Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz returns from a break with a new album and book

By Andy Argyrakis

In a musical era when attention spans aren’t even as long as a three-minute radio single, it was awfully brave of Jason Mraz to take an entire year off from touring, recording or even talking shop with his label. Even though the singer-songwriter’s got a well-established career, the three-year gap between the new We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things and its precursor Mr. A-Z was indeed a risk. But the soulful, acoustic pop troubadour behind the smash single “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” phoning in from a Canadian tour prior to the start of his U.S. tour, maintained the break was needed.

What inspired you to take an entire year off from everything before working on this project?
I knew if I was going to make a new album that I needed to withdraw. Nobody likes to write a paper on a deadline, and I don’t like to make an album on deadline. I like to be completely expressive and I feel like the natural expression of self is what the universe has in store. Sometimes that takes time, so if I wanted to make an honest album, I had to get away from hotels, room service, bus travel or record executives who need something or are [talking about sales]. What draws me to music is much more important than the business of music. So I went home, got to do some much deferred maintenance and house work, got a cat and went back every Sunday to the coffee shops where my whole career began [in San Diego]. I started over and acted like I never had success, which was a key element.

Was it hard to step away from the spotlight considering all the fame you’ve amassed since debuting in 2002?
It was actually no problem as soon as I walked away from touring. I said goodbye to my band, went back home and felt like me again. My community knows me as me. Fame was a more freakish event rather than something that’s ever defined me. Success is an accident from being passionate about something, so I was able to go home and get back to being me. I needed to check in with people who remind me who I am and where came from. And I’m hoping all of us no matter what career we’re in walk away for weeks at a time every year and check in with ourselves. No matter what you do, life is so much more than living to work.

What type of style shift can longtime listeners expect on the new tunes?
My main objective was that people sing the songs to each other and they’re basically a happy little batch of hippie songs. I also wanted to not over produce the album and my original goal was an acoustic album. But then the songwriting called for other ingredients and I found myself being able to dress them up in a million different ways, whether that be reggae or something with a hip-hop beat. For me, that’s one of the most fun parts and I like to think of the live show and where [a song will] fit into show because something I’ve always wanted to do was make a variety show.

What’s up with the title We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things?
I read that title two years ago when visiting a museum in Scotland. It was in a drawing by David Shrigley and I was immediately connected to it because it was the most profound thing I ever read and thought it would be a great album title. This album is full of ensembles, a lot of familiar melodies and it’s danceable record. We’re always stealing from past influences, recycling them, borrowing from fashion and art and stealing resources from the planet. There’s a divine energy — an energy that activates us — so we wake up every day active in this energy and we don’t have to plug ourselves in or pay a tax for it. We don’t even have to acknowledge [that energy], thus we’re stealing it. To me, all those facets made up the music and the themes of this album. So I wrote to that artist and said, “I want to us those words” and he said “no problem.” But after that I said, “You gotta draw me a picture since it’s your art that fueled me and led me here!” So he did the album cover as well.

How did that phrase inspire the topical spread throughout the songs?
If you go back to the title, it links the album all together. There are a good variety of songs that can be adopted to sing to someone else, and there is also a good variety you can adopt to sing with a hairbrush in front of the mirror in your underwear. There’s also a fair amount of songs or moments when [I address an] awareness for the global community and nature. If there’s a through line between the songs, it’s a continual message of gratitude and generosity. That’s my goal and drive these days — to encourage more people to practice gratitude and hopefully this project will be the secret warrior for that.

How did you hook up with Colbie Caillat for “Lucky” and James Morrison during “Details In the Fabric” as duet partners?
Colbie I just reached out to as a fan of her work. I asked for her number and luckily got it. With James, he was like a local guy around the studio. I made the record in London and was using his band, so he was actually kind of waiting for us to finish. He knew we needed an extra vocalist, so when I asked, he said “sure mate, no problem.” Both of these artists are some of biggest artists in certain corners of the world, with James being a superstar hands down in Europe, so it was really neat have those experiences.

What are your plans for adapting the album for the stage on this tour?
The set list will be mostly from the new album and also my favorites from the first two albums. A little will be acoustic, some will be backed by my super band and some songs with horns, but we’re gonna have fun every night.

How do you account for the ongoing attention of your first hit “The Remedy”?
I’m hoping it’s still relevant now as it was back then. It’s just a song about all your fears and worries and the fact that you shouldn’t dwell on them. In other words, don’t identify yourself as a worrier and someone who sucks as a result of worrying. And if you have a worry, look at the experience as something that will make you stronger and move on. I’m stoked it still gets played [on the radio] and I still play it every night. Now  we elaborate on it to make it a lot longer and a totally different trip than the record.

What’s your opinion of being able to continuously connect with the college crowd?
First of all, I never assume that any age group has a specific connection, and I don’t start out with any expectations or write for a particular group of people. I do enjoy playing to college crowds because I feel like those are the formidable years. You’re narrowing down your majors, interests, views and new opportunities are being opened up. Just yesterday I played a college in the middle of the day. Everyone was amped about the election, people were out dressed in different parties and actively demonstrating. That’s perfect because that’s what we’re supposed to be doing, especially during college. Doing those shows also gives student the chance to blow off some steam, put the books down for an hour and a half and hear our voices together. I’m always true and honest in my music, blogs and in speaking to people. I think college aged people need to hear that the most and my favorite thing to say in a show is “don’t let your mind stop you from having a good time.” I find that especially in college crowds, I see a lot of people holding back because they’re afraid of what they look like. I love connecting with a crowd and hoping by the end of a night we can take those walls down. The word “cool” actually doesn’t have any valid definition and we should just be ourselves. Emerge from college as yourself and not something you think you’re supposed to me.

Outside of playing so many shows, what else are you excited about these days?
This year, I’ve also released my first book of Polaroid photography [called a thousand things on I Love Books] and I’m really excited about that. It’s my first release that doesn’t involve music, but rather images I’ve taken all around the world. I’ve been shooting the last seven years, and I have shoeboxes full of them in my closet. I’d been scanning and putting on them on my website, but so many artists have told me to put them together in a collection. The legendary Graham Nash came forward to curate [the selections] and helped draw a through line with the pictures.

Do you think you’ll ever quit your day job for full time photography?
No, definitely not! Music will always be in the foreground.