Smash Single “I Won’t Give Up” Surpasses One Million Sold; VH1 Storytellers To Tape Later This Week In NYC; Slate Of TV Appearances Herald Upcoming World Tour; North American Leg Of “Tour Is A Four Letter Word” Gets Underway August 9th In New Orleans
Atlantic recording artist Jason Mraz has made a stunning chart debut with his acclaimed new album. “LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD” entered the SoundScan/Billboard 200 at #2, with sales in excess of 100,000 – the GRAMMY® Award-winning tunesmith’s biggest sales week and highest debut to date. Mraz’s hit single from the album, “I Won’t Give Up,” also hit platinum status this week, surpassing one million in sales.
Mraz is celebrating with a major schedule of high profile live appearances, including the taping of his eagerly awaited installment of VH1 Storytellers. The episode, which will be filmed later this week before an invitation-only audience in New York City – is currently scheduled to have its debut broadcast on June 1st (check local listings).
In addition, Mraz has lined up a number of TV appearances, including Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live on Thursday, April 26th and PBS’ Tavis Smiley on Tuesday, May 1st. On May 15th, the cast of “Glee” will perform a special version of “I Won’t Give Up.” And, coming up this summer on August 31, Mraz will appear on Today’s just-announced summer concert series. The live performances follow Mraz’s recent visits to CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman, E!’s Chelsea Lately, NBC’s Today and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as two episodes of the nationally syndicated Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The TV appearances set the stage for Mraz’s hugely anticipated worldwide tour, dubbed “TOUR IS A FOUR LETTER WORD.” The global trek gets underway in early June with a series of Asian dates that includes shows in South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. From there, Mraz will return home for his biggest North American tour to date, kicking off August 9th at New Orleans’ Lakefront Arena. Further highlights include stops at Denver’s world famous Red Rocks Amphitheater (slated for September 24th) and Los Angeles’ one-and-only Hollywood Bowl (on October 5th). Accompanying Mraz for all dates on the North American leg will be his Atlantic Records labelmate Christina Perri.
From there, “TOUR IS A FOUR LETTER WORD” will head to Europe, for a series of stops that include France, Germany, and the famed O2 Arena in London. For complete details and up-to-the-minute ticket information, please see https://jasonmraz.com/tour.
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Produced by multiple GRAMMY® Award-winner Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, Christina Perri, My Morning Jacket), “LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD” marks Mraz’s finest, most fully realized collection to date. Fueled by magnificently textured arrangements and distinctive vocal landscapes, the album – Mraz’s fourth studio release and first new collection since 2008’s epochal “WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS.” – fully confirms the San Diego-based singer/songwriter as one of modern pop’s most vibrant and inventive artists.
In addition to its extraordinary popular success, “LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD” has received rapturous reviews. Rolling Stone praised the album’s “blissed-out vibes” while Billboard called it “…a feel-good album that matches its emotions with some of Mraz’s most fully fleshed out and melodically ambitious compositions yet.” People declared, “…Mraz makes you his again with more breezy, folk-inflected ditties,” and USA Today stated, “The well-crafted, smartly-produced songs are reminiscent of Billy Joel’s and Stevie Wonder’s breezier work, offering whiffs of Caribbean, soul and funk-light…”
“LOVE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD” is highlighted by the hit single, “I Won’t Give Up,” which is proving to be another pop smash for Mraz, with total sales now exceeding 1 million. The track is a top 10 favorite at Hot AC radio outlets nationwide, having arrived as the format’s #1 most added track of the week upon its February impact date.
“I Won’t Give Up” debuted in the #1 slot on Billboard’s “Digital Songs” chart one week after its January release – the first #1 “Digital Songs” debut since Lil’ Wayne’s “She Will (Feat. Drake)” topped the chart in August 2011. The song also quickly ascended to #1 on iTunes’ “Top Songs” and “Top Pop Songs” charts, while simultaneously topping digital retailer charts around the world.
The “I Won’t Give Up” companion video – directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mark Pellington (Bruce Springsteen, U2, Pearl Jam) – is receiving major play at VH1, where it is currently #6 on the channel’s Top 20 Music Video Countdown. The clip has further drawn more than 4 million individual views at Mraz’ official YouTube channel, located at www.youtube.com/user/OfficialJasonMraz. In addition, the “I Won’t Give Up” lyric video has seen over 17 million individual views since its surprise arrival earlier this year.
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One of the modern era’s most gifted pop troubadours, Jason Mraz’s extraordinary musical journey has taken him from coffee houses to stadiums all over the world, with two GRAMMY® Awards and six nominations already to his credit. His 2008 third album, “WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS.” was an indelible global blockbuster, earning gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications in 21 countries around the world. The album’s lead single, “I’m Yours” was ASCAP’s 2010 “Song of the Year” and also holds the record for being the longest-running song in the history of the Billboard “Hot 100” chart. A prolific songwriter, Mraz has been feted with a number of honors, including the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s esteemed “Hal David Starlight Award,” presented to gifted songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs.
Mraz spent much of 2011 road-testing the songs from his as-yet-untitled new album touring alongside his longtime friend, percussionist Noel “Toca” Rivera. The worldwide trek – which included performances in North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia – saw Mraz celebrating music’s lasting power to inspire change and help others through global citizenship. Among the journey’s many highlights were multiple sold out shows at such iconic venues as Australia’s Sydney Opera House, New York City’s Carnegie Hall, and Spreckels Theatre in Mraz’s adopted hometown of San Diego.
Long known for his many philanthropic activities, Mraz recently announced the establishment of the Jason Mraz Foundation (https://jasonmraz.com/foundation/), devoted to supporting a number of charities for which he has been a dedicated and impassioned advocate.
For more, please see www.jasonmraz.com and www.atlanticrecords.com.
Source: Atlantic Records
