He took classes for half of each day and studied theater for he other half, and soon was a "big man on campus" with lead roles in the school's productions, such as the role of Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof.
Foster heard the tape and recognized the enormous talent and potential that Josh possessed, and invited Josh to sing at the inauguration of California governor Gray Davis. A few weeks later, Foster found himself in a bind when Andrea Bocelli was unable to attend rehearsals for the Grammy Awards, and Celine Dion needed a partner for a duet of a song Foster had written, "The Prayer," He called upon Josh again to stand in for Bocelli.
Josh, unsure of his readiness to perform at such a prestigious event, initially turned down the offer. However, Foster refused to take no for an answer, and eventually talked Josh into singing with Celine.
It was a decision that changed his life. Many well-established artists and celebrities heard Josh sing at rehearsals and were awestruck by his talent. Rosie O'Donnell, who was the host of the awards that year, invited Josh calling him "Opera Boy" to perform on her show, but insisted that the song choice be in Italian.
Incidentally, Josh was invited to attend the Grammy awards ceremony the next day, but had to turn it down. After graduation from high school, Josh enrolled in the prestigious musical theater department at Carnegie Mellon University, but his music career began to conflict with his studies.
Josh, who up until this point had concentrated on musical theater, began to realize his potential as a solo vocalist. He sang "Mattinata" on Rosie's show and performed at several high-profile charity events, including A Family Celebration, which was attended by President Clinton, among many other dignitaries and celebrities.
TV producer David E. Kelley was in the audience and was so impressed with Josh's performance that he created a role for him on the hit show, "Ally McBeal. Malcolm, who ends up taking Ally to the prom, performs a solo of "You're Still You" onstage during the show. The day following Josh's appearance on Ally McBeal, thousands of people across the country began phoning radio stations and searching the internet looking for information about this unknown kid with the amazing voice.
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. Foster, however, approached him with the news that executives at Records, a joint venture between Foster and Warner Brothers, were interested in signing a record deal.
Groban thought long and hard, but ultimately decided to put college on the back burner and take the plunge into the music business. Initially, record company executives were not sure how to approach Groban's first album. With his boyish good looks, they first thought that Groban should focus on pop songs. But his classical training prompted them to consider an album including Italian opera.
In the end, Foster stepped in and worked to produce Groban's self-titled debut album, which included a blend of contemporary rock and pop tunes along with classical music in English, Spanish, and Italian. Such a combination was difficult to market in the fast-paced world of MTV, so the record company took a variety of approaches to promote their new artist.
Groban was invited back to appear on a holiday episode of Ally McBeal in late Following the media blitz, album sales soared and Josh Groban Web sites popped up all over the Internet. But the media blitz was just getting started. Groban went on to make countless public appearances, with one major highlight coming in early In late Groban was given a major opportunity when he taped a live concert that was aired on PBS in December.
It debuted at number thirty-five on the Billboard Top chart and quickly reached number one on the music video charts. Thanks to an unprecedented amount of media coverage, Groban's fan base grew by leaps and bounds. He was especially popular on the Internet, where his CD enjoyed increasing sales. Another site called Friends of Josh Groban became a one-stop shopping network where fans could order concert tickets, albums, and get up-to-the-minute news about their favorite singer.
Fans did not have to wait too long to hear more of Groban, since he was back in the studio in to put together his third album. For seven months he worked with producers to choose, arrange, and record songs.
Groban also spent time writing songs, three of which appeared on the final cut. As he explained on his Web site, "This time I've tried to open the door as wide as possible. These songs are a giant step closer to who I really am and what my music is all about. As exhilarating as the experience was, however, Groban admitted that it was also daunting. In the same Web site article he confided, "I felt tremendous pressure to repeat the success of the first album The challenge became not so much reaching the bar I had already set, but setting it higher.
When Closer was released in late , it received mixed reviews. While most critics praised Groban's powerhouse voice, they also believed that his delivery was somewhat immature and lackluster. Reviewers were especially critical of Groban's pop songs. Chuck Arnold of People called them "over-the-top ballads," and Scott Paulin of Entertainment Weekly dismissed them as "depressingly predictable. The first week it was released, Closer rocketed to number four on the Billboard chart, and by mid it had sold more than four million copies.
When tickets went on sale, they sold out almost immediately. Fans of all ages flocked to Groban's shows, which were decidedly more mellow than the usual rock concert.
In an interview with Bob Meadows of People, Groban joked that "the security guards at my shows don't have anything to do. One woman told Meadows that she had seen Groban in concert forty-four times. People in the music industry were amazed at the sellout crowds, but one Billboard insider, Geoff Mayfield, tried to explain the phenomenon in People : "I think it's a personal connection. Josh Groban performs at the Super Bowl. Since being discovered by Foster in , Groban has been working almost nonstop, either traveling, performing, or in the recording studio.
He does not complain, but does admit that life on the road is not that glamorous. Days are long and filled with voice lessons, sound checks, and rehearsals. To pass the time, he reads, watches movies, and plays video games. Groban is also an avid drummer. He learned to play when he was about sixteen years old, and as he explained to Fleming, "It's a great way to get all the stress out. He found success in easy listening and adult contemporary, but Groban has also had some classical training.
He was accepted to and briefly attended Carnegie Mellon University to study musical theatre, but left after four months when he was offered a record contract.
He has been referred to as both a tenor and a baritone, with his range reaching from G2 two Gs below middle C to B4, just short of a tenor C in live performances. Although his voice has a lot of musical theatre influences, Groban also performs some opera. He has cited Pavarotti as one of his musical influences, and he regularly sings in Italian, Spanish and French.
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