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Mraz happy just being himself

By Zhang Qian | June 21, 2012, Thursday | Online Edition


Wearing a black T-shirt, holed jeans, a straw hat and flip flops that he took off immediately on sitting down, Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz cut a casual and relaxed figure at his press conference before his first concert in Shanghai last week.
The look was set off by long curly hair and a moustache, quite different from Mraz's past clean-cut image. As Mraz explained, he just likes to be himself, and that includes his image.
Born and raised in Virginia, Mraz made his debut with a live album recorded in a coffee shop in San Diego, followed by his first major label album, "Waiting for My Rocket to Come," in 2002. Hit "I'm Yours" from third album "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things" in 2008 gained him worldwide popularity.
In 2010, he received the Best Male Singer award at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
Mraz released "Love is a Four Letter Word" earlier this year.
Q: You sing a lot about life. How do you see the relation between music and life?
A: Music is very much a way of celebrating life, remembering life, and anticipating life. Life can be very hard; some people may suffer their whole lives. But through music, we get invited to a deeper place. Whether it is pop or classical, we can sense something that speaks to our soul. I can talk about this all day. That question is why I make music. Because life is hard, I find music such a good medicine. Music is a weapon against all unhappiness.
Q: There was quite a big gap between your previous and latest albums. What happened?
A: I wasn't in a hurry in making the album. I wasn't pleased with the songs (originally written for the album), so I bailed out, traveled around the world and got myself in a relationship. I did all these as I thought they would make me happy. Get myself out of the comfortable chair, challenge me a bit and break my heart. All these will influence a writer. I actually did a lot of things during the time. Really, it didn't feel like a rest at all.
Q: Will you prepare special programs for concerts in particular cities?
A: I don't know yet. That's exclusive to any city. I don't know what I am going to do until one or two hours before the show. Often it is even not until I get on the stage that I start to open up. I can't say this or that, since I may promise something that turns out to be very different.
Q: You often appear barefoot in press conferences and even stage. Why is that?
A: It feels like being at home this way. When I am at home, I take my shoes off. When I get to a concert venue or on stage, I like to feel like I'm at home. Of course, sometimes it can be dangerous to go barefoot for some concerts, and I wear shoes in those cases. But when possible, it's just nice to kick them off.
Q: The album cover of "Love is a Four Letter Word" (featuring four colored shapes - a rectangle, a circle, a triangle and a square - that can be interpreted as spelling out 'love') is very special? How did you pick it?
A: Actually, I chose the picture before I had any music. When I saw the artwork, I said this is what I want for my album cover. What a cool way to spread the message of love one more time! It is something we should constantly remember that it is available to us.
The artwork doesn't actually say love; you have to choose to see it. Therefore, if you can choose to see it in the shapes, you also have the power to see it in someone else, in a mirror, and all over the world.
Q: Have you listened to Chinese music? And if so, how do you like it?
A: I've heard some Chinese music through films. To me, it resonates in a similar way as with some classical music. At first listening, it sounds a little bit abstract; at the second listening, you realize that there are stories being told in the dynamics, I think that's a really high level of music.
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