Jason Mraz has been mastering wordplay for nearly 15 years in the music industry. Releasing five studio albums since starting his music career in 1999, the singer/songwriter won over audiences with his clever lyrics and sweet melodies. His major label debut, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, featuring the smash hit “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)” was a hit, landing him on the Billboard 200 chart his first time out. As his talent grew, so did his heart, using his fame to become an advocate for numerous causes. Read on to learn more about Jason Mraz, and stay tuned for part two of our list, coming soon.
Number Fifteen: He Owns an Avocado Farm. Living just outside of San Diego, Jason Mraz’s home features a five-and-a-half-acre functioning avocado farm. Aside from keeping a few for himself, he sells his crop, mostly to a local Chipotle location.
Number Fourteen: He is a Raw Foodie. While Mraz has been a vegan for a while, he decided to get into raw food after one of his bandmates was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. Originally doing it to support his friend, he never completely went back to cooked foods.
Number Thirteen: He is a Published Photographer. In 2008, Mraz published a book of his Polaroid photos. Titled A Thousand Things, the photos were taken during all aspects of his life on tour and backpacking through Europe. Mraz wanted to make the collection to remember the photos he took before they ultimately faded away. The book itself is completely eco-friendly, using soy-based ink on wood-free paper. It also inspired a gallery exhibit of his photos in New York.
Number Twelve: Mraz Means “Frost.” Jason Mraz is a second generation American. His paternal grandfather came to the United States from Austria-Hungary in 1915, settling his family in rural Virginia. “Mraz” is the Czech word for “frost.”
Number Eleven: He Used to Perform in Coffee Houses. When he moved to San Diego in 1999, Mraz began playing acoustic sets at coffee houses and cafés once a week for three years fairly consistently. This led to him recording his first live album, Live at Java Joe’s. The album was made available digitally in 2008 with a different name, Jason Mraz: Live & Acoustic 2001.
Number Ten: His Debut Album Made Him Famous. The release of his major label debut, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, really put his name on the map. The album landed on the Billboard 200 chart its first time out and lead single “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)” became his first of many Top 20 singles.
Number Nine: His Single Set a Billboard Record. When Jason Mraz released “I’m Yours” in 2008, the song instantly became his biggest hit. It propelled the album it was released on, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., to number three on the Billboard 200 charts and the song became his first Top 10 single. The song, peaking at number six, stayed on the Hot 100 for 76 weeks, setting the record for most weeks on the chart until Imagine Dragons’ single, “Radioactive,” beat his record by 11 weeks in 2014. Check back soon for part two of our list of 15 interesting facts about Jason Mraz.