Many of his songs are contemporary romantic ballads, but Groban, who is classically trained, also performs opera and sings classical songs in Italian, Spanish, and French. Regardless of the fact that he defies classification, Groban's fans number in the millions, and they have no problem locating or buying his music. Since bursting on the scene with his debut album in , the gangly Groban has become a music phenomenon.
He was the best-selling new male artist of , and since then he has toured the world, performing to record-breaking crowds of all ages. According to Groban, both of his parents were quite artistic and instilled in their children a love of theater and music. His mother, Melinda, was an artist and interior designer. His father, Jack, a businessman who owned his own executive recruiting company, was an accomplished pianist who could play piano by ear.
Groban inherited his piano-playing skills from his father. He also credits both his parents for introducing him to a wide variety of musical styles. Groban was drawn to musical theater and opera, counting Mandy Patinkin — and Luciano Pavarotti — as two of his idols.
At the same time, he listened to pop musicians. In Interview, Groban explained to Renee Fleming that he was especially interested in artists "who decided not to settle into one particular musical style—people like Paul Simon, who took folk music and put African music on top of it. Although he was inspired by music from an early age, Groban was not an early singer. He eventually took a vocal class in junior high school, but as he admitted on his Web site, he really joined because all the other kids were joining.
A turning point came in the seventh grade when his teacher auditioned students to sing in the school's variety show. Groban wowed the teacher with his voice and was tapped to perform a solo. The number was a song written in the s by the famous American composers George — and Ira Gershwin — While it showcased Groban's rich voice, it did not make him particularly popular with kids his own age. I'm performing for people who like all different kinds of music. After the performance, however, Groban had a revelation.
As he explained to Fleming, "I realized that this was something I could do to stand out and express myself in a way that I didn't normally know how to do.
And that became something very powerful. He was accepted into the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he studied musical theater and acted in many school plays, in the hope that one day he would sing and act professionally. The chance came sooner than he expected. When he was seventeen years old, Groban's voice teacher, Seth Riggs, was contacted by Grammy Award-winning producer and composer David Foster c. Riggs sent Foster tapes from several of his students, but it was Groban's recording that caught Foster's attention.
Foster immediately booked him to perform at the inauguration of California Governor Gray Davis — , which took place in Sacramento, California. A very nervous Groban found himself singing in front of a crowd of twenty thousand.
A few weeks later, Celine Dion c. Bocelli, however, was unable to rehearse, and Foster asked Groban to fill in. At first Groban said no, since he was given only a few hours' notice. He relented, however, realizing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When he took the stage with Dion, he was enthusiastically praised as the young man with the impressively grown-up voice. Comedian Rosie O'Donnell — , who was hosting the awards program, took a quick liking to Groban and invited him to appear on her talk show, dubbing him Opera Boy.
Foster continued his partnership with Groban, and invited him to perform at a number of high-profile events. At one of these events, Groban drew the interest of television writer and producer David E. Kelley —. In the show's season finale, Groban appeared as Malcolm Wyatt, a nerdy high school senior who sues a fellow classmate for breaking their prom date. Of course, Kelley made sure that Groban's singing was a key part of the script.
After the episode aired, thousands of viewers called and wrote in to the Fox network inquiring about the talented young newcomer. Meanwhile, Groban had graduated from high school and was planning to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to continue studying musical theater. Many people believed that the song was dubbed, and that Josh himself wasn't really singing the song. Realizing that the buzz was growing, Josh's team put together a website where people could go to find more information about Josh and his music.
Fans began to gather on the boards and began helping to promote Josh's career, and Grobania was born! With the release of his debut CD, "Josh Groban," Josh was thrown onto the fast track to super-stardom. His debut CD has now sold well over 5 million copies. Josh had the opportunity to realize his dream of performing on Broadway in September , when he played the role of Anatoly in a production of "Chess" for the Actor's Fund, which received rave reviews from theater critics and Josh fans alike.
In November , Josh released his sophomore album, "Closer," which was again produced by David Foster. Josh brought much more of his own personality, preferences, and style to this CD, playing piano on "Remember When It Rained" and co-writing three of its songs.
The year that followed was one of enormous successes for Josh. In February , he performed at the preshow tribute to the space shuttle Columbia crew at the Superbowl, then was the subject of a "Vh1 Spotlight" show. He performed for nearly a billion viewers at the We Are the Future concert at the Circus Maximus in Rome, then broke AOL records with his Broadband Rocks Live concert, which was viewed by more than , people on the first night.
The Soundtrack from the motion picture "Troy," for which Josh sang the theme song, was nominated for the World Soundtrack Award. The third leg of his first tour, "Josh Groban Live," kicked off January 22nd in Verona, New York, and tickets sold out in venues across the country. The hugely successful tour closed in Sioux City on March 24, After a wildly popular performance at Live8 with Sarah McLachlan in July and making his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House as a guest of Barbara Cook in January , Josh retreated to the studio to begin production on his third album.
Influenced strongly by his early love of world music and his experiences as an ambassador for Nelson Mandela's project, Josh collaborated with many unexpected artists to develop the new album's eclectic sound. The new album was certified platinum within its first month of release and rose to 2 on the Billboard charts.
Propelled by its inclusion in Oprah's "Favorite Things" show, Noel rose to 1 on the Billboard charts and stayed there for five weeks This is where the facts end and pure speculation begins.
With his talent and drive, the possibilities for Josh are pretty much endless. He's a multitalented performer, and he's expressed interest in theater and acting as well as music. He continues to be offered scripts for acting roles, so we may one day see him on the silver screen.
He's said that he's learned to love touring and that he hopes to release several more albums in the next few years, so it's likely that he will continue recording music despite any other projects that come along. A trait echoed in his own music years later, Groban has said that he was drawn to musicians "who decided not to settle into one particular musical style.
Groban began singing in 7th grade and later enrolled in the Interlochen Arts Program to concentrate on his voice. As fate would have it, his vocal coach was friends with David Foster, a well-known producer, writer and arranger, and in , Groban and Foster began working together.
At first, Groban served as a rehearsal singer, but the events were not typical for beginners, including the inauguration of California governor Grey Davis and the Grammy Awards.
Foster was also instrumental in helping Groban land a recording contract with Warner Bros. After signing with Warner Bros. Groban made his recording debut on the soundtrack for the Steven Spielberg movie A.
In November , his eponymous debut album was released, and Groban spent the next year riding a wave of success. In quick succession, the album went double platinum eventually selling in the neighborhood of four million copies , Groban signed on for his own PBS special and he performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.
Another notable appearance was a duet Groban performed with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Salt Lake City Olympics. Two years after his debut album hit, Groban released Closer , which quickly climbed to the top of the Billboard album charts. In , Groban brought legendary producer Rick Rubin into the studio for his fifth studio album, Illuminations , and in , Groban released All That Echoes.
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