When Jason Mraz started out on his singing career some 14 years ago, the music industry was vibrantly alive with the dominant presence of an exciting crop of new talents endowed with new sounds and new styles – from rock stars to pop idols to R&B hitmakers to boy band sensations.
The young American singer-songwriter, however, remained undaunted by the challenge from these entrenched bunch of talented musicians as he pursued his bid for recognition with greater determination and passion to excel in his craft and attract a wider audience.
His vocal prowess and stylistic mastery, together with his modest experience as a coffee-house performer, opened the doors to his musical breakthrough that made him a pop rock sensation and international superstar during his stellar career as singer, songwriter, artist and performer.
Pinoy fans will be treated to an array of pop, rock, folk, jazz, reggae and hip hop sounds that permeate the music of one of today’s hottest male pop stars when Jason Mraz comes to Manila with his band for a special concert on Tuesday, May 14, at 8 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
The multi-Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter returns to the concert and music scene with his band more than one-and-a-half years after his smash debut concert on Oct. 30, 2011, also at the Big Dome, during which he awed thousands when he teamed up in a rousing acoustic act with percussionist Toca Rivera.
Billed as “Jason Mraz & His Band Live In Manila!’” the one-night musical act to be mounted by MMI and Ovation Productions shall also feature Filipina YouTube sensation Zendee as special guest.
The show also marks the 35-year-old pop singer’s third local appearance since his initial visit in 2006 for a two-day promo tour for his first two albums, “Waiting For My Rocket To Come” and “Mr. A-Z,” at the Rockwell Tent and NBC Tent in Makati City.
The concert promises another exhilarating experience for pop fanatics during a memorable evening with Mraz with his band as he renders such songs as “I’m Yours,” “The Remedy,” “Lucky,” “I Won’t Give Up,” “Make It Mine” and “Himself,” among other songs from his catalogue of hits.
Acclaimed as one of the modern era’s most gifted male pop artists, Jason Mraz’s astounding musical journeys have taken him from coffee houses to concert stadiums around the globe as he conquered millions drawn to his songs that feature influences of reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz and hip hop.
He first came to prominence in the San Diego (California) shops and coffee-house circuit in 2000, where he played until he landed a weekly slot at a hot spot, Java Joe’s, before being signed to Elektra Records in 2000 .
Mraz embarked on his recording career with the release in November, 2002 of his debut album, “Waiting For My Rocket To Come,” which contained the hit single, “The Remedy (I Don’t Worry),” which shot to the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
It was his sophomore album, “Mr. A-Z” (2005), however, that earned for the pop artist a major commercial success when it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in the US in 2008.
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His third studio album, “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things” (2008), debuted at No 3 on the Billboard Hot 200 and became a huge commercial success worldwide, earning multiple platinum certifications in numerous territories across the globe.
Mraz’s international breakthrough came with the release of the lead single from the album, titled “I’m Yours,” which turned into a No. 1 smash and gave him his first Top 10 single after soaring to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Aside from receiving a Triple Platinum certification from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), it also won ASCAP’s (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) 2010 “Song of the Year” award and set the record for the longest-running single (76 weeks) in the 51-year history of Billboard Hot 100 , beating the previous record of 69 weeks.
The song and its singer were nominated for “Song of the Year” and “Best Male Pop Vocal Performance” honors, respectively, at the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009.
The album, “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things,” also bagged a Grammy nomination for “Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical” on the same year.
Mraz triumphed during the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010 with two Grammy Awards for “Best Male Pop Vocal Performance” and “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals” for the singles “Make It Mine” and “Lucky,” respectively.
Other accolades he received include the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame (2009), nomination for the Teen Choice Award for “Best Love Song” for the song, “I Won’t Give Up” (2012) and the People’s Choice Award for “Pop Male Artist” for the single, “Himself” (2013).
His latest and fourth studio album, “Love Is A Four-Letter Word,” released on April 13, 2012, debuted at the Top 15 in 13 countries, including No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in the US, with the lead single, “I Won’t Give Up” (released on Jan. 3, 2012), debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart one week after its release.
“Love Is A Four-Letter Word” has already sold 9 million singles and 1 million albums, while “I Won’t Give Up” has been certified Triple Platinum in the US.
(“Jason Mraz And His Band Live In Manila!“ is produced by Ovation Productions and brought to you by ETC, MMI , 2nd Avenue, Diva Universal, Jack TV RJ 100.3 FM, History Channel. It is also supported by Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, BusinessWorld, Inquirer.net, Monster Radio RX 93.1,, Mellow 94.7, 96.3 Easy Rock, 97.9 Home Radio, ABS CBN, Myx and OptimaSignsolutions. Tickets are priced at P6,125, P5,070, P3,700, P2,430 and P845 and are available at all Ticketnet outlets or may be purchased online at www.ticketnet.com.ph.)