NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Jason Mraz is freer than ever, and that liberation has allowed his curiosity to get the best of him 鈥 in the most optimistic ways.
Musically, the two-time Grammy winner released his latest album, 鈥淢ystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride,鈥 in June, a pop record that鈥檚 a turn from his balladeering, acoustic persona. Like many other current dance projects, it was conceived during the pandemic, and the 46-year-old says his fans helped shape its direction.
鈥淚鈥檇 been noticing this for years 鈥 on the setlist (when performing), we were missing the songs that kept the audience on their feet,鈥 explained the 鈥淚鈥檓 Yours鈥 artist. 鈥淪omething I long for is more experiences of that, where I could keep an audience elevated 鈥 it was a little bit (of) the audience asking for it, more than anything.鈥
Led by up-tempo tracks like 鈥淔eel Good Too鈥 and 鈥淚 Feel Like Dancing,鈥 the guitarist wrote his 10-track, eighth studio album with close collaborators Raining Jane, whom he worked with for 2014鈥檚 鈥淵ES!鈥
But Mraz, who鈥檚 prepping a September deluxe reissue of his popular 2008 EP, 鈥淲e Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.鈥 is also continuing a personal journey, one that publicly began in 2018 when he revealed he鈥檚 bisexual. The 鈥淟ucky鈥 artist says he鈥檚 , and the unknown paths that lie ahead.
鈥淚 realize I鈥檓 not final. And the more we grow and spread our wings, I think the more queer all of us may become. Because when we don鈥檛 limit ourselves to some construct of who we鈥檙e supposed to be in love with based on our society鈥檚 laws 鈥 we could find ourselves falling in love, or becoming attracted to all walks of human life,鈥 Mraz said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I found was happening to me.鈥
Mraz spoke to The Associated Press about his mom鈥檚 impact on the album, how publicly embracing his sexual orientation shapes how he now creates music, and why he needs forgiveness. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: The title of the album is a mouthful. How did you come up with it?
Mraz: We鈥檙e all on this ride through life. Life is basically just time traveling, and music is a great way to travel through time. And as I鈥檓 looking back, in my mid-40s, at 20 years in music, where I鈥檝e been, what I鈥檝e learned, how I can forgive myself for some of the things I鈥檝e done, and then how I can be optimistic and purposeful ... I feel like I鈥檓 right in the middle of my journey.
AP: What do you need to be forgiven for?
Mraz: Breaking hearts. When you鈥檙e young, you have relationships that are filled with so much promise. And then, if they don鈥檛 work out, you鈥檙e left with this feeling of failure or shame which is not always easy to recover from. 鈥 (Also) I look back at some songs that I maybe rushed through, either for a deadline or just my idea wasn鈥檛 fully realized.
So that鈥檚 one thing we constantly have to do in life, is forgive others and forgive ourselves of our shortcomings.
AP: How did your mom influence the album?
Mraz: My mom heard some early demos that I was working on early in the process and she thought, 鈥淭hese are great. They鈥檙e cute. They sound like you, but I鈥檝e heard that before. 鈥 You should make a pop album before it鈥檚 too late.鈥
I took that to heart and said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e right."
Then, unfortunately, my mom was diagnosed with cancer during our album-making process. And so, our sort of musical inspiration would really be, 鈥淲hat would cheer up my mom? What could cheer her on in life and what will she be excited to hear from us?鈥 And luckily, she鈥檚 doing great right now.
AP: You first publicly mentioned being bisexual in 2018. Do you feel any different now, years later, about what you choose to share?
Mraz: I know who I am today, but I don鈥檛 know what my future holds and what future relationships I鈥檓 going to have. 鈥 I love doing stand-up with some friends of mine and I find myself talking about my dating experiences in the queer community and what that鈥檚 like. And just the ability 鈥 the freedom 鈥 to have that type of healthy banter with peers is a big step, versus who I was in 2018 when it was just a few secret peeps that I would share with.
AP: Are you approaching the way you make music differently now that you鈥檙e on this journey?
Mraz: It is different. I find even with my old songs, when I perform them live, some I鈥檝e either just retired or I find new ways where I can make them gender-neutral. I grew up hearing songs that had 鈥済irl鈥 in the title, and I don鈥檛 fully connect with that or even want to limit my audience to just, you know, 鈥済irl鈥 鈥 that鈥檚 been the biggest change.
AP: Most importantly, are you happy now?
Mraz: I鈥檓 so happy. I鈥檓 still not happy that I鈥檝e broken so many hearts along this journey, but I feel that I鈥檝e done a lot of work in healing those relationships. And I鈥檓 so happy to be where I鈥檓 at today.
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Follow Associated Press journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
