Apparently there’s still a fair number of Jason Mraz fans out there, since the singer/songwriter has just announced his plans for a six-city Good Vibes tour across Asia, starting in May 2019. That’s right, six cities.
Speaking to the press after his weekend show at Singapore’s National Stadium, the multiple Grammy Award-winning artist said he would kick off next year’s gigs in Manila on May 8, followed by Singapore on May 11, Hong Kong on May 17 and 18, Bangkok on May 21, Taipei on May 25, and Shanghai at an as-yet-unannounced date.
This series of concerts follows his sixth studio album Know, which dropped in August with “Have It All” as the first hit single.
At the same press event in Singapore, Mraz dropped some insight about his latest music and how it’s changed over the years — here’s what he had to say.
On why he named the tour Good Vibes
“The Know album is one singular expression. It’s a collection of love songs, and Know is really just a title that gave me an opportunity to follow up on the Yes album. I really wanted to have ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ side by side, and Know is a positive spin on that negative sound. I’m always trying to find the bright side.
Good vibes is good vibrations; it’s being a constant source of good energy, and I didn’t want to just limit it to the album. By the time we come here next year, the album will be almost a year old and I really wanted to bring all the albums with me.”
On the evolution of his sound
“[It’s a] combination of so many things. I think getting older is one of those things. Honestly, I wanted to go jazz a while ago, but I was advised I could do jazz when I’m older. Oddly, I found myself still in an adult contemporary category.
One thing I didn’t want to do was chase trends. Sometimes it’s left me in the middle of the road, not really sure where I stand, but I’ve always tried to be lyrically driven, with an emphasis on optimism, that love is available, that love is an option… The more I became a songwriter, the more I fell in love with lyrics and putting songs together.”
On the good vibes of his Asian audiences
“For me, the enthusiasm and the gratitude is palpable — you can see it, you can hear it, you can participate in it. I think the further away you go from home, the audiences here appreciate it, and they know how far I’ve traveled. When I show up, I get a glimpse of that interconnectivity.”
On what to expect at his 2019 Asia tour
“It’s very similar to the show we did here two nights ago in Singapore where I’ll be bringing Raining Jane and a lot of my friends, in this very colorful expression that allows us to go back to old albums and play some new songs. But also, by May there might be some newer songs.
The whole point is to lose ourselves in song and to harmonize and connect as humans, because life can be very hard and challenging, but music is a way for us to connect to our true selves, as natural, spiritual beings. Music allows us to transcend all of that — that’s what good vibes is all about.”
Jason Mraz performs on May 11, 8pm at The Star Theatre. Tickets range from $98-$198, and will go on sale from Nov 9, 10am.
