Grace was a fan of Jason Mraz before AGT, and Jason was an early fan of Grace on the show. Shortly after her win, Billboard set up a (surprise) phone interview with Grace and Jason. (link in the Reviews etc... box). "Jason Mraz tweeted me too!" she said excitedly. "I love him sooo much, he really inspires my writing sound. I think we have similar styles. He's one of my favourite artists." "I just think what you're doing is fantastic," [Jason] said. "I think there's something deep inside of you that you're allowing to come through and you're doing it well." ”At the end of their call, Mraz offered VanderWaal a chance to collaborate. The Jason Mraz Foundation runs a non-profit arts program for disabled and typically-abled students called Live Art that hosts a one-night only concert with veteran musicians and actors at the end of the school year. "I'd love to invite you to join me on that next summer and perhaps we could sing a duet there, or we could write something original for the show," Mraz said. "YES!! YES!! I'll be there!!" VanderWaal responded." (Billboard 2016-06-21)
"The artist at the top of her "dream collaboration" list, has a sound similar to hers. "Jason Mraz, I would love to meet and just sing a song with. I really like his music and singing his songs." (USA Today Sep 13, 2016)
And Grace did go to Jason's house, and they did make a song, but it never got anywhere: "We actually made a song together, too," Vanderwaal revealed. "But we never did anything with it." Vanderwaal even sang a line from their unreleased duet onstage: "Hello-o-o-o-oo!"" So, what happened to the tune? "I don’t know," Vanderwaal laughed. "These things in this world of entertainment. So many things just disappear." (Quotes from Interview reported in Action News Jax 24 July 2018)
However, another colab was already on the way: ”When asked about her next dream collaboration (her first dream collaboration with Jason Mraz came true, though the material hasn’t been released), she responded, “How famous do you think I am?!” But she did tease her fans with something bubbling with fellow singer-songwriter-uke player Ingrid Michaelson.” (Popradar LA, July 22, 2018) This would materialize as the ”Rockin around the Christmas tree” single released by Christmas that year.
Jason's homepage
Discography on AllMusic
As a rule, we only have bios on artists that Grace has worked with or who have had a part in the creation or production of her music. The amount of information on each of these artists varies greatly, dependent on how much has been readily available. We have tried to identify the artists correctly, but sometimes it has been difficult to determine who exactly is behind the name. Unless otherwise stated, the bios are based on data retrieved at the start of 2021.
2017-03-17: Lions Clubs International - (Guitar, vocals)
2017-03-18: Special Olympics World Winter Games 2017 Opening ceremony (Planai Stadium) - (Guitar, vocals)