The Big Picture

Jason Mraz’s newest album, The Mystical, Magical, Rhythmical, Radical, Ride, reflects his perspective on life and fresh starts. Competing on Dancing With the Stars has been a grueling yet transformative experience for Jason, leading him to almost quit the show. Despite not winning the competition, Jason cherishes the memories and personal growth he experienced on Dancing With the Stars.

Jason Mraz is a musician who has come out with several hit albums over the past two decades. He often plays around with genre, which has created a unique fanbase. His newest album, The Mystical, Magical, Rhythmical, Radical, Ride, was released in June 2023, and he’s recently announced that he’ll be going back on tour in 2024. The Grammy Award-winning artist recently began a new adventure as a contestant on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and has surprised himself with how well he did throughout the competition. He was one of the DWTS fandom’s favorites this year, and his journey during the show was not an easy one. He performed an emotional Viennese waltz to his own song, “I Won’t Give Up,” a performance that carried him and his partner Daniella Karagach to the finale.

Collider had the opportunity to chat with Jason as he prepared to rehearse for the Dancing With the Stars finale. During the conversation, he divulged insight into the grueling process of competing in the ballroom dance series, sharing, “This competition has no days off. They work us every single day. The only day we had off all season was on Thanksgiving.” And with a schedule like that, it’s easy to see how he reached a point on the show that he almost quit. He shared this fact right after finishing the waltz in a moment of touching honesty, and his fans were upset that they did not get top marks from the judges after listening to his story. In his conversation with Collider, Jason shared a lot of insight into his vast music career as well as his new experience with reality TV on Dancing With the Stars.

Dancing with the Stars Release Date June 1, 2005 Cast Carrie Ann Inaba , Tyra Banks , Melanie Chisholm , Melora Hardin , Marty Cove , Kenya Moore , Brian Austin Green , Tom Bergeron Rating TV-PG Seasons 32 Studio ABC

Mraz Had a Magical Experience Creating His Latest Album
Image via ABC

Music comes as naturally to Jason as breathing. When discussing his craft, he shared, “We all can tap into, you know, cosmic energy and that this and that, the other. I feel like I’m doing some lab work to break down rhythm and tone and solve puzzles. There’s a wide spectrum of meaningful, from observational songs to intentional, or I should say, urgent songs where my emotions are right there on the table.” His studio album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things was released in 2008, and much has happened for him personally and professionally over the past 15 years. Of his latest album, The Mystical, Magical, Rhythmical, Radical Ride, it was inspired by the changes that have occurred over the years. He shared, “This album is a reflection of time. All the time spent so far going around and round and round on this planet and going through various cycles. Cycles of life seasons, album cycles, promotional cycles, whatever those cycles are. I think we sort of repeat ourselves, but every time we do it again, we do it hopefully with a little more perspective, a little more knowledge, a little more ease and grace.”

Related This ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 32 Pairing Became a Fan-Favorite On and Off the Dance Floor Romance might be in the air for this ‘Too Hot to Handle’ alum and this DWTS pro.

In the 15 years since We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things, much has happened, but nothing has been more universally impactful than the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. A time when the entire world shut down for everyone, providing a forced opportunity for self-reflection that ultimately led to massive life changes, both positive and negative. When discussing this shift, Jason said, “I think as long as we’re breathing in and out, we have an opportunity to get started at fulfilling a dream or fulfilling even a life purpose if we know what that is. So those types of things inspired the album because I think those were weighing heavy on my mind, especially coming out of a pandemic when the whole world shut down. And I thought, ‘What would I do if the world opened back up, and I got another shot at it? When you survive a breakup, you’re like, well, who would I be if I had another shot at being myself? What is missing that will equal fulfillment when I find it?”

The depth of thought and feeling behind this new album was born from the necessary desire to embrace those major life changes. Jason approaches all of his music, both released and unreleased, from a substantial place. He shared, “We are, as humans, we are meaning making machines. I mean, we give meaning to so many things, don’t we? …I write a lot of songs, and even if a song doesn’t make it on the album, it still means something to me. The ones that do make it on the album – not only did they mean something to me – but they might mean something to somebody else. Just the way it flows and the way it’s so personal. Even the way the lyrics grab me or shift my perspective makes it mean a little more. So, when I arrive at a song like “I Won’t Give Up” that has that clear affirmation of that mantra right in the middle.” For Jason, it’s clear that his music is connected by firm threads to the essence of his soul and emotions. And those emotions are not limited to the serious and sad. There is also room for fun and play, something people often take for granted but is equally important.

Prior to Mystical, Magical, Rhythmical, Radical, Ride, he recorded a reggae album called Looking for the Good. He said, “There’s a song called Take the Music. And it’s a very simple song. It’s got a lot of verses, and the whole song is just about music. Why is music magical? What is it about it that makes us feel good and try to highlight all these points? And at the time, you know, in those studies, those feel so meaningful.”

Jason Refused to Give Up on ‘DWTS’
Image via ABC

Jason’s Dancing With the Stars experience was been a roller-coaster ride. The most emotional moment happened in the semi-finals when, after finishing the Viennese waltz, he tearfully shared that he almost quit the competition. It seems as if this has become more than just a dance competition for him; it’s an experience that aligns with a new phase in his life. There was a great sense of gratitude in his words when speaking about what he’s gone through on DWTS; the good, the bad, and the grueling. When discussing his new album, he said, “Even being on [Dancing With the Stars] is very much in alignment with new beginnings, new experiences, taking a fresh start at my artistry, at my life, and continuing to try to grow, develop, and unfold.” And his turn on the ballroom dance competition was a wild one. Jason, alongside his partner Daniella Zaragach, danced their way all the way to the finals, where they placed second. They were a dynamic pairing, sailing through dances each week. In fact, many fans were shocked to find out that Jason almost quit the show, something he divulged after a stunning Viennese waltz to his song, I Won’t Give Up.

He shared with Collider: “I got really sick, and this competition has no days off. And when [I] got sick, and my partner got sick too– unfortunately, we had no time to recover from that. And it was, and that really, and not only were we feeling physically drained, [we] started to get emotionally exhausted. [It felt] a little claustrophobic with no end in sight in the middle of week 8 because we knew we had to go 11, 12 weeks in this competition. So, my brain just started spinning. It’s like, ‘I’d be better off if I’m just voted off. Just get me out of here.”

Thankfully, he had a good partner in Daniella, and she was able to convince him to push forward to the end. As Jason discussed his DWTS experience, his gratitude was very apparent. He shared, “This show gave me an opportunity to face it, to face a big fear, to lean into the discomfort, and prove that I was stronger. And get it done. It was an amazing experience, and I loved that I got to dance to it. And we had a second dance that week that also was just an incredible experience, the Paso Doble I felt like we really had an opportunity to crush that. So I leave this show with some amazing memories of friendships and some amazing videos of these dances that for me, will be memorable my entire life. I’m so glad I didn’t give up on myself yet again.”

His fans are also certainly glad he did not give up. Jason and Daniella made it to the finale, and were ultimately beaten by fellow competitor and Marvel star, Xochitl Gomez and her partner, Val Chermkovskiy in the finale. Even though he and Daniella did not take home the Mirrorball trophy, it’s clear the experience, in itself, was a triumph for the musician. Next, he plans on doing another tour for his latest album in 2024, and who knows what will come after that. Now that he’s faced his Dancing With the Stars challenge and conquered it head-on, both he and his fans can look forward to the unknown surprises in store for the future. Whatever they are, good or bad, it’s clear that Mr. A to Z will tackle them with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.

Dancing With The Stars season 32 finale is available to stream on Disney+.

Watch On Disney+