Groban originally studied acting, but moved to singing as his voice developed. Groban attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, a free public school on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles, where students receive a conservatory-style education. David Foster called Groban to stand in for an ailing Andrea Bocelli to rehearse a duet, "The Prayer", with Celine Dion at the rehearsal for the 1998 Grammy Awards. Rosie O'Donnell immediately invited him to appear on her talk show. Foster asked him to sing at the California Governor's Gray Davis' 1999 inauguration. He was cast on Ally McBeal by the show's creator, David E. Kelley, performing "You're Still You" for the 2001 season four finale.
In 2016, he made his Broadway debut as Pierre Bezukhov in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, to critical acclaim and nomination for a 2017 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. His performance at the 72nd Tony Awards earned him two Primetime Emmy nominations, one for Outstanding Live Variety Special and one for Original Music and Lyrics for the song "This One's for You". Groban co-starred as Tony Caruso Jr. in the Netflix original series, The Good Cop. Groban was also the host of Rising Star, he also appeared in the films, Coffee Town, Muppets Most Wanted, The Hollars and Crazy, Stupid, Love. He also appeared on TV such as Danny Chase in The Crazy Ones, as well as Walter Bernard Jr in The Office.
Career
1997–2001: Debut
In late 1997, the 16-year-old Groban was introduced by his vocal coach, Seth Riggs, to Grammy-winning producer and arranger David Foster and future manager Brian Avnet.[18][failed verification] At the time, Groban had no recording experience and was preparing for his studies at Carnegie Mellon.[18] Groban worked for David Foster as a rehearsal singer on a series of high-profile events, including the January 1999 California gubernatorial inauguration of Gray Davis and the 1999 Grammy Awards where—as a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli—he rehearsed Foster's "The Prayer" with Céline Dion. According to Avnet, Groban was very nervous about standing in for Bocelli and had to be talked into it; his performance prompted the show hostess, Rosie O'Donnell, to ask him to appear on her show the following week, which in turn led to an appearance on Ally McBeal.[18] Creator David E. Kelley wrote the character Malcolm Wyatt for Groban in the season finale, aired in May 2001. Groban as Malcolm Wyatt was so popular that the show received upwards of 8,000 emails from viewers;[19] thereafter, Groban was asked to return the next season to reprise his role as Wyatt and to perform "To Where You Are". Avnet claims this sequence of events effectively got Groban's career off the ground.[18]
Groban was offered a recording contract at Warner Bros. Records through Foster's 143 Records imprint. Avnet told HitQuarters that Warner Bros. initially proved resistant to the deal because "They were afraid they wouldn't be able to get a voice like that on radio."[18] Explaining his reasons for signing the artist, Foster said: "I love his natural ability in the pop and rock arena, but I love his sense of classics even more. He's a true musical force to be reckoned with."[19] Under Foster's influence, Groban's first album focused more on classics such as "Gira Con Me Questa Notte" and "Alla Luce Del Sole".
Groban performed "There For Me" with Sarah Brightman on her 2000–01 La Luna World Tour, and was featured on her "La Luna" concert DVD. He recorded "For Always" with Lara Fabian for the movie soundtrack of A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). Groban performed in many benefit shows, including "The Andre Agassi Grand Slam Event For Children," alongside Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley, and Robin Williams; "Muhammad Ali's Fight Night Foundation" which honored Michael J. Fox and others; "The Family Celebration" (2001), which was co-hosted by President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, and David E. Kelley and Michelle Pfeiffer; and Michael Milken's CapCure event, which raised funds for cancer research.
His self-titled debut album Josh Groban was released on November 20, 2001. Over the next year it went from gold to double-platinum.[20]
2002–2005: Closer
Groban in concert at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire in 2007
On February 24, 2002, Groban performed "The Prayer" with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and by November, he had his own PBS special titled "Josh Groban In Concert" (2002). In December 2002, he performed "To Where You Are" and sang "The Prayer" in a duet with Sissel Kyrkjebø at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. He joined The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, Lionel Richie, and others for a Christmas performance at the Vatican. In 2003, Groban performed at the David Foster concert for World Children's Day, singing "The Prayer" with Celine Dion and the finale song, "Aren't They All Our Children?" with artists including Yolanda Adams, Nick Carter, Enrique Iglesias, and Celine Dion.
Groban's second album Closer, produced and written by Foster, was released on November 11, 2003. Groban said he believed that his second album was a better reflection of him, and that his audience would be able to get a better idea of his personality from listening to it.
