his songs; fans should be excited because Storytellers gives him a platform to reveal the secrets behind his most popular tunes. Get a taste of what’s in store after the break. Mraz is arguably the greatest live performer to live, so it is somewhat of an understatement when I say this is must see TV.

VH1 Storytellers with Jason Mraz airs this Friday, June 1 at 11PM. Click here to see pictures from the previously recorded event. Continue reading Jason Mraz hosts an emotional ‘VH1 Storytellers’ this Friday night

Jason Mraz announces 2012 world tour, dates enclosed

After releasing his new EP Live Is A Four Letter Word (out now) and his fourth studio album Love Is A Four Letter Word (out April 17), wordplay wizard Jason Mraz will be going on tour around the world. Can you guess what his next international adventure is called? That’s right: “Tour Is A Four Letter Word.” It kicks off June 8 in South Korea and in that month Mraz will also touch down in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. In July he will make his way to the US of A starting with the Aloha State. Through October he will stop at various destinations in America and Canada. During the backend of his tour (November, ending December 1) he will journey around Europe showing up in France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Portugal, Holland, Germany, Belgium, and the UK.

After the break you’ll find a listing of the tour dates. Tickets go on sale this month. Also posted is a video featuring Mr. A-Z formally announcing the tour to his worldwide fans; in it he reveals that American singer-songwriter Christina Perri will be joining him during the August 9 to October 7 North American leg of the tour.

[Via JasonMraz] Continue reading Jason Mraz announces 2012 world tour, dates enclosed

Album releases: Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius’ WZRD & Jason Mraz’s live EP out today

Today is a big day for music fans ’round the world spanning two very different genres. First there’s the long-anticipated release of Kid Cudi’s concept album WZRD, featuring beats by producer Dot Da Genius and guitar riffs by the Rager. The self-titled album can be downloaded digitally at iTunes, or a physical copy can be purchased over at Amazon. Celebrate the release by heading over to Complex and checking out their online cover story that delves deep into the perfect collaboration.

Next up is a taste of what’s to come for fans of the one and only Mr. A-Z. Before dropping his third studio album on April 17, Jason Mraz is releasing a four-track live EP titled Live Is A Four Letter Word and it can be yours today: the digital-only EP is now available on iTunes. The songs were recorded from his performance at Spreckels Theater in San Diego.

Oh happy day.

Jason Mraz confirms ‘Love Is A Four Letter Word’ April 17 release date, tracklist & album cover, drops “I Won’t Give Up” music video

Fans of everything Jason Mraz, your time is near. The singer songwriter recently took to his blog to confirm that his fourth studio album will release earlier than previously reported on April 17–that’s less than two months away! Love Is A Four Letter Word contains a total of 12 tracks (just like his previous albums), including the popular single “I Won’t Give Up” and other songs he introduced to fans while he toured around the world. In addition to the album, Mraz will release a live digital EP appropriately titled Live Is A Four Letter Word that contains four tracks recorded from his performance at Spreckels Theater in San Diego, two of which are live versions of songs featured on the in-studio counterpart. The EP drops even sooner on February 28. Jump after the break to view the full tracklisting for both the album and the EP; below that watch the beautifully directed music video for “I Won’t Give Up.” And as a bonus, you’ll also find new live performances from the Today show and the Late Show with David Letterman. Continue reading Jason Mraz confirms ‘Love Is A Four Letter Word’ April 17 release date, tracklist & album cover, drops “I Won’t Give Up” music video

Jason Mraz releases lead single “I Won’t Give Up” off his fourth studio album coming May 8

Jason Mraz is–at long last–ramping up anticipation to his long awaited fourth studio album title still TBA. The followup to September’s “The World As I See It” is a lullaby with the theme of love called “I Won’t Give Up.” According to Atlantic Records this song is the lead single off Mraz’s upcoming album so it should give fans a hint as what’s to come when all the tracks release May 8. The mellow love song is acoustic in nature and does not feature Mraz’s signature horns that were so prominent on his last effort We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The chorus goes like this: “I won’t give up on us, even if the skies get rough. I’m giving you all my love. I’m still looking up.” His voice remains angelesque.

In an interview with Billboard, he shared some insight into the making of the new album and how it will differ from his previous ones. “This new album has less horns, it’s got more piano and guitar textures. A lot more vocal landscapes,” he says. “That, to me, has always been my favorite part of making music; the singing and what voices can do and the voices singing in harmony. It’s not a departure in the sound of the genre in any way, it’s just different tones, different textures. Musically, I think people are going to like it. It’s personal. It’s melodic. And it’s mellow. There’s a couple of up-tempo tunes, but mostly the rhythm of the heartbeat kind of takes precedence on this record. Medium-tempo tunes; which I love. It feels more like the pace of life. At least, based on my life and what I’ve been doing.”

He also has plans to change up the way he performs when he’s on tour. “I’m actually hoping in the future to try to pull off the record with a smaller band, but with more singers. The real basics: drums, keys, guitar, bass. But have everyone be a singer. I think our audiences, our listeners, have been mostly attracted to that throughout the years. They come and they sing. Most of our audience sings along.”

Watch the lyric video for “I Won’t Give Up” that’s embedded above and download the song at iTunes. You can expect a traditional music video for the track to release next month, around the same time the song hits the radio. Also, according to various sources Mraz is fine tuning an “electric” full-band version of “I Won’t Give Up” and it may land a spot on the album (perhaps as a bonus track). To reiterate, May 8 is the day it comes out, so mark your calendar!

Jason Mraz releases new track “The World As I See It”

It’s been a long while since Mr. A to Z released new music. Since dropping his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. in 2008, Mraz has been touring the world and managed to slip in the five-track Life Is Good EP in 2010. Though the new track is not an official single off his next album (which is expected to release in early 2012), it should still excite you because it’s a never-heard-before song from the acoustic-loving crooner. “The World As I See It” serves as the theme for the “In Search of Incredible” campaign headed by Mraz and tech companies Asus and Intel. The project “seek[s] the most amazing stories from around the world” and you can find out more about it at this website. Listen to the track above, download it at iTunes, and collect the geometrically-inclined artwork after the break. Continue reading Jason Mraz releases new track “The World As I See It”