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]
La Bohème
Josh Groban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the sound of our laughter
Montmartre hanged with flowers for far-forgotten hours
Of hunger and of love
Unaware in our youth of the sobering truth
Of the years that came after
We laughed at common men for we were heroes then
La boheme, la boheme
Poor hungry you, poor hungry me
La boheme, la boheme
See the old world that could not see
All those innocent hearts who imagined their arts
Could be casually mastered
I miss them every one
For the sands of time have run away for each and all
For it seems that our schemes were impossible dreams
That could never have lasted
For when we woke at last the big parade had passed
And spring had gone its way
La boheme, la boheme
Someone to care, someone to mind
La boheme, la boheme
We were in love and love is blind
Now and then I return and the memories burn
With a bittersweet aching
I climb the same old stairs
But no-one longer cares
And there's no-one to greet in the streets where we walked
And the bars where we talked of a world we were making
I stand upon that hill until I drink my fill
Then leave it all behind
La boheme, la boheme
Moments of joy, moments of pain
La boheme, la boheme
Nothing can bring them back again
The song “La Bohème” tells the story of a group of young artists in the bohemian neighborhood of Montmartre in Paris during the early 1900s. They lived in poverty but also in a state of carefree happiness, enjoying each other's company in the face of hunger and hardship. The world was in rhyme with the sound of their laughter and they were dreaming of creating art that would change the world. The lyrics describe memories of their youth, of shared experiences of love, laughter, and creativity.
However, as they grew older, the world became less idyllic and their dreams harder to achieve. The reference to the sobering truth of the years that came after may refer to the harsh realities of adult life such as paying bills and dealing with the responsibilities of the real world. They look back at their younger selves with nostalgia, and lament the passing of time, recognizing that their dreams were impossible to maintain.
The chorus is a poignant reminder of the challenges that the characters faced, their poverty and hunger, and of the hopelessness of the situation. Despite this, they had each other, they had their art, and they experienced both moments of joy and moments of pain. The song acknowledges the fleeting nature of happiness, the inevitability of change and the transient nature of youth, but leaves the feeling that memories of their experience will live on.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me tell of a time when the world was in rhyme
I want to share a past moment when everything in the world seemed to come together perfectly
With the sound of our laughter
Our joy and happiness was evident through the laughter we shared
Montmartre hanged with flowers for far-forgotten hours
The hanging flowers on Montmartre reminded us of the beauty and fleeting nature of life
Of hunger and of love
We experienced both hunger - for success, for art - and love
Unaware in our youth of the sobering truth
We were young and naive, not knowing the harsh realities of the world we would soon face
Of the years that came after
We did not realize the impact those difficult years would have on us
We laughed at common men for we were heroes then
In our youth and idealism, we saw ourselves as special and above the common or ordinary
And heaven smiled above
Despite our naivete, things seemed to be going our way and we felt blessed by good fortune
La boheme, la boheme
Poor hungry you, poor hungry me
We were poor, hungry artists living in a bohemian lifestyle
La boheme, la boheme
See the old world that could not see
Our lifestyle and ideals were not accepted by the older generation or society at large
All those innocent hearts who imagined their arts
Could be casually mastered
As young artists, we believed that our art was easy to create and master without realizing the hard work and dedication it required
I miss them every one
For the sands of time have run away for each and all
We miss those idealistic and carefree days, which have since passed and can never be recaptured
For it seems that our schemes were impossible dreams
That could never have lasted
In retrospect, we realize that our grand plans and dreams could never have been realized, and were ultimately impossible
For when we woke at last the big parade had passed
And spring had gone its way
When we finally woke up to reality, we saw that the world had moved on without us, leaving us behind
Someone to care, someone to mind
We longed for someone to love and take care of us
We were in love and love is blind
During our youth, we fell in love with idealistic visions of our lives and ourselves, not realizing the stark reality
Now and then I return and the memories burn
With a bittersweet aching
Occasionally, I return to those memories which fill me with both sweet nostalgia and regretful pain
I climb the same old stairs
But no-one longer cares
Although I return to the same places, once filled with life and energy, no one recognizes me nor cares about the past
And there's no-one to greet in the streets where we walked
And the bars where we talked of a world we were making
The streets and bars where we once lived are now empty, devoid of the life we once gave them, and no longer hold meaning for us
I stand upon that hill until I drink my fill
Then leave it all behind
Despite everything, I continue to return to those memories until I have had enough, and then leave them behind once again
Moments of joy, moments of pain
Our memories were filled with both moments of happiness and moments of sadness and pain
Nothing can bring them back again
Despite our nostalgia and longing, those moments and that time cannot be recaptured or brought back
Lyrics © EDITIONS MUSICALES DJANIK
Written by: Charles Aznavour, Jacques Plante
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@freim93
That was a wonderful duet!! Charles saying that he could be Josh's great grandfather! and that Josh's french was perfect. You could see Josh's respect for Charles, who has written over 1000 songs in his lifetime!!!!!
@berdie4josh
I just watched this video...Josh was such a gentleman;I would have stopped the interviewer and asked him to please translate what they were saying-- thought they were a little rude speaking over his head when they knew he didn't understand or speak French- he learned the French for the French songs he sings ( and amazingly well!)
@lumieredusud5392
Merci pour ce post : j'ai pour Josh une admiration sans failles, alors là, accompagnant le grand Charles, c'est un vrai bonheur. Repose en paix, Azna : on te chantera encore longtemps !
@Med749
Aznavour est le seul qui peut decriver la boheme avec ses gestes, son regard et sa voie qui est speciale pour ma boheme. Je ne pense pas quelqu'un d'autre pourra le faire.
@galippinto3965
Decrire .. decriver değil
@MissGeek2000always
wow, 86 years old and still such an enchanting voice!
@janetmeemee
This just shows how hardworking and humble Josh is. Unlike some singers, he will continue to better himself and learn new things. I shall always love you and your music, Josh. Keep up the good work!
@MartaEvans90
Thank You for Your translation. I'm very grateful!
@MariMagdalen
I saw Aznavour back in the 1970's here in the USA - he always wore sneakers with his suit or tuxedo in concert; seeing him here with Josh (who I adore) is just fabulous - such a class act!
@some1tookmynick
Wow, I am so impressed with Josh's French! It's really very, very good. He either speaks it, or he took this duet very seriously and took some pronunciation classes. Or that's just another dimenion of his incredible talent.