Fort Lauderdale Magazine: Hi there, Josh. What a pleasure. How are you?
Josh Groban: I’m doing well. Thanks for having me.
FLMag: I’ll start with your powerful singing voice, which has been part of so many people’s lives for 25 years. When you step on stage now, what still surprises you about that connection?
JG: A couple of things surprise me. One, it surprises me just how relevant these songs feel year after year, decade after decade, sometimes how naturally the songs fit into the world we live in every time I tour, and also just how wonderful it feels to sing them, even if I’ve done them for many years. And the other thing that surprises me is, generationally, just how many members of the family keep coming to the show.
FLMag: It sure is. You balance music, writing, theater and even some acting. Oh, and of course, that funny side of you that nobody knows [laughs]. How is Broadway different from the rest? And was that your dream?
JG: Well, Broadway was the first dream, actually. Going into a music career was kind of a surprise. When I took on the music business, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to return to that community. So to be able to do two shows that I love as much as “Great Comet” and “Sweeney Todd” [and] to have been embraced so fully by that community, [has] just been a total dream come true.
FLMag: You reached sudden stardom at age 17. Can you walk me through all of that and how it progressed?
JG: I was a kid that really needed the arts to discover who I am and to express myself. [I am] such a proponent of arts education because arts education really made me who I am. It helped me discover this wonderful path of expression for myself and then, of course, being discovered at such a young age was like being shot out of a cannon, to have gone from being an art student to being on some of the biggest stages in the world in the matter of a couple of years.
FLMag: Your first time on a big stage was with Celine Dion, correct?
JG: Well, that was a really big starting point for me: getting that call to sing with her when I was very young, and then it was a domino effect from that point on to a lot of incredible opportunities and a lot of big stages with incredible icons that I got to share the stage with. And that, in itself, was a great education, but honestly, starting so young, I think I had to kind of grow into it with my confidence for it all to catch up with me a little bit later down the road.
FLMag: From five Grammy nominations to a Tony-nominated run on Broadway, you’ve crossed so many classical, creative lanes. What has surprised you most about the journey?
JG: I think what surprised me the most about the journey is that no matter how many things I’ve been lucky enough to do where I felt so fulfilled, I always find things to keep me excited and scared in all the right ways. I think that if I were to talk to myself 25 years ago, I would have said, well, you know, 25 years from now, you might be feeling kind of tired, or you might be feeling like maybe you’ve done all you need to do. And I think the thing that surprises me most is that I wake up every day feeling like, ‘what’s next? What can I do to expand my horizons? What can I do to make my stand?’ I think the best surprise is that no matter how long I’ve done this, I feel just as excited to tackle something new as I did the first day I started doing this.
FLMag: That’s wonderful. What continues to drive you at this point and are there goals that you’re eager to reach?
JG: I always want to keep improving my voice. I always want to keep making sure I’m singing songs that continue to resonate with me in this very divided world. I think that continuing to be in front of audiences and to share our humanity together through music is something that I feel is more needed now. Every song is a different challenge. Every acting role is a different challenge. Every Broadway show is a different challenge. So even though they all fall kind of under the same category, each time I do [one], it is a totally unique experience and draws from a different part of me. It’s always wonderful to have something I love put in front of me. It’s the best job in the world.
FLMag: Do your old songs create new meanings as time goes by?
JG: I often say that sometimes singing my first song now is so much more meaningful to me as a 45-year-old than it was when I was a 19-year-old, because I’m singing about these grand emotions of love, loss and the human experience that I hadn’t experienced much at the time. I didn’t understand those feelings. Others were connecting with the song, but I didn’t know those stories personally. And so now, 25 years later, to be able to sing that music with very real stories to draw from–very real experiences and emotions–makes those songs so much richer and deeper.
FLMag: Speaking of “As Time Goes By,” your breathtaking new album, “Cinematic,” was released on May 8. Congratulations! I loved hearing your voice sing that song.
JG: Oh, I so appreciate it. We knew we wanted to start the album with that song, because just from those opening chords, it evokes, for me, the feeling of the lights going down, the camera slipping on, the curtains rising. We wanted that kind of real escapism to be front and center as the album started.
FLMag: These songs never go out of style. What other songs will it feature?
JG: “Moon River,” [which] I got to perform with my dad, who plays trumpet on it [and] who’s going to be turning 80 this summer. Another collaboration I love a lot is Jennifer Hudson and [me] doing “Unchained Melody.” There’s also “Stand By Me,” which is the classic song I did as a tribute to my friend Rob Reiner. Every song we chose really had a very specific message and meaning. And I hope you enjoy the rest.
FLMag: You also received your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 6. That’s such an iconic honor.
JG: I know—I feel so fortunate. I grew up in Los Angeles and as a kid walking down that sidewalk, reading all the names and seeing all the legends, I just can’t believe I have a star there. Hopefully, my kids and grandkids can walk over and see it. It’s a really cool honor. I’m very excited for it.
FLMag: What’s going through your mind when you think about all this and just how fortunate you are?
JG: I think back to all the things that brought me here. I’m so excited that I’m able to share these moments with my family, my two-year-old nephew and to be able to have my parents still with me. [If] I had told the kid that got signed at 17 that all these years later, you’d still be doing it, and you’d be honored in this way, I think I’m glad he didn’t know, because it builds character to have to go through a lot of tough moments, but I’m full of gratitude.
FLMag: You’re also back on stage now and just wrapped up the “Gems” tour, performing in 14 different places.
JG: Probably even more than that—all of Asia, Australia and all of Europe.
FLMag: Did you just get back from that?
JG: And we just got back from that. Then we embark on our tour this month, coming very close to you, in fact, with Jennifer Hudson. It’s going to be a really amazing show.
FLMag: You’re kicking off the North American tour with Jennifer Hudson, which will be amazing. And then in the fall, you’ll return to Las Vegas.
JG: That’s right, yeah, [I’m] going back to the Coliseum, one of my favorite places to perform. We are doing this one-of-a-kind show there, and it’s very fun. Can’t wait to return.
FLMag: Is there anything you haven’t been asked lately that you wish someone would ask you that you want to share?
JG: Speaking of film music, one thing I would love to do at some point is to compose for a film or TV show and just write music in service of something on screen. It’s something I think I’d really enjoy doing beyond singing the songs. Of course, I love film music, and I think that it would be a real joy and a real educational experience to dive into that world even further.
FLMag: Well, you have a powerful, magnificent voice. In addition to all of this, you founded the Find Your Light Foundation to expand access to art education, and $1.5 million was donated. Is that correct?
JG: That’s right, yeah, hundreds of programs. As a product of arts education myself, to be able to give back in that way and make sure that these programs are staying afloat at a time when a lot of those programs are getting cut very drastically—I know firsthand how powerful access to the arts is for the development of a young person—it’s a privilege to be able to help these programs through Find Your Light. I’m so grateful for all the fans that have donated to this organization. Over the last many years, we’ve been able to give millions.
FLMag: Josh, you’ve achieved so much. I just wish you continued success, and most importantly, good health.
JG: Thanks for being so great and for the great questions.
FLMag: This was really lovely. Thank you so much for your time. Bye, bye, Josh.
JG: Bye.
