Blurring the Boundaries
Costco Connection
November/December 2004
By Michael Evans
Diversity of styles showcase singer Josh Groban’s broad range
He’s performed with diva Celine Dion. Guested on a hit TV series. Worked with an international array of contemporary and classical music stars. He sang at the Olympics and the Super Bowl and even the inauguration of a recent California governor. Sold 5 million records. And, showing that he’s really made it, taped an episode of MTV’s celebrity home show, Cribs.
Not bad for someone who’s all of 23 years old. But seriously, Josh Groban – what do you really want to be when you grow up?
“A fireman,” cracks the classical crossover sensation during a phone conversation during an off day on his recent first-ever world concert tour.
No matter what he grows up to be, Groban has chalked up a remarkable array of accomplishments, credits worthy of stars two or three times his age. To think that, not so long ago, the Los Angeles-born wunderkind was just another aspiring high-school thespian with a love of musical theater. Higher education beckoned him to the drama program at prestigious Carnegie Mellon College in Pittsburgh. A fortuitous introduction by his vocal coach to Grammy Award-winning pop producer/composer David Foster (Whitney Houston, Chicago) led to Groban dropping out and being signed to the music-biz heavyweight’s Warner Music-distributed label.
Talk about the classic celebrity legend: young man, big voice, good looks, chance discovery, overnight sensation. One can make the argument that Josh Groban is a very lucky young man living a dream come true.
But there’s certainly much more to his success than just being at the right place at the right time. That voice, for example. A wondrous instrument – enormous, warm and enveloping, well prepared to interpret the cream of the classic operatic and contemporary song canon. His breakthrough 2001 guest-star turn on the Fox TV dramedy Ally McBeal, rendering his hit ballad “You’re Still You,” was stunningly heartfelt, a poignant display of his emotive prowess. Groban’s talent appears to transcend his physical being, constantly amazing listeners with how he manages to get a Superman voice out of such an unassuming Clark Kent physique.
Even those who wouldn’t be caught dead with classical or show tunes on their iPod can’t help but be impressed by Groban’s gifts. His studio recordings, the brash self-titled 2001 debut and his latest release, Closer, are confident collections that build a sturdy 21st-century bridge between the vibrant classical and pop music worlds.
“After the success of the first album you never know what you’re going to come up with,” Groban says of Closer, “but the creative ball just started rolling. It’s a new path, but not completely. It felt like a little bit of the past and a little bit of the future.”
One of the new creative avenues that Groban is particularly interested in exploring is songwriting. Though he’s made a name interpreting the works of others – Foster, film music giant Ennio Morricone, not to mention Bach – he’s excited about the prospect of perhaps being known as Josh Groban, songwriter, someday as well.
“It has been a dream of mine to write, especially when you hear other songs that are just not me,” he says, noting a diverse who’s who of songwriting inspirations, Paul Simon, Leonard Bernstein and alternative-music icon Bjork among them. “My three songs on the new album are my favorites – I may be biased – but it felt like so much deeper of a creative process, and it gave me an opportunity to take a risk that I wasn’t sure I wanted to take, but I took it anyway.”
Groban especially was thrilled with the result of his collaboration on Closer with French world-music travelers Deep Forest. The atmospheric, poly-ethnic and Peter Gabriel-influenced “Never Let Go” is one of the album’s highlights.
Following Groban’s every creative move is a fervent and committed fan base. While they may not have a secret handshake, they do have a clubhouse that spans the Internet. These so-called “Grobanites” are true believers, devoted to their young hero. And the affection is mutual.
“They’re just extremely passionate and energetic people. Not only are they incredible fans, but they’re great humanitarians. They use the music to raise money for charity,” Groban says. “I just try to stay in contact with them as much as possible, to honestly let them know how important the connection with them is.”
Although he isn’t likely to fully abandon the pop/classical song stylings that have brought him success, Groban is itching to grow artistically, eager to explore a broader palette of the world’s music. He’s confident that his devoted audience will take the risk also.
“I hope that five or 10 years down the road, I [won’t] feel that I’m pigeonholed to one specific thing,” he muses. “I would feel very blessed to blur some boundaries and get people to come to shows and say, ‘I didn’t really know what to expect, but I really liked it.’”
The Costco Connection: Josh Groban’s release, Closer, is available at most Costco locations.
(Michael Evans is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. He always wanted to be a writer when he grew up…or the president of a record company.)
HOME