Jason Mraz at MOA on May 8

The American singer and songwriter Jason Mraz has always championed love and all the lovely things related to it. Like hope, light, optimism, all that is good and beautiful.

Remember how he said it when he rose to prominence with the song Remedy (I Won’t Worry) from his first album Waiting For My Rocket To Come? “So shine the light on all of your friends, it all amounts to nothing in the end.” How true indeed. Nobody loses by shining a light on everybody. You just create a brighter world.

Love is the stuff that songs are usually made of but not in the way that Mraz writes and performs them. Given his subsequent works and public sharings these past years, it is now an established fact that he lives up to what he preaches. Almost always his work contains a contagious positivity that can be most reassuring. No wonder he has sold over seven million records and has songs that have been streamed over a billion times.

 Hear what he says in his Grammy-winning biggest seller I’m Yours, which has become a favorite wedding song, “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…” Love indeed.

Or in the sweet duet Lucky with Colbie Caillat, “I’m lucky I’m in love with my best friend/ lucky to have been where I have been/ lucky to be coming home again/ lucky we’re in love in every way….” His listeners are able to surround themselves with the feel-good message contained in his songs.

Or take What Love Is, I Won’t Give Up, You And I Both, Love Someone, Butterfly, Life Is Wonderful, The Beauty In Ugly and many more of his compositions.

It is also most evident in his performances where he comes across as a bright-countenanced troubadour putting his audience in a happy mood with his playful songs and rich, poignant vocals. That was so during his past two visits to the Philippines. Everybody loved Mraz during those instances. And I am sure we will again when he breezes into town for a one-night only gig at the Mall of Asia Arena on May 8.

Presented by Pulp Live World, the Jason Mraz Live in Manila concert is sub-titled Good Vibes 2019. The tour is in connection with his latest album release, the one simply titled Know. and more than any of his works, this is the one where Mraz goes all out spreading the love.

Give a listen to one of the cuts titled, Have It All and the blessing he imparts. “May you know the meaning of the word happiness/ May you always lead from the beating in your chest.” Co-written with his folk rock back-up band Raining Jane who also arranged, Mraz presents the bouncy tune in a happy video shot one sunny morning in his hometown in Virginia.

That is not all. The Geek In The Pink, who I heard lives in an organic farm, is determined to do more. And this time around, he asked others to look around and do the same. Do take a look at what he did for the video of another song from Know., the anthemic Love Is Still The Answer.

Mraz sent out a call to everybody to point their camera in the direction of love. He meant anything, just what they see and believe is love, and then send the footage to him. The result is such a heartwarming video where people from all walks of life and various countries show what they see as love. Family, nature, little acts depicting the best of humanity. 

I think that more than with any of his songs, it is in this instance with the Love Is Still The Answer video that Mraz made known what he wants to be his legacy. A bringer of love into this darkening world.

If you want to imbibe some of that, make sure you catch Mraz at the MOA come May 8. And to close here is something that I saw as attributed to Mraz. “May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows.” Nice guy this Jason Mraz.

(Ticket prices are P9,500, P8,500, P7,500, P7,000, P6,500, P5,500, P3,500 and P1,800. Log on to smtickets.com or call 470-2222.)