Josh Groban
Josh Groban (born February 27, 1981, Los Angeles, California, U.S.) is an American popular singer and actor recognized for his novel blending of contemporary and classical musical styles.
Groban did not study voice seriously until his teens, when he became active in musical theatre at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. In late 1998 he was introduced to Grammy-winning producer David Foster, who hired Groban to sing at a number of events, and Groban soon received a recording contract from Warner Brothers. Concerned that Groban’s singing—often in Italian—defied easy categorization, his promoters organized a series of performances on TV news and talk shows, as well as two guest spots on the popular series Ally McBeal. The appearances, which capitalized on the singer’s onstage magnetism, fueled sales of his first album, Josh Groban (2001). Produced by Foster, the album blended pop with classical songs, showcasing Groban’s rich baritone voice and romantic sensibility. His continuing performances at high-profile media events, including the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, extended Groban’s international appeal.
Groban’s subsequent albums included Josh Groban in Concert (2002), which was recorded live during an appearance on the public TV series Great Performances; Closer (2003), which featured more original compositions, as well as performances by such guest artists as classical violinist Joshua Bell; and Awake (2006), which included collaborations with the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. In 2007 Groban’s Noël, a collection of Christmas songs, became the top-selling album of the year in the United States. While continuing to adhere to a traditional pop style on the albums Illuminations (2010) and All That Echoes (2013), he worked with producers typically associated with harder-edged fare, including, on the former release, Rick Rubin. Groban’s later albums included Stages (2015), a collection of classic songs from musicals, and Bridges (2018), which features duets with such performers as Andrea Bocelli and Sarah McLachlan. For his ninth studio album, Harmony (2020), Groban covered a diverse range of songs. He headlined concert versions of the 1980s musical Chess on Broadway (2003) and at London’s Royal Albert Hall (2008).
In 2011 Groban made his film debut, portraying a sleazy lawyer in the comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love., and his later movies included Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and The Hollars (2016). He also continued to occasionally work on TV, appearing in such shows as The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Parks and Recreation. In 2018 Groban portrayed a by-the-rules detective in the TV comedy series The Good Cop opposite Tony Danza, who played his shady former police officer dad.
Groban made his acting debut on Broadway in 2016, starring in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, a pop opera inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. For his performance as a melancholy aristocrat, Groban received a Tony Award nomination. In 2023 he starred in a critically acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The musical, which is set in Victorian London, centres on a murderous barber who, with the help of a loca baker, devises a macabre plan for revenge. In addition, Groban cohosted (with Sara Bareilles) the Tony Award ceremony in 2018.