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Over 20 years before stepping onto the "Dancing With the Stars" ballroom floor, Jason Mraz first rose to fame in 2002 with the release of his debut studio album "Waiting for My Rocket to Come." But it was in 2008 with the release of "I'm Yours," the lead single from his third album, that one of his songs became the soundtrack to millions of love stories nationwide.
"I'm Yours" is one of just 120 songs in the country that the Recording Industry Association of America has certified diamond, meaning that it's gone platinum at least 10 times. Mraz's hit achieved that milestone in 2019.
In an interview alongside his "DWTS" pro partner Daniella Karagach, Mraz reflected on what it feels like to have written a song that has impacted so many lives. The pair also discussed their status as frontrunners on season 32 of the competition series and whether they're feeling any nerves about performing in front of choreographer Paula Abdul when she's a guest judge for the show's "Music Video Night" episode on Tuesday night.
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Speaking with Insider about the highest-selling song in his career so far, Mraz said he's touched that "I'm Yours" has become the soundtrack to weddings and friendships and road trips around the world.
But he wasn't actually singing to a person when he wrote it.
"I still have a memory of the day I wrote it, which was just some happy sunny afternoon singing to source, singing to a higher power and saying, 'I'm not going to hesitate any longer. I'm here to create, make me an instrument, I'm yours.' And out pops this song," he said. "I still feel like this song was divinely inspired. And I think that's why it resonated with so many people, because they can feel the moment in this song. The song is still having its moment, surprisingly."
Mraz released his latest studio album, "Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride," in June and will tour the album in the summer of 2024. He also re-released his third album "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things," (featuring "I'm Yours") in a deluxe edition in September to celebrate it's 15-year anniversary.
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But for now, Mraz and his partner Karagach have their eyes on winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, which the singer said would impress some of his family members more than any of his musical accomplishments.
"I've got some hardcore 'Dancing With the Stars' family members," he said. "They don't know anything about music and Grammys, but they definitely know about Len Goodman and 'Dancing With the Stars,' so I got to do my best for them."
Mraz has been called one of the best technical dancers of the season so far by the judges, so he has a real shot at family glory. But both he and Karagach try not to let outside pressures and expectations influence their training, which they say is the reason they've come so far.
For Tuesday's music video theme night, they'll be doing an interpretation of A-Ha's "Take On Me" video. Karagach called the performance, which will likely feature animated elements along with the live dance, simply "dope."
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Mraz and Karagach both said they're not nervous about dancing in front of Abdul, a pop star and dancer known for choreographing tours for the Jackson family long before she became a judge on "American Idol."
"I am thrilled. I'm so excited to dance in front of Paula. And in fact, I'm hoping Paula gives us a 10. I haven't gotten a 10 yet this season. If anybody's going to give us one, it might as well be Paula," Mraz said.
