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Jason Mraz is a singer/songwriter who ties in a multitude of styles and inspirations into his cleverly written, upbeat material. Born in the American East in a Virginia town called Mechanicsville on June 23, 1977, Mraz eventually set his sights west to Southern California, and has since made Ocean Beach, a surfside San Diego town, his home.

Elements of his well-rounded, theatrical upbringing shine through in his music and performances. The self-proclaimed ex-geek took part in a wide range of activities in his youth, including drama classes, cheerleading and choir in high school. After graduating he attended the New York American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

Though he quit the academy, he fortunately never derailed from his musical path, and decided to go it alone with his guitar, song writing skills and smooth vocals. In 1999, Mraz made a wise decision to head to sunny So Cal, where a lot of the action in the music biz takes place. An atmospheric Ocean Beach coffee shop called Java Joe’s that welcomed live bands became the singer’s stomping ground.  By 2002, word of Mraz’s talents spread to Hollywood, prompting a deal with Elecktra Records and leading to his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come. From then on, the singer teamed with his indispensible percussionist, Noel “Toca” Rivera.

The next year, his single The Remedy (I Won’t Worry) made it to number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Mraz made a video for the song, sporting his undeniable charm, his love of hats, and driving a car he slightly pimped out with the name “Mrazda”. The singer came out with another catchy tune, You & I Both, which got some radio air play but didn’t have quite the impact it deserved in comparison to his debut single. Meanwhile, to keep fans satiated before his next album, in 2004 Mraz released a live album recorded from a performance at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In 2005, Atlantic released the album Mr. A-Z , which was titled after the way the singer’s dad often liked to explain to strangers how to spell their unique last name. The disc showcased the singer’s playful spirit and singing abilities, and landed at number 5 on the Billboard. With his popular tracks, Wordplay and Curbside Prophet, the artist gained further exposure when he went on tour, in conjunction with his opening gigs for Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill Acoustic Tour.

2008 marked a rebirth in the artist’s career, when he released his third studio album via Atlantic, We Sing. We Dance. We Still Things., housing his addictive feel-good hit, I’m Yours.  The star was invited as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, an honour only the hottest stars in music receive. On the comedy show, Mraz sang his romantic and memorable duet, titled Lucky, with Colbie Caillat, in addition to performing  I’m Yours. In addition, finalist contestants from the ever-popular talent show American Idol sang his song, and then followed up by doing an encore performance along with Mraz on the season 9 finale show. Before even setting foot to promote his album with an international tour, the album reached number 3 on the Billboard 200.