Josh Groban

Gifted with a resonant tone, polished skill, and an expansive range spanning operatic tenor pieces and pop material suited to baritones, Josh Groban emerged in the early 2000s as a prominent classical crossover figure. Though grounded in classical study, his broad interests led him to explore opera, bluegrass, folk, and original melodic pop songs. He first gained notice in 1999 when he substituted for Andrea Bocelli at several engagements, then achieved major recognition through his self-titled 2001 debut and 2003’s Closer, which attained multi-platinum status. Early hits included the 2001 single “To Where You Are,” which held the top position on Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart for two weeks. His version of Secret Garden’s “You Raise Me Up” remained at number one on the adult contemporary chart for six weeks in 2004, while “Believe,” drawn from the Polar Express soundtrack, occupied the same chart for five weeks. Success also brought acting opportunities on Ally McBeal, in the 2011 film Crazy, Stupid, Love, the 2014 release Muppets Most Wanted, and the 2023 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd in the title role. Music stayed central, with projects such as the 2007 holiday set Noel, the 2015 Broadway collection Stages, and 2018’s Bridges sustaining strong chart performance.

Born in Los Angeles in 1981, Groban started singing during seventh grade, paused for several years, then attended the Interlochen Arts Program. In late 1998 he connected with producer, songwriter, and arranger David Foster, a contact made through his vocal coach. He served as a rehearsal vocalist for Foster at high-profile occasions, among them the California gubernatorial inauguration of Gray Davis and the Grammy Awards, where he rehearsed Foster’s “The Prayer” with Celine Dion in place of Andrea Bocelli. Accepted into Carnegie Mellon University’s theater program, he deferred enrollment after securing a Warner Bros. recording contract via Foster’s 143 label.

Groban’s first recording was the duet “For Always” with Lara Fabian for the A.I.: Artificial Intelligence soundtrack, followed by an appearance in the 2001 finale of Ally McBeal. His debut album, Josh Groban, arrived in November 2001. Within the next twelve months he became a national figure; the album reached double-platinum status, and he starred in his own PBS special in November 2002. The following month he performed “To Where You Are” and “The Prayer” at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, and joined the Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, Lionel Richie, and others for a holiday concert at the Vatican.

Closer, his second album, was released in November 2003. Two months afterward it rose from number 11 to number one on the Billboard album chart, later earning quintuple-platinum certification and ranking as the decade’s best-selling classical album. Awake, his third studio effort, appeared in 2006 and featured Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Herbie Hancock; it attained double-platinum status. Noel followed in 2007, with Awake Live issued in 2008.

In 2010 Groban collaborated with Rick Rubin on Illuminations, an Americana-leaning album that reached number four in the United States and received favorable notices. All That Echoes, produced by Rob Cavallo and featuring Arturo Sandoval and Laura Pausini, arrived in 2013, debuted at number one on the Billboard chart, and supported further television and film appearances.

Stages, released in 2015, gathered songs from Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. A PBS live CD/DVD version, recorded with Kelly Clarkson on “All I Ask of You” and Audra McDonald on “If I Loved You,” appeared in early 2016. Bridges, issued in 2018, included the singles “Granted,” “Symphony,” and the Jennifer Nettles duet “99 Years.” Recorded across New York, Los Angeles, and London with Steve Jordan, Dann Huff, Bernie Herms, and additional producers, the album incorporated French, Italian, and Spanish alongside English and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. Bridges Live: Madison Square Garden, documenting the tour, was released in April 2019.

A standalone cover of Elton John’s “Empty Sky” surfaced in February 2020, previewing the full covers album Harmony later that year. The set contained standards plus interpretations of songs by Sting, Kenny Loggins, and Robbie Williams, with guest contributions from Leslie Odom, Jr., Sara Bareilles, and Kirk Franklin. That same year Groban combined singing and acting in the lead role of the television special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration with H.E.R. He continued this path in 2023 as the lead in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and received a nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical at the 2023 Tony Awards.