What most people know about me, they know through my music. This time, I've tried to open that door as wide as possible. These songs are a giant step closer to who I really am and what my music is all about. Hence the title.[19]
Two months after Closer was released, it rose on the Billboard charts from number 11 to number one.[21] Groban's cover of "You Raise Me Up" became his third most popular song on the adult contemporary charts as of March 2004. Later that year, he also performed the song "Remember" (with Tanja Tzarovska) on the Troy soundtrack, "Believe" on the soundtrack to the 2004 animated film The Polar Express and a cover of Linkin Park's "My December".
In the summer of 2004, Groban returned to Interlochen, performing and discussing his earlier experiences with local residents and campers. On November 30, 2004, his second live DVD, Live At The Greek, was released; it was also shown as a Great Performances special on PBS. That same year, Groban performed "Remember When It Rained", backed by a full orchestra, at the American Music Awards, where he was nominated for Favorite Male Artist in the pop category; he was also nominated for a People's Choice Award. His recording of "Believe" secured an Academy Award nomination in 2005 for the songwriters Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri,[22] and earned them a Grammy in the category Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the ceremony held in February 2006.[23]
2005–2010: Awake
Groban earned his first Grammy nomination in 2005 for his single "You Raise Me Up" in the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance category. During the first week of September 2006, Groban's single entitled "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" was released exclusively on AOL's First Listen. His third studio album Awake was officially released on November 7, 2006. Groban performed "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" as well as two other tracks from Awake at his recording session for Live from Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios on 26 October 2006. On that album, Groban also collaborated on the single "Now or Never" with British musician and songwriter Imogen Heap. He performed two tracks with the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, "Lullaby" and "Weeping". Groban's "Awake" world tour visited 71 cities between February and August 2007, and toured Australia and the Philippines with Lani Misalucha as his special guest in October 2007. He performed a duet with Barbra Streisand ("All I Know of Love") and with Mireille Mathieu ("Over the Rainbow"). As to his future, Groban was open to a plethora of possibilities. He said, "I am fortunate enough to have had many really big moments in my career. I think the mistake a lot of people in my position make is to always search for the next big thing. I am looking forward to playing some small theaters. I'm looking forward to writing more. I want to delve further into my acting career and explore some of the film and TV opportunities that I haven't had time for. My outlook is to expect the unexpected. And when the next step comes, I'm prepared to take it."[9]
2010–2015: Illuminations; All That Echoes
Groban finished his fifth studio album, entitled Illuminations, and the album was released on November 15, 2010.[24] Most of the songs on the album are about "specific situations that I've had where love has existed and ultimately failed," Groban told The New York Times, adding: "And other songs are about the quest, and it just not working out." Groban wrote 11 of the 13 songs on the album.[25] The first single from the album, "Hidden Away", was made available for free download via Facebook on September 8.[26] "For me to sit in a room with a piano in one take with some of Johnny Cash's musicians—that was totally new for me." Josh added. "and I think that excitement is on the record."[25] On October 12, a second single from the upcoming album, "Você Existe Em Mim", was made available on iTunes.[27] This song is sung in Portuguese and was written by Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown. The Washington Post said: "Illuminations" is not a revelation, but it offers a perfectly fine, and often quite lovely, glimpse at a pop-classical crossover artist in the middle of crossing over."[28] Groban plans on making one more record with Rick Rubin.[29] Beginning May 12, 2011 and continuing through December of that year, Groban undertook the 81-city Straight to You Tour to promote Illuminations, encompassing appearances in North America, Europe, and South Africa.[30]
Groban's sixth studio album, All That Echoes, was released on February 5, 2013, debuting at number one by selling 141,000 copies.[31][32] Groban promoted the album with the All That Echoes World Tour in 2013. A year later, he embarked on his Summer Symphony Tour.[33]
2015–2017: Stages and Broadway debut
In early March 2015, Josh Groban's Facebook page announced the release of the album Stages, consisting of covers of songs from Broadway musicals. The album was released on April 28, 2015.[34]
Starting October 18, 2016, Groban performed on Broadway as Pierre Bezukhov in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, an electropop opera by composer Dave Malloy based on War and Peace.[35] For his performance as Pierre, Groban was nominated for the 2017 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. His final performance as Pierre was on July 2, 2017.[36] Groban also performed the song "Evermore" during the end credits of the 2017 Disney film Beauty and the Beast.[37]
2018: Bridges
On March 12, 2018, tour dates were announced for Groban's Bridges Tour with special guest Idina Menzel. The US leg of the tour began on October 18, 2018, in Duluth, Georgia and concluded at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 18. The European leg of the tour began on December 12 at the O2 Arena in London and concluded on December 18 in Poland.[38]
On June 26, 2018, Groban announced via social media that his album Bridges would be released on September 21 and would contain a cover of Céline Dion's song "S'il suffisait d'aimer" along with new tracks.[39] The album debuted at number two in the US[40] and in the top 10 in the UK[41] and Scotland.[42]
2020: Harmony
On August 17, 2020, Groban's album Harmony was announced to release in November 2020. Groban will also offer a virtual livestreamed concert series in the fall and winter of 2020.[43] On October 2, the album was announced to be released on November 20, 2020. The album is now available in all the platforms from the regular to deluxe edition.
