Josh Groban Artistfacts

February 27, 1981
Josh Groban rose to prominence in the early 2000s and became the top-selling male pop artist of the decade, with album sales of over 20 million (rappers Eminem and Jay-Z sold more). He is known for his rich, classically trained voice and his wide range of music, which includes classical, pop, and adult contemporary.
Groban grew up in Los Angeles and showed a talent for the performing arts from a very early age. Initially drawn to acting, he turned his attention to singing with the encouragement of his vocal coach. He was introduced to Grammy-winning producer David Foster who helped launch Groban's career. He chose to pursue music as a career rather than complete his degree at Carnegie Mellon University, which he attended for a short time.
His self-titled debut album, released in November 2001, features songs in the classical tradition, many sung in Italian. His follow-up album, Closer, includes the single "You Raise Me Up," which was nominated for a Grammy Award. He received another Grammy nomination in 2009, this one for his holiday music album, Noel.
Groban's legion of fans calls themselves Grobanites. They buy his albums and scream his name in concert, and they often join together to raise money for Josh Groban's Find Your Light Foundation, which supports arts education. They were instrumental in getting Groban to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004. With Oprah behind him, Groban's popularity and sales increased greatly. After going on Oprah to promote Noel, sales of the album shot up by 81%.
Groban did not give up on his dreams of being an actor; he has taken roles in Ally McBeal, Glee, The Office, and the film Crazy Stupid Love.
He sang at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, reaching a worldwide audience of close to a billion.
Michael Bublé is often pegged as the Groban's great rival. However, Josh disclosed to The Daily Telegraph that they're great pals, partly because they share a similarly irreverent approach to their job. "He's got this killer voice and he's just a complete goofball," Groban said. "It's why we became friends. I love that. There's more room for that."
He dated Katy Perry in the late '00s. Her song "The One That Got Away" is about him.
It seems Josh Groban can't stop crooning; he even sings while he's sleeping. Groban explained during a guest hosting gig on Live with Kelly and Ryan that he uses an app to record himself. "I have a sleep talk app, and it clicks on when it hears you talking in your sleep and it will record you and then it's like a little surprise in the morning."
Josh Groban got his big break when, at age 17, he stood in for an absent Andrea Bocelli at a Grammy rehearsal in 1999, singing "The Prayer" alongside Celine Dion. The performance left the industry-packed room stunned, leading Rosie O'Donnell to book him on her talk show and set him on the path to becoming a multi-Platinum recording artist.