Josh Groban

Fresh out of his high school choir, 17-year-old Josh Groban, born February 27, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, was plucked from obscurity by producer/composer David Foster to duet at the 1999 Grammy Awards with Celine Dion as a replacement for the unwell opera singer Andrea Bocelli. From that point there was no looking back as Groban's self-titled debut album broke into the US top 10, buoyed by his guest appearances on hit TV show Ally McBeal. Mixing classical opera with crooning pop standards, Groban's rich, powerful voice has led to him performing at the Superbowl, the Academy Awards and even for the Pope at the Vatican. Propelled by an army of loyal fans, Closer (2003) and Awake (2007) reached number 1 and number 2, respectively, in the US charts taking his album sales to over 20 million. Closer spawned his most successful single to date, “You Raise Me Up”, which earned him a Grammy nomination as Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. 2007's Noël saw him top the charts once more, and Illuminations (2010) reaching number 4, All That Echoes (2013) and Stages (2015) continued his hot streak for charting albums. In 2018 he released his eighth LP, Bridges. Between collaborations with the likes of Barbra Streisand, Placido Domingo and Nelly Furtado, he also found time to set up the Josh Groban Foundation charity and became an ambassador for Nelson Mandela's 4664 campaign to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Africa. He returned in 2020 with Harmony, which featured duets with Sara Bareilles and gospel superstar Kirk Franklin.