Voice
Various music critics have described Groban's voice in different ways, with some referring to him as a tenor[62] and others as a baritone.[63][64] In performance, Groban's music goes as low as G2 (as in the songs "To Where You Are", "Higher Window", and "The World We Knew (Over and Over)") and extends up to at least B4 (as heard in "The Duel" from Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812[65]). This places his voice lower than the usual tenor range on the low end (although still within the vocal fry register of a tenor), and just short of tenor C, and therefore above the baritone range, on the high end.[66][67]
Finishing The Hat
Josh Groban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let her look for me to tell me why she left me
As I always knew she would
I had thought she understood
They have never understood
And no reason that they should
But if anybody could
How you have to finish the hat
How you watch the rest of the world
From a window
While you finish the hat
Mapping out a sky
What you feel like, planning a sky
How you feel when voices that come
Through the window, go
Until they distance and die
Until there's nothing but sky
And how you're always turning back too late
From the grass or the stick
Or the dog or the light
How the kind of woman willing to wait
Not the kind that you want to find waiting
To return you to the night
Dizzy from the height
Coming from the hat, studying the hat
Entering the world of the hat
Reaching through the world of the hat
Like a window
Back to this one from that
Studying a face
Stepping back to look at a face
Leaves a little space in the way like a window
But to see, it's the only way to see
And when the woman that you wanted goes
You can say to yourself, well, I give what I give
But the woman who won't wait for you knows
That however you live
There's a part of you always standing by
Mapping out the sky
Finishing a hat,
Starting on a hat
Finishing a hat,
Look I made a hat
Where there never was a hat
The lyrics to Josh Groban's song "Finishing The Hat" are a poetic and introspective exploration of the creative process and the sacrifices one makes in pursuing their art. The hat is used as a metaphor for the artistic endeavor, representing the act of creating something out of nothing. The song delves into the emotional turmoil and isolation that often accompanies the pursuit of artistic excellence.
In the first verse, the singer reflects on a past relationship, expressing a desire for the other person to explain why they left. They feel misunderstood and isolated, as if the world doesn't comprehend their artistic drive. The act of "finishing the hat" is likened to observing the world from a distance, from a window, while the artist immerses themselves in their work. It highlights the solitude and focus required to create something meaningful.
The second verse continues the exploration of the creative process, comparing it to mapping out a sky. It conveys the emotions and sensations experienced when crafting a piece of art, how the outside world fades away until all that remains is the artist's vision. The lyrics also touch on the bittersweet aspect of this endeavor, the artist's habit of turning back too late from distractions.
The song expresses the longing for a woman who would understand and wait for them, while acknowledging that such a person may be elusive. It recognizes that the artist's commitment to their craft often leaves little room for romantic relationships. The final lines celebrate the accomplishment of finishing the hat, creating something where there was once nothing.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, she looks for me, good
It's good that she's searching for me
Let her look for me to tell me why she left me
I want her to search for me and explain why she abandoned me
As I always knew she would
I always had a feeling she would do this
I had thought she understood
I believed she comprehended
They have never understood
Others have never comprehended
And no reason that they should
There's no reason for them to understand
But if anybody could
But if anyone could, it would be her
Finishing the hat
Completing the work of art
How you have to finish the hat
The process required to complete the hat
How you watch the rest of the world
Observing the world around you
From a window
From the perspective of a window
While you finish the hat
While focusing on completing the hat
Mapping out a sky
Designing and planning a sky
What you feel like, planning a sky
Describing the feeling of planning a sky
How you feel when voices that come
The emotions evoked when voices approach
Through the window, go
And then fade away through the window
Until they distance and die
Until those voices become distant and fade completely
Until there's nothing but sky
Until all that's left is the vast sky
And how you're always turning back too late
The realization of constantly looking back when it's already too late
From the grass or the stick
Whether it's from the grass or a stick
Or the dog or the light
Or from the dog or the light
How the kind of woman willing to wait
The type of woman who is patient enough to wait
Not the kind that you want to find waiting
But not the type of woman you desire to find waiting
To return you to the night
To bring you back to darkness
Dizzy from the height
Feeling overwhelmed by the height
Coming from the hat, studying the hat
Originating from the hat, focusing and analyzing the hat
Entering the world of the hat
Immersing into the world of the hat
Reaching through the world of the hat
Extending beyond the world of the hat
Like a window
Similar to a window
Back to this one from that
Returning from that world to this one
Studying a face
Examining a face closely
Stepping back to look at a face
Taking a step back to observe a face
Leaves a little space in the way like a window
Creates a small gap, resembling a window
But to see, it's the only way to see
Because it's the only way to truly see
And when the woman that you wanted goes
And when the woman you desired departs
You can say to yourself, well, I give what I give
You can tell yourself that you gave what you could
But the woman who won't wait for you knows
But the woman who doesn't want to wait understands
That however you live
That no matter how you live your life
There's a part of you always standing by
There's always a part of you waiting patiently
Mapping out the sky
Designing and plotting the course of the sky
Finishing a hat
Completing another masterpiece
Starting on a hat
Beginning work on a new hat
Finishing a hat
Completing the creation of a hat
Look I made a hat
Look, I've created a hat
Where there never was a hat
In a place where there was no hat before
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brandie 97
Yes, she looks for me - good.
