Josh Groban on his latest album, ‘CINEMATIC’

When you hear the name Josh Groban, you probably think of his soaring voice.

Groban has been performing for massive audiences since his late teens, when he was discovered by producer and composer David Foster. He’s sold millions of records, performed at the Academy Awards and sung at countless benefit concerts and events for world leaders.

You might expect someone with a voice and a career like his to be all business. And while he’s deeply serious about music, as you’ll hear in this conversation, Groban is also funny, warm and remarkably down to earth.

Today, he talks about what it was like to be thrust into the spotlight at such a young age, and why his public image didn’t always reflect who he really was. We also discuss his new album, CINEMATIC, a collection of songs made famous by the movies. He explains how he chose the material, the pressure he felt to do those songs justice, and shares a touching story about bringing his father into the studio to record with him.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Kimberly Junod.  Our digital producer is Miguel Perez. World Cafe‘s engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.