Josh Groban on how 20 years of stardom has affected his outlook on life and music

Very few artists have a career as expansive as Josh Groban’s. Touching on adult contemporary, rock, musical theater and several genres in between, the multi-platinum singer-songwriter’s mid-aughts popularity has made him a household name without cornering his work into a watered-down, radio-friendly box – in recent years receiving nominations for Tony Awards, Emmys and Grammys.

Ahead of his visit to Riverbend on Saturday, June 18, I spoke to Groban about his young success, his expansive career influences and how 20 years of stardom has affected his outlook on music and life.

Updated: Cincinnati's FULL 2022 concert calendar 🎸

It's almost summer: Check out these free outdoor concerts 🎵

Q: You had what could be described as a meteoric rise to fame. How have you stayed grounded throughout your career despite so many great opportunities?

A: I was pretty young when it happened, too. At the time, I viewed it as kind of annoying. I had to be on all the time vocally and sing challenging music. I never had an opportunity to lay back because there was always another high-pressure thing I had to have my voice ready for. That kept the party at bay for me – and all of the trappings that would normally come from that kind of rise. But when I look back at it, maybe I wouldn't have had the work ethic that I have now. So I'm grateful that it was difficult because it was good training for longevity.

Q: Your voice toes the line between that pop sound and musical theater. How have these two forms of performance, and your ability to swim between them, affected your career decisions?

A: My influences growing up were split, too. I was a teenager in the '90s, so I grew up with some of the best rock music ever. I loved world music. I grew up listening to those great baritone theater singers. David Foster taught me early that you can have a traditionally trained voice, and you can find ways to use those other influences to write your own playbook.

All of those weird influences – they were kind of confusing to writers early on in my career – but it allowed me to dip into all those different worlds. Sometimes I make an album that's got more of a pop influence. Sometimes I'll make an album where I just want to use all of the traditional training I've had to use to interpret songs.

I used to limit myself a lot when I was younger ... There came a point where I said to myself, if I could find a way to do all those things intelligently in a way that stays honest, and stays within my comfort zone, and moves people, then I’m going to do it.

Q: You released your first album 20 years ago, and recently released "Harmony." How do you think your approach to song choices and your songwriting has evolved over the past two decades?

A: I like singing the songs from my first album more now than I did then. On my first album, I was just a teenager, and I sang about these giant, grand emotions. I was acting a bit because I didn't know what heartbreak felt like at that age. I didn't know what loss felt like, and what love felt like.

I really try to find songs that reflect the headspace that I'm in at the time. Making "Harmony" – we were all going through it. There were songs that I thought I was going to sing at the beginning of the process that, eight months into this new quarantine, I wasn’t feeling anymore. I'm suddenly feeling like calling Sara Bareilles and saying, I think it's time for "Both Sides Now." And she's saying, I think it's time for "Both Sides Now."

Joni Mitchell re-recorded “Both Sides Now” with that beautiful Vince Mendoza arrangement. I watched her performance on Letterman – a stunning reinterpretation of her own song that reflects those two sides of the coin that she was talking about. That's the thing that makes those songs so special. They continue to be relevant no matter how many generations pass.

Q: Describe how you choose accompanists. How involved are you in the production of your music?

A: I'm about as hands-on as I can be without taking the reins as producer. It's good to have somebody to keep you going and keep a fire under you. The great producers, the great directors, whatever it is, are also great motivators. That said, I like to be really involved, of course, all the way through the final master. We're crafting it together.

Once you get to know the dynamic and the singular identity that each of these arrangers have, the way that they craft orchestrations, they all have their own style. You can hear in your head how they might do it. And when it starts to come out of the speakers the way you envision it, there's just nothing better.

Q: How did you connect with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band? What makes them a good fit for your upcoming tour?

A: I think the first time I saw them perform was when I was a camper at the Interlocken Arts Academy In Michigan. This was soul-charging music. I like my shows to be eclectic – an evening of music that people can walk away feeling like they got a lot of inspiration from a lot of different places. The combination of having Pres Hall, having Eleri Ward, whose voice is going to blow people away, and my friend Lucia Micarelli, who's a virtuosic violinist and singer, coming out with us – it felt like the perfect fit.

Josh Groban: Harmony Tour with Preservation Hall Jazz Band

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Josh Groban Harmony Tour stops at Riverbend Music Center