Sherman : “ Love ” is a common theme in a lot of your music . Do you think love is magical , mystical , or something else entirely ?
Mraz : It ’ s something else altogether . I think it requires all the words in the album name to describe it ; it ' s really a mystical , magical , rhythmic , and radical ride . Love transcends time . It can be a part of your entire life . It can be from within . It ' s not necessarily your parental love , the friends you love , or the love you feel in relationships . It ' s a deeper feeling . It ' s the feeling of nature , the rhythmical feeling of life and music , the pace of things , the highs and lows , and the emotional journeys that we take in the name of love . Love has been a common theme of mine because I ' ve had a chance to enjoy it and experience it fully , but sometimes it also feels fleeting . You can ' t control it , but you can certainly breathe it in and out .
Sherman : What makes something “ magical ” versus “ mystical ”?
Mraz : “ Mystical ” is what I don ’ t know ; those things that mystify me . I ' m mystified by life . I ’ m mystified that my heart can beat by itself and that my body can operate without me having to think about it . To me , it exists on a spiritual realm . Being mystified by nature in all of her beauty and cycles that she surprises us with . “ Magical ” is more like synchronicity , when you think of someone and the phone rings . It ' s a little more about human interaction — the magic that we can create together . Magic isn ’ t as deep as mystification , but it ' s fun and it ' s whimsical . When you think of something and then you see it , or when you feel like you ' re in touch with nature , there ' s a real magic to that .
Sherman : How do you envision your latest album , its themes , and your earlier hits translating into orchestral arrangements for your upcoming Tanglewood performance with the Boston Pops ? Do you have some fun tricks up your sleeve in terms of the arrangements ?
Mraz : The performance will sound like the album , but we ' re also going to drop in some solos and some dance breaks and vamping . We ' ve had a chance to do it a couple of times with orchestration , but this will be our first orchestral show this summer with the Boston Pops . The disco strings from the album and the real electricity that an orchestra brings really enhances the show . We have horns , brilliant percussionists , and great singers in our 12-piece band all on our own , so to add another group of instrumentalists into the mix is incredible for us . We assume it will be incredible for the audience , as well . It ' s a big , beautiful sound .
Sherman : Over the course of your career , you ' ve experimented with many different genres and arrangement styles . Are there any songs in particular that you ' re really excited to perform with orchestral backing ?
Mraz : A song like “ Lucky ,” which I wrote on my kitchen table and then emailed to Colbie Caillat , is one of them . It was
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