MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — Jason Mraz returned to his old high school, but it wasn't for a reunion: He presented the school choir with a copy of a song they recorded for his upcoming album.
Mraz chatted with members of the Lee-Davis High School choir, posed for pictures and signed autographs upon his return Monday. Mraz went to the school in October to record "Song for a Friend" with the 24-member choir. The song will appear on his sophomore album, "MR. A-Z," slated for release July 26.
"We were recording the album in both New York and San Diego," said Mraz, a 1995 graduate of the Mechanicsville, Va., school. "There're choirs in both New York and San Diego . . . so we had all those options. And I said it would really mean the most to me if I could come to Mechanicsville. I know the room, I know what the students are capable of."
The 27-year-old singer released his debut album, "Waiting for My Rocket to Come," in 2002 and shot to fame the following year on the success of his hit song, "Remedy."
"MR. A-Z" is a bit more musically diverse and grown-up than "Rocket," Mraz said.
"Using a school analogy, I think it's a graduated album," Mraz said. 'Waiting for My Rocket' is this sort of a very optimistic album — it's like a high school kid who's gonna graduate, who has all these big ideas for the world and just wants his rocket to come so he can get outta here. This one is a little more college level — where I'm doing my best to think a little deeper, think a little smarter."
Dane Venable, vice president of marketing for Atlantic Records, presented Mraz with a platinum album award for "Rocket," which has sold more than 1 million copies. The school was also given a copy of the award.
Coming back to his old school was a bit surreal for the singer, who begins touring next month with Alanis Morissette on her acoustic "Jagged Little Pill" tour.
"Everything's a lot smaller than I thought it would be — the rooms and the height of the toilets," Mraz said with a grin. "But everything else is about the same."
On the Net: www.jasonmraz.com/