Jason Mraz

"Open up your mind and see like me

Open up your plans and, damn, you're free

Look into your heart and you'll find

Love, love love love..."

- Jason Mraz, I'm Yours

Jason Mraz is an American singer/songwriter who hailed originally from Mechanicsville, Virginia. After a brief stint in his youth at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, he wound his way to San Diego, California, where he played the coffee houses and focused on his songwriting. Influenced somewhat by the music of his youth (Stevie Wonder, New Kid on the Block, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin), Mraz's style is a blend of folk, pop, rock, reggae and hip-hop. He currently is a raw foodist (with occasional lapses) who owns an avocado farm in California. He also likes cats.

Mraz's major hits include "Remedy (I Won't Worry)", "Geek in the Pink" and "I'm Yours". His studio albums are Waiting for My Rocket to Come, Mr. A-Z and We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things.

Tropes for the artist include:
"Mraz: I have a bisexually open mind, but I have never been in a sexual relationship with a man. If the right one came along, then sure."
 * A Date With Rosie Palms: "Tonight, Not Again". Maybe.
 * Also "Conversation with Myself" - definitely.
 * Ambiguously Gay: Straight version: Mraz may like wearing pink, own several cats, be vegan and love Aretha Franklin, but he likes girls. Really.
 * See Bi the Way
 * Audience Participation Song: Mraz, like most artists, played the local venues first, which were more intimate and had the most capacity for musician-artist conversation. Nowadays he uses this trope with "Dynamo of Volition", among others.
 * Bi the Way

"You keep me high-iiiiiiiiigh...."
 * Digital Piracy Is Evil: Averted, strongly. Mraz generally supports bootlegs (and often prefers people experience his music live than studio), felt honored when people "couldn't wait until We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things was officially available that they downloaded the songs beforehand", and allows high-tech recording equipment (audio only) at his concerts. This troper also went to one of his performances, where every other person had a cell phone or was recording.
 * Dream Team: teamed up with Colbie Caillat, for a song called "Lucky"
 * Follow Your Heart: See page quote.
 * Genre Busting
 * Improv
 * Incredibly Long Note: In "Plane":

"I don't care what you may think about me
 * Intercourse With You: "Butterfly", "Tonight, Not Again"
 * Last-Second Word Swap: He likes this trope a lot. To date:
 * Geek In The Pink: "Well I can save you from unoriginal dum-dums/ who wouldn't care if you come.../plete them or not."
 * Butterfly: "Bend your back and ask those hips if I can touch/ cause they're the perfect jumping off point/ gettin closer to your butt/erfly."
 * Motor Mouth: Lampshaded in "Wordplay"
 * Obsession Song Probably "Coyotes"
 * Real Men Wear Pink: See "Geek in the Pink":

You'll get by without me if you want

Don't judge me by the color, confuse it for another

You might regret what you let slip away

Like the geek in the pink"

"With a tiger spot on my back
 * Sesame Street Cred: "Outdoors" (2009)
 * Word Salad Lyrics: Mraz uses this trope often ? particularly in his earlier works ? but in none so much as "Dynamo of Volition", which was mostly ad-libbed.

Living life of a cat

I just wanna relax here and write another rap tune

Driving off on your blind man's bike

You can say just what you like

Or nothing can stop you"


 * Lampshaded with "Wordplay," which makes fun of the use of nonsense syllable refrains.