Let her look for me to tell me why she left me
As I always knew she would.
I had thought she understood.
They have never understood,
And no reason that they should.
But if anybody could...
Finishing the hat,
How you have to finish the hat.
How you watch the rest of the world
From a window
While you finish the hat.
Mapping out a sky.
What you feel like planning a sky.
What you feel when voices that come
Through the window
Go
Until they distance and die,
Until there's nothing but sky
And how you're always turning back too late
From the grass or the stick
Or the dog or the light,
How the kind of woman willing to wait's
Not the kind that you want to find waiting
To return you to the night,
Dizzy from the height,
Coming from the hat,
Studying the hat,
Entering the world of the hat,
Reaching through the world of the hat
Like a window.
Back to this one from that.
Studying a face,
Stepping back to look at a face
Leaves a little space in the way like a window,
But to see - it's the only way to see.
And when the woman that you wanted goes,
You can say to yourself, "Well, I give what I give."
But the women who won't wait for you knows
That, however you live,
There's a part of you always standing by,
Mapping out the sky,
Finishing a hat...
Starting on a hat.
Finishing a hat...
Look, I made a hat...
Where there never was a hat
Jason Smalls
Yes, she looks for me - good
Let her look for me to tell me why she left me
As I always knew she would
I had thought she understood
They have never understood
And no reason that they should
But if anybody could...
Finishing the hat
How you have to finish the hat
How you watch the rest of the world
From a window
While you finish the hat
Mapping out a sky
What you feel like planning a sky
What you feel when voices that come
Through the window
Go
Until they distance and die
Until there's nothing but sky
And how you're always turning back too late
From the grass or the stick
Or the dog or the light
How the kind of woman willing to wait's
Not the kind that you want to find waiting
To return you to the night
Dizzy from the height
Coming from the hat
Studying the hat
Entering the world of the hat
Reaching through the world of the hat
Like a window
Back to this one from that
Studying a face
Stepping back to look at a face
Leaves a little space in the way like a window
But to see - it's the only way to see
And when the woman that you wanted goes
You can say to yourself, "Well, I give what I give."
But the women who won't wait for you knows
That, however you live
There's a part of you always standing by
Mapping out the sky
Finishing a hat...
Starting on a hat
Finishing a hat...
Look, I made a hat...
Where there never was a hat
Jamie C
I'm listening to the new album while I work from Home. So relaxing and dreamy his voice. Makes me want to invite him over for tea and a biscuit.
MarcusRPe
+Elizabeth Johnston Oh my goodness, Elizabeth, you're too much!
E J
would invite him over too - but not for tea or biscuits 😊
Lucas MacCloud
This is my favourite song from this new album. I listened this like 200 times already. Beautiful and technically very difficult to sing. I wish I was good enough to sing it that well.
Holly Huffstutler
"Beautiful and technically very difficult to sing" Sondheim!
bvaughn777
Mandy's performance is impeccable. Josh does a great job with it as well.
grace3726
Ditto!
Kalvin Kuek
Lucas MacCloud that feeling when your voice differs too much
Jack Kolinski
If you're good enough to sing it AT ALL, you're doing better than most.
David Miller
Okay , I'm not a big Josh Groban fan.
I stand corrected , and in awe
This album showcases his voice to utter perfection !
BRAVO Josh !!!!!!!!!!!