Jason Mraz opens up about his experience in dancing with the stars until now.
We sat down with the 46-year-old Grammy Award-winning musician and learned what the competition series has been like, what he wasn’t expecting going into it, and using his musical background to help out in the ballroom.
Jason is paired with professional dancer Daniella Karagach and, in their first dance, they came to the top of the leaderboard, earning 21 out of 30 points.
Now, they are preparing to heat up the heat with a rumba for “Latin Night.”
Watch our exclusive interview with Jason Mraz inside…
“We are dancing a rumba to ‘Maybe, Maybe, Maybe’, made famous by Andrea Bocelli and JLo. It’s a beautiful romantic song that challenges me to create a really passionate performance with Daniella. That’s really the goal,” Jason shared with us about his upcoming second week dance. “It’s a slow dance… And I’m not 100% sure, but I think it’s one of the only slow dances in the whole show, which also makes me nervous because it may seem like we’re dancing less, and that makes me nervous. But believe me, we are not. Everything is in slow motion. “It’s a slow-motion dance, so there’s a lot more room for error.”
Continue reading below for our full, exclusive interview with Jason Mraz…
Just Jared: Congratulations on being a great dancer! Jason Mraz: Oh wow! Thank you. Who knows?
JJ: What has been your biggest challenge so far on the show? JM: You know, I think the schedule more than anything, because it’s an every day show. We rehearse from Wednesday to Sunday, and then we rehearse on Mondays with camera blocking, and then Tuesday is, again, rehearsal, dress rehearsal and recording. And then you start all over again on Wednesday. And I really wasn’t prepared for that. I thought, I thought it would be a couple of days off. But my professional, my partner, Daniella, said, ‘Sure, you can take a day off, but what effect will that have on you?’ As she said: ‘Is that going to help?’ So she called me right away and said, she’ll be there every day, so I’ll be there every day. And I guess that’s not something I’m used to. I haven’t done that in a long time. You know, even when I’m on tour, we can do three in a row and then take a day off to rest. But no, these are the dance Olympics. This is total body abuse and great television.
JJ: Since you are a musician, has it been an advantage to learn musical steps and keys? JM: I think so. I think so. I mean, I don’t know what it’s like to not be a musician, but I feel the music. I feel the right one. I feel both. I feel three and four. Wherever the bill should be, I can recognize it in the music. And then I also try to feel the emotion of the song or the pocket of the song and where other instruments might add to the musicality. I think it’s useful, but I don’t know any other way.
JJ: On the same note, you said you feel the emotion part, and you’ve done musical theater, did that also help you in some way? JM: Yeah, I would say, I mean, when I did musical theater. , I wasn’t doing that much movement. She was vocalizing more and had certain milestones she had to hit, but she wasn’t doing choreography. But there’s something about acting that’s the same no matter what stage you’re on. You know, you want to show up, you want to give the best performance, you want to put your heart into it and your heart into the audience, and your energy into your partners on the scene or in the dance to create a very nice atmosphere. credible performance. So I think any stage on stage, whether it’s doing musicals as a teenager or, you know, playing my guitar all these years, a little bit of Broadway, all of that has helped me feel very comfortable right now.
JJ: Is there any style of dance that you don’t feel like doing? JM: Oh, all of them. I mean, when she told me, I wasn’t excited about week one, but I got over it, I figured it out and then I wasn’t excited about week two, but now I’m getting it, like I’m finally embodying it and now I’m really into it. it. But just when I get into this and I found it, we’re going to compete and then we’re going to change the channel and do something totally different. And I’m going to hate that for two or three days. So the schedule is the hardest part of all of this and having to turn and transform into a different dance so quickly is the challenge. It’s hard to look forward. I already know what my dance will be if I make it to week three and just thinking about it makes me a little anxious. So I’m trying to stay in the moment. I’m just trying to stay in the moment and work on the second week, make it the best I can.
JJ: Maybe there’s a particular style you’re looking forward to? Maybe one you’ve wanted to try? JM: [laughs] No, I really didn’t know what I was getting into. I just thought about the dance routine. I can learn a dance routine. Of course, week after week I will learn a dance routine. I didn’t really think about how technical and specific each dance was going to be. Every week so far, for two weeks, I feel like I’m learning a new language. It’s not, and you can’t fake that or do you. You can go through the motions, but to really make it look good, you have to add the technique. You have to add the style. You have to add, and then be relaxed above all and be yourself. Yeah, so I didn’t know what I was getting into.
JJ: Now that you’ve finished the first week and those first-time nerves, has that helped you have a little more confidence during the second week? JM: Yeah, sure. Although it gave my partner a lot more confidence to do the more difficult choreography. She said: I did so well in the first week that I have to turn it up now. Which was true, I probably should have downplayed it a bit. So, yes, I am confident that I will be able to do what they ask of me, but it is still very difficult.
I was surprised [week one]. [Daniella] He gave me some great advice and I’ve actually been sharing it with the other participants. And that advice was that it was like he could read my mind. She said: ‘It’s nonsense. This all seems really nonsense. Who moves like that? No one moves like that, but this is what makes a dance great, especially competitive ballroom dancing. You have to fill everything with so much volume and exaggeration.’ She says, “It’s silly,” but the best advice she gave me was, “Make fun of it.” She says, ‘Just with your body, make fun of it and exaggerate and see what will happen.’ You’ll just get better.’ And that really helped because I was so stiff and I didn’t feel like myself. And then once I started playing with him and accepting the character of the cha cha, I realized that I started to match my partner’s energy. And that gave me a little more freedom to have fun and not be so mental about it.
JJ: You danced to your own song last week. Is there another song of yours that you would potentially like to dance to? JM: Oh my God. I mean, I submit my own song every week. I told them that. I thought, here’s another option. I keep playing my songs because why not? And one of his comments was, ‘Well, you can’t dance to your own song every week.’ You know what I mean?’ Yes. And I thought, no, I don’t know what you mean. I do it every night of the week when I’m on tour. They’re like the only songs I play. But I agree with that. I hope to do it at least once or twice more throughout the season. I think it would be a real pleasure.
JJ: Is there anything that has surprised you about yourself so far, about being on the show? JM: Did I mention the schedule? Um, yeah, I mean, this is a big reason I joined this program is because part of me has always wanted to do it all together, I’ve wanted to learn how to dance. I’ve danced as a joke all my life. I have moved comically. I’ve freestyled on the dance floor, but I’ve never been able to dance with a partner because my freestyle just isn’t organized. It is untamed. So I joined this show to have a new experience and a big part of that experience was learning to put it all together and be a little more organized and intentional with my dancing. And I’m really happy with how it’s coming together and, and it’s not coming together because I’m doing something, it’s coming together because I have an amazing partner. I have an amazing teacher who gives me time, attention, history, instruction, freedom, and a lot of care. For that I am really grateful. This program is definitely taking good care of me and I am very grateful for that.
Be sure to tune in to watch Jason Mraz dance the rumba during the second week of dancing with the stars on Tuesday (October 3) at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
To vote for him and Daniella Karagach, voting opens when the show starts at 8 pm ET/PT, and there are two options: you can text the word “Jason” to 21523 up to 10 times, or you can go to DWTSvote.abc.com to Cast Your Votes That Way!
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn