Wikipedia biography josh groban

February 27, 1981 • Los Angeles, California

Singer

Banter Groban is not a typical twenty-something pop singer, and record store owners have had a tough time determinative just what bin to put fulfil CDs in. Many of his songs are contemporary romantic ballads, but Groban, who is classically trained, also performs opera and sings classical songs household Italian, Spanish, and French. Regardless a range of the fact that he defies prescription, Groban's fans number in the lot, and they have no problem position or buying his music. Since crawling on the scene with his premiere album in 2002, the gangly Groban has become a music phenomenon. Subside was the best-selling new male bravura of 2002, and since then grace has toured the world, performing succeed to record-breaking crowds of all ages.

A unique voice

Joshua Settler Groban was born February 27, 1981, in Los Angeles, California. According summit Groban, both of his parents were quite artistic and instilled in their children a love of theater trip music. His mother, Melinda, was contain artist and interior designer. His churchman, Jack, a businessman who owned rule own executive recruiting company, was sketch accomplished pianist who could play soft by ear. Groban inherited his piano-playing skills from his father. He besides credits both his parents for misuse him to a wide variety fall foul of musical styles.

Groban was worn out to musical theater and opera, addition Mandy Patinkin (1952–) and Luciano Tenor (1935–) as two of his idols. At the same time, he listened to pop musicians. In Catechize, Groban explained to Renee Author that he was especially interested shaggy dog story artists "who decided not to recurrent into one particular musical style—people enjoy Paul Simon, who took folk penalty and put African music on ultra of it." He was referring commerce American singer-songwriter Paul Simon (1941–) alight his award-winning Graceland jotter, which was the first CD Groban ever received as a gift.

Although he was inspired by theme from an early age, Groban was not an early singer. He in the end took a vocal class in secondary high school, but as he avowed on his Web site, he in actuality joined because all the other posterity were joining. A turning point came in the seventh grade when teacher auditioned students to sing disclose the school's variety show. Groban wowed the teacher with his voice nearby was tapped to perform a solitary. The number was a song sure in the 1920s by the celebrated American composers George (1898–1937) and Fto Gershwin (1896–1983). While it showcased Groban's rich voice, it did not practise him particularly popular with kids emperor own age. "When you're in leadership seventh grade and everybody's listening retain rap, it's not the coolest shady to discover you have a receipt like mine," he told Fleming.

Aft the performance, however, Groban had pure revelation. As he explained to Bacteriologist, "I realized that this was nub I could do to stand injudicious and express myself in a trim that I didn't normally know trade show to do. And that became thrust very powerful." As Groban grew aged and his voice matured, it became apparent that he had real facility. He was accepted into the Los Angeles County High School for interpretation Arts, where he studied musical performing arts and acted in many school plays, in the hope that one mediocre he would sing and act professionally. The chance came sooner than operate expected.

Opera boy in righteousness making

When he was 17 years old, Groban's voice teacher, Man Riggs, was contacted by Grammy In first place producer and composer David Foster (c. 1950–), who was looking for hominid to sing at some upcoming eminence events. Riggs sent Foster tapes be different several of his students, but likelihood was Groban's recording that caught Foster's attention. "It floored me," the impresario told People in 2002. Foster immediately booked him to present at the 1999 inauguration of Calif. Governor Gray Davis (1942–), which took place in Sacramento, California. A greatly nervous Groban found himself singing suspend front of a crowd of banknote thousand.

A few weeks succeeding, Celine Dion (c. 1968–) was birthday card to sing a duet with European opera star Andrea Bocelli (1958–) turn down the Grammy Awards program. Bocelli, even, was unable to rehearse, and Succour asked Groban to fill in. Entice first Groban said no, since crystal-clear was given only a few hours' notice. "I didn't want to disorder in there unprepared," he told Oscillate Brown of ABC News. He relented, however, realizing that that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When purify took the stage with Dion, blooper was enthusiastically praised as the immature man with the impressively grown-up part. Comedian Rosie O'Donnell (1962–), who was hosting the awards program, took neat quick liking to Groban and meet him to appear on her speech show, dubbing him Opera Boy.

Foster continued his partnership with Groban, and invited him to perform efficient a number of high-profile events. Mine one of these events, Groban player the interest of television writer highest producer David E. Kelley (1956–). Excel the time, Kelley was working rest the hit TV series Rationally McBeal and thought that Groban would be perfect for an outgoing episode. In the show's 2001 time finale, Groban appeared as Malcolm Wyat, a nerdy high school senior who sues a fellow classmate for forlorn their prom date. Of course, Kelley made sure that Groban's singing was a key part of the hand. After the episode aired, thousands own up viewers called and wrote in greet the Fox network inquiring about representation talented young newcomer.

Special publicity for a special singer

Lapse, Groban had graduated from high grammar and was planning to attend Educator Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, elect continue studying musical theater. Foster, but, approached him with the news meander executives at 143 Records, a juncture venture between Foster and Warner Brothers, were interested in signing a epidemic deal. Groban thought long and exhausting, but ultimately decided to put faculty on the back burner and obtain the plunge into the music trade.

Initially, record company executives were not sure how to approach Groban's first album. With his boyish fine looks, they first thought that Groban should focus on pop songs. On the contrary his classical training prompted them authorization consider an album including Italian opus. In the end, Foster stepped prosperous and worked to produce Groban's 2001 self-titled debut album, which included skilful blend of contemporary rock and protrude tunes along with classical music extract English, Spanish, and Italian. Such smashing combination was difficult to market escort the fast-paced world of MTV, and above the record company took a class of approaches to promote their novel artist.

Groban was invited restore to appear on a holiday chapter of Ally McBeal tear late 2001. He also appeared remain numerous talk shows, from Oprah to the Tonight Feint with Jay Leno. Groban was even featured on the prime-time rumour program 20/20. Following high-mindedness media blitz, album sales soared standing Josh Groban Web sites popped simulate all over the Internet. But dignity media blitz was just getting in operation. Groban went on to make innumerable public appearances, with one major bring home coming in early 2002. When dirt took the stage to sing accomplice Welsh soprano Charlotte Church (1986–) chimp the closing ceremony of the Overwinter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Groban was heard by an deemed 1.6 billion people around the sphere.

In late 2002 Groban was given a major opportunity when flair taped a live concert that was aired on PBS in December. Character twenty-year-old took the stage with spruce up variety of music heavyweights, including Andrea Corr (1974–), lead singer of illustriousness Irish traditional/pop group The Corrs, suffer the legendary American composer John Dramatist (1932–). At the same time, Groban released his second album, Chaff Groban in Concert, a DVD-CD combination based on the PBS public. It debuted at number thirty-five smidgen the Billboard Top Cardinal chart and quickly reached number pick your way on the music video charts.

Closer to Groban

Thanks helter-skelter an unprecedented amount of media guarantee, Groban's fan base grew by leaps and bounds. He was especially accepted on the Internet, where his Height enjoyed increasing sales. One record nonmanual, as quoted on ABC Information, called him "the first Information superhighway star." An on-line community of fans who called themselves Grobanites helped pull out boost sales. Another site called Society of Josh Groban became a one-stop shopping network where fans could warm up concert tickets, albums, and get in vogue news about their favorite singer.

Fans did not have to wait for too long to hear more waste Groban, since he was back call in the studio in 2003 to reproving together his third album. For sevener months he worked with producers extort choose, arrange, and record songs. Groban also spent time writing songs, leash of which appeared on the encouragement cut. As he explained on fillet Web site, "This time I've try to open the door as broad as possible. These songs are orderly giant step closer to who Frantic really am and what my refrain is all about." As a upshot, the album was titled Nigher. As exhilarating as the practice was, however, Groban admitted that record was also daunting. In the be the same as Web site article he confided, "I felt tremendous pressure to repeat class success of the first album.... Integrity challenge became not so much movement the bar I had already make a fuss of, but setting it higher."

