Groban worked for Foster as a rehearsal singer on a series of high-profile events, including the California gubernatorial inauguration of Gray Davis and the Grammy Awards at which he rehearsed Foster 's "The Prayer" with Celine Dion in place of Andrea Bocelli. He was accepted into the theater department of Carnegie Mellon University, but put his education on hold when he was offered a recording contract at Warner Bros.
His debut album, Josh Groban , was released in November Over the next year, Groban became a star. His album went double platinum, and he had his own PBS special in November In November , Groban issued his second album, Closer. Two months later, he earned his first number one record when Closer skyrocketed from number 11 to the top spot on the Billboard album charts. It continued charting and selling well, eventually earning a quintuple-platinum certification -- making it the best-selling classical album of the decade.
Three years later, in , Groban released his third studio album, Awake , featuring guest appearances by the vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo and jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. The album nearly equaled its predecessor, earning a double-platinum certification. The holiday-themed Noel appeared in , with Awake Live following in In , Groban decided to mix things up, joining famed producer Rick Rubin for his fifth studio album, the Americana-informed Illuminations.
It charted well, peaking at number four in the U. All That Echoes debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, and Groban sustained his popularity through various cameos on television and movies. Bridges followed in , and included the singles "Granted," "Symphony," and "99 Years," the latter of which was a duet with country singer Jennifer Nettles. In junior high school, he later took a vocal class. Nonetheless, he revealed on his website that he joined because all the other kids were doing it.
So, when his teacher held auditions for students to sing in the school's variety show in seventh grade, it was a watershed moment.
Groban's voice wowed the coach, and he was asked to perform a solo. The song was composed in the s by George and Ira Gershwin, two popular American composers.
Groban's rich voice was showcased, but it did not make him especially famous among kids his age. I'm playing for people who enjoy a wide range of musical styles.
Groban, on the other hand, had a revelation following the results. And that grew into something really significant. He was admitted into the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he pursued musical theatre and performed in several schools' plays to become a professional singer and actor one day.
He didn't expect the opportunity to come sooner than it did. Groban's voice coach, Seth Riggs, was approached by Grammy Award-winning producer and composer David Foster when he was seventeen years old, searching for someone to perform at some upcoming celebrity events.
Several of Riggs' students submitted recordings, but it was Groban's recording that caught Foster's eye. In , the producer told People, "It floored me.
Groban found himself singing in front of an audience of 20, people, and he was very anxious. Celine Dion was scheduled to perform a duet with Andrea Bocelli, an Italian opera singer, at the Grammy Awards a few weeks later. Foster asked Groban to fill in for Bocelli, who was unable to rehearse. Groban initially declined because he had only been given a few hours' notices. When he performed on stage with Dion, he was hailed as a "young man with an impressively grown-up voice.
Foster kept working with Groban and invited him to appear at several high-profile events. Groban piqued the attention of television writer and producer David E. Kelley at one of these gatherings. Groban played Malcolm Wyatt, a nerdy high school senior who sues a classmate for violating their prom date in the show's season finale. Of course, Kelley made sure Groban's singing was an important part of the storey. Thousands of viewers called and wrote the Fox network after the episode aired, inquiring about the promising young newcomer.
Meanwhile, Groban had completed high school and hoped to pursue his studies in musical theatre at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
On the other hand, Foster confronted him with the news that executives from Records, a Foster-Warner Brothers joint venture, were interested in signing a record contract. Groban contemplated his options for a long time before deciding to forego college and pursue a career in music. Record executives were unsure how to treat Groban's debut album at first. Groban's boyish good looks initially led them to believe he could concentrate on pop music.
On the other hand, his classical training inspired them to consider an album that included Italian opera. Finally, Foster stepped in to create Groban's self-titled debut album in , which featured a mix of modern rock and pop tunes and classical music in English, Spanish, and Italian.
In the fast-paced world of MTV, such a mixture was difficult to market, so the record label tried various strategies to promote their new artist. In late , Groban was invited back to appear on an Ally McBeal holiday episode. Album sales exploded due to the media blitz, and Josh Groban Web pages sprung up all over the Internet.
The media blitz, on the other hand, was just getting started. Groban went on to make a slew of public appearances, one of which was particularly memorable in early By an approximate 1. Groban was given a big break in late when he taped a live concert on PBS in December. Groban was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 27, , into a musical family.
A trait echoed in his own music years later, Groban has said that he was drawn to musicians "who decided not to settle into one particular musical style. Groban began singing in 7th grade and later enrolled in the Interlochen Arts Program to concentrate on his voice. As fate would have it, his vocal coach was friends with David Foster, a well-known producer, writer and arranger, and in , Groban and Foster began working together.
At first, Groban served as a rehearsal singer, but the events were not typical for beginners, including the inauguration of California governor Grey Davis and the Grammy Awards. Foster was also instrumental in helping Groban land a recording contract with Warner Bros. After signing with Warner Bros. Groban made his recording debut on the soundtrack for the Steven Spielberg movie A. In November , his eponymous debut album was released, and Groban spent the next year riding a wave of success. In quick succession, the album went double platinum eventually selling in the neighborhood of four million copies , Groban signed on for his own PBS special and he performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.
Another notable appearance was a duet Groban performed with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Salt Lake City Olympics. Two years after his debut album hit, Groban released Closer , which quickly climbed to the top of the Billboard album charts.
0コメント