The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Jason Mraz: ‘We’re gonna rock. We’re gonna turn it up.’

Singer to debut new material in upcoming Seoul concert

By Korea Herald

Published : April 16, 2013 - 19:43

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The groovy singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, who is behind the hit tracks “I’m Yours,” “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)” and “Geek in the Pink,” will soon be returning to Seoul to serenade his countless local fans in a night that promises to be yet another evening of peace, love and music.

As Mr. A-Z gears up for his sixth concert performance in Korea, the star shared his thoughts behind his tremendous popularity in Korea.

“I actually have yet to figure that out, and I do study that everywhere I go. But the one thing I keep noticing from my perspective is that when music comes on, we’re all just human beings,” wrote the pop star in an email interview with The Korea Herald. “The political and geographical borders all dissolve away and we’re all just one big, happy family.”
American acoustic-pop singer Jason Mraz, who is to perform live in Seoul for the sixth time on May 17 at the Jamsil Sports Complex. (Jason Mraz) American acoustic-pop singer Jason Mraz, who is to perform live in Seoul for the sixth time on May 17 at the Jamsil Sports Complex. (Jason Mraz)

Mraz is aware of his ever-growing fan base in Korea, having performed at packed concerts in the country for the past decade. Last year, the singer even kicked off his world tour in Korea with concerts in Busan and Seoul before venturing off to the rest of the world.

“The first couple of times we came, the audiences were just crazy! I mean the loudest, the most dancing-jumping-up-and-down audience that we’d ever played in front of. And that’s the truth,” he wrote. “I would tell people all over the world. They say, ‘What’s the wildest place you’ve played?’ and I’d say, ‘Korea. (Be)cause the audience over there just goes crazy!’”

The 35-year-old musician started out playing weekly gigs in a small coffee shop in San Diego, California, before getting his big break in 2002 when he released his major label debut album, “Waiting for my Rocket to Come.” Mraz has since released four other albums including his latest in 2012, “Love is a Four Letter Word,” featuring the tracks “I Won’t Give Up” and “The Woman I Love.”

“I really am honored to have made it this far in such a short time and to feel so loved and supported,” he wrote. “It encourages me, it inspires me, it makes me want to work harder and play harder and write better songs, and more songs, and try to tap into what it is that I think people want to be dancing to.”

Although Mraz has performed in the country many times before in the past, he promises that he has something special in store for his performance this time around.

“We’re gonna rock. We’re gonna turn it up. And I’m going to premiere some new songs. You’re not even gonna know they’re new because they’re so good,” he wrote.

Mraz will perform live at the Seoul Jamsil Sports Complex on May 17 starting at 6:30 p.m. The concert will also include special guest performances by British singer Joe Brooks, Superstar K4 winner Roy Kim and the local electro-funk band IDIOTAPE. There will also be a special collaboration act with the 16-year-old fingerstyle acoustic guitar prodigy Jung Sung-ha.

By Julie Jackson  (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)