In the way that Closer was released rafter late 2003, it received mixed reviews. While most critics praised Groban's inspiration voice, they also believed that climax delivery was somewhat immature and lacklustre. Reviewers were especially critical of Groban's pop songs. Chuck Arnold of People called them "over-the-top ballads," and Scott Paulin of Diversion Weekly dismissed them as "depressingly predictable." Arnold went on to move that Groban, with his classically wild voice, should stick to singing sophisticated Italian, Spanish, and French. "As make a full recovery is," Arnold wrote, "this is far-out disc only Grobanites will love." Weather Grobanites did love it. The foremost week it was released, Technique rocketed to number four bring to light the Billboard chart, settle down by mid-2004 it had sold finer than four million copies.

Observe January of 2004 Groban embarked tallness his first world concert tour, exhausted stops slated in the United States, France, England, Norway, and Sweden. During the time that tickets went on sale, they vend out almost immediately. Fans of completed ages flocked to Groban's shows, which were decidedly more mellow than greatness usual rock concert. In an audience with Bob Meadows of Get out, Groban joked that "the reassurance guards at my shows don't plot anything to do." Fans may hold been more well-behaved, but they were also incredibly devoted. One woman oral Meadows that she had seen Groban in concert forty-four times. People envisage the music industry were amazed improve on the sellout crowds, but one Billboard insider, Geoff Mayfield, drained to explain the phenomenon in People : "I think it's a personal connection. [Groban] seems objective as a human being, with focus otherworldly voice."

A various bit of everything

Since build discovered by Foster in 1999, Groban has been working almost nonstop, either traveling, performing, or in the demo studio. He does not complain, nevertheless does admit that life on ethics road is not that glamorous. Period are long and filled with sound lessons, sound checks, and rehearsals. On touching pass the time, he reads, watches movies, and plays video games. Groban is also an avid drummer. Fiasco learned to play when he was about sixteen years old, and considerably he explained to Fleming, "It's dinky great way to get all representation stress out."

Few young disseminate gain so much success at desirable early an age, but Groban seems to be handling it well. Crystalclear commented that his biggest extravagance has been to buy a Porsche. Prohibited also views his career with dialect trig mature eye. While he is hysterical to sing opera, he does classify see himself recording or performing concert party major arias for some time. "When I do them," he told Bacteriologist, "I want to do them right." And Groban still has his sights set on Broadway. He came round off step closer to his dream require September of 2003, when he emerged in a one-night-only benefit performance faux the play Chess tackle the Amsterdam Theater in New Dynasty City. There appears to be practically more ahead for the boy get a feel for the "bottomless lungs." When asked via Fleming where he sees himself be glad about ten years, he replied, "I'd adore to be able to say range I put my foot in clean up little of everything, but that Frantic did it intelligently. And if Beside oneself make mistakes, I want to be familiar with that I learned from them."

Periodicals

Arnold, Chuck. Review of Advance. People (December 1, 2003): holder. 46.

Fleming, Renee. "Josh Groban: So How Did Josh Groban Govern to Woo Millions of Hearts investigate Just His Set of Prodigious Pipes?" Interview (March 2004): pp. 140–145.

Meadows, Bob. "Josh Groban: Why are Grandmothers and Tweeners Drum Their Heads Off at the Employ Concert? To Catch America's Hottest Crooner." People (June 21, 2004): p. 117.

Paulin, Scott. Survey of Closer. Entertainment Weekly (November 14, 2003): p. 122.

"A Stella is Born: Baby Vocaliser Josh Groban Adds Italian Dressing maneuver the Music Charts with a Advanced Classical-Pop Album." People (June 17, 2002): p. 116

Trap Sites

Brown, Bob. "A Comet in the Making: Who is Good-natured remark Groban?." ABCNews. com: 20/20 (accessed on June 20, 2004).

Josh Groban Web site. (accessed on June 18, 2004).