Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach will be taking the dance floor once again and celebrating his most memorable year during the October 24 episode of Dancing with the Stars. Jason has emerged as an early frontrunner, and he’ll be dancing a quickstep with his pro partner. HollywoodLife spoke exclusively to the singer about narrowing down his memorable year and song choice.
“This was actually a really hard decision because I’ve had so many great years, and I feel so blessed with my very long life so far and what even feels like a long career now,” the 46-year-old said. “So I thought there was a moment in 1999 when I decided to leave college for a second time and pursue my dream out in California. It was a little bit of a whim, and I was scared. But I felt called and felt like it was the right time. As I’m driving across the country alone with all my things, I’m crossing through Texas and Willie Nelson’s ‘On the Road Again’ comes on the stereo. It was on a mix CD, so I had the ability to put it on repeat. I listened to it for the entire stretch across Texas because the lyrics landed on me in a way I’d never heard before, that I was beginning my life on the road.”
He continued, “I was going places that I’d never been. Seeing things I’ve never see again, and I was doing what I needed to do to jumpstart that career of being a touring musician. I was filled with such gratitude and fear of the unknown that I just wept. I wept for joy. I wept for all that I was leaving behind, and then all that I was willing to work for to give myself a new life.”
The “Lucky” singer revealed the trip “turned out to be a very, very crucial and important time” for him because he was “able to make the right connections very quickly within that same season. Knowing what I know now, had I not taken that trip at that time, I would have missed certain connections and missed certain relationships and friendships that I still have today. I’m very grateful to my younger self for taking a chance on this life because it was a very crazy thing to do.”
Jason admitted that Willie’s music has been a “throughline” throughout his career. “I think it’s also a great choice for our dance this week,” he added. “We get to emulate a couple of kids who are hitting the road and our quickstep is a very quick dance. We’re traveling all over the ballroom floor, and it was a bit of a stretch as well for my partner who had never listened to Willie Nelson’s music before, too. I enjoy that I could gift my partner sort of an intro to who is perhaps my idol.”
Jason and Daniella became the first couple of season 32 to earn 9s from the judges. So, is a 10 on Jason’s radar? “Honestly, my next goal is just to stay in it for another week,” he told HollywoodLife. “I haven’t been thinking about scores so much as I have just tried to dance at a level that my partner is proud of.”
Adapting to ballroom dancing has been an adjustment for Jason. “You can’t leave anything just hanging, so to have a full-body experience has been the challenge,” he said. “When I think I’m doing great my partner’s like, you totally dropped your arms or your head is not back, your head’s too forward, or you’re jumping instead of stepping, or when I should be leaping I’m stepping. They’re all these little micro-movements and micro-adjustments that I’ve just never thought of.”
The competition is currently in its fourth week, and the celebrities and pros are working almost daily to perfect their dances for Tuesday nights. Jason revealed that he’s “injury-free” at the moment, but “things are hurting.”
“I stretch every day, and I just stretch every night,” he continued. “I learned very quickly that this is going to be full-on athleticism. Dare I even say body abuse? Like an Olympic athlete. I feel like I’m in the Olympics of dance truly.”
Next year, Jason will embark on the second leg of his Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride tour. The singer hinted that his DWTS journey might have an influence on his next batch of shows. “Besides switching up some songs, I wonder how much I might be adding some dance moves,” he teased. “Now that I’ve put the guitar down and had the feeling of even just knowing what you can do in 60 seconds… what could I do on tour? I have a feeling there’s going to be a few ticket holders who are going to expect that so yeah, I’m excited to see how the two marry.”