Closer Than Ever
Sioux City Journal
February 16, 2005
When Josh Groban sang “Believe” for the soundtrack of “The Polar Express,” he had no idea he’d be on the fast track to the Oscars.
Now, he’s in the mix with Beyonce and Counting Crows, expected to be one of the show’s entertainment highlights later this month.
Pressure? “It’s very exciting,” he says by phone. “But it’s pretty nerve-racking, too. The Oscars reaches likes a billion people. When you do something as huge as that you never know what’s going to happen.”
Groban did, after all, get one of his big brushes with success by performing with Celine Dion during rehearsals for the 1999 Grammy Awards. Dion was slated to perform “The Prayer” with Andrea Bocelli, but the acclaimed tenor was unable to get out of Germany due to poor weather conditions. Friend David Foster suggested Groban, who didn’t think he could hit the song’s higher notes. Foster, however, was confident, insisting no one would be at the rehearsal, so it wouldn’t matter.
Instead, plenty of celebrities filled the front rows. Rosie O’Donnell saw him and invited him on her show. From there, it was just a matter of time. “It was very exciting,” he says of the experience.
It also pointed up a cardinal Groban rule: Be prepared.
“There’s a moment where luck meets preparation,” he says. “People assume there was a silver platter put out in front of me. But there were so many situations he (Foster) put me in if I didn’t kick butt I wouldn’t be here.”
Foster first heard of Groban when he asked a music teacher to recommend someone to sing at the inauguration of California Gov. Grey Davis. Groban got the call and wowed ‘em.
“When I went back to my hotel room with my dad, I said, ‘Something happened tonight. I can’t explain it. I know I’m going back to school tomorrow, but this is going to do something for me. I met somebody who is going to change my life.’”
Foster proved to be the ideal mentor. He pushed and prodded Groban. “He took a young kid who was not experienced, didn’t know what he was doing, and said, ‘Here, look, you can do it. I can guide you through it.’ He’s the first support.”
Now, Groban sees the Grammy-winning producer as the engineer of his success. He helped craft the image Groban has. He’s leading him into arenas that will spell longevity, not instant stardom.
“American Idol,” Groban says, provides a similar boost but “music comes second, TV personality comes first. Yes, eventually you become a musician, but you’re a reality TV star and that’s not what I want. There’s the whole spectacle of ‘American Idol.’ Besides, more people tune in to watch the people who are bad.”
Nonetheless, Groban is keen to see how this year’s contestants fare — one of his best friends is in the hunt. “I strongly believe there needs to be an open door in this business and that show does that.”
Ironically, few know the “real” Josh Groban — the guy who likes video games, watching movies and “vegging out at home.” He’s not the maudlin romantic fans may believe. Indeed, he says with a laugh, “I don’t cry on stage. I’ve got to be the leader. Sure, I sing very emotional songs that have made a visceral connection with the fans, but everything isn’t slow and somber.”
Concerts, he says, give fans a chance to see the Josh friends know. “When I get out on stage, it’s 110 percent Josh.”
The hidden Josh? The one fans don’t always see? He’s the guy who dates actress January Jones and longs for the day when he can go back to school (he dropped out of Carnegie Mellon to begin his career) just to hang out with friends.
Jones, in fact, shares the same family values as Groban. The two met at a Hollywood party. “We were both alone, wading through all the craziness. We realized we have so many interests that it started as a casual family conversation and grew into a relationship.”
While he doesn’t sing to her at home, “she knows at a show, I’m always singing to her.”
Eventually, he says, he’d love to do a Broadway musical — something that would combine acting and music, his two career loves. “New York calls to me.”
First, though, he has that Oscar date — which lands on his 24th birthday.
“You pick music that speaks to you,” he says of the nominated song. “And then you do the best you can with it. Hopefully, the audience finds it...and then something like this happens. It’s very exciting, but it’s not why you record songs.
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