I am Josh Groban. Singer. Musician. Actor. Ask me anything.

Hi Josh,

I am asking this for my girlfriend, who does not use reddit:

Will you marry me? (Josh, please say no, I'm barely hanging on as it is)

What is a normal day in the life of Josh Groban like? (Josh I swear to God if you put something like "Tend to my quokka farm" I am gonna be so pissed off I said I was hanging by a thread)

Also I would like to mention that I am a huge fan. (She is. Every time I visit her I have to look at your face on the giant poster she has up)

First answer to an unbelievable genius. Hi to your girlfriend. I'd be happy to marry her. My day consists of destroying my alarm clock for getting me up at the crack of noon, having a nice bowl of go lean crunch because i'm healthy like that, do some emails, comb my quokka (just one), and go make sweet sweet music.

Hey Josh--long time fan, first time asker. Here's my question:

Your musical renditions of Kanye West's tweets were hilarious. If you could give the same treatment to another celebrity's tweets, who would that be?

Thanks for doing this. Can't wait to see your concert in Seattle in October!

Hey joker...thanks I had a blast writing melodies to Kanye's twitter (accidental?) brilliance. And a big thanks for Kimmel for setting that up. I think if I could do it again I'd probably go with my pal @williamshatner who's brilliance is anything but accidental.

THANK YOU for all the awesome questions. hope you had fun. would love to do this again soon sometime. bye bye

Who'd win a cage match between you, Michael Buble, and 1973 Michael Crawford?

Probably 1992 me, because I was an orange belt in karate and studied the ninja turtles a ton.

Hi Josh,

I was just wondering what it was like working with Tim and Eric. Your rendition of Bang Bang Cops and Robbers had me in tears. There's something about a great voice singing a really silly song that just gets me. I've seen almost every small role you've had in TV and film and I think you have a bright future in comedy if you stick with it.

Thanks for doing this!

Hey thanks! Love Tim and Eric. Met those guys through mutual friend Ben Folds when i was in Ben's music vid. It was an honor to sing poor dead Casey's songs. But they're my songs now. GREAT JOB!

Hey Josh.

A few years ago, I saw you hosting the UK panel show show Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and you were hilarious. Would you consider hosting your own panel show?

Thanks! I loved hosting Buzzcocks and I actually found myself really unexpectedly loving hosting. Did it a bunch in the states too with Kelly Ripa who's lovely. the hosting job is very time consuming but its actually a goal to find a way to keep doing it in the future. thanks for asking

When will you be on Saturday Night Live????

As soon as I bribe someone enough for Lorne Michael's email address. I will then send him my name, age, and some snippets of things I've done. I will then ask him to give an unknown kid from LA a chance on his big tv show. fingers crossed.

Josh, would you consider my hand in marriage? I can bring seven sheep and four cattle to the match.

I've already agreed to marry someone's girlfriend earlier in this chat. Early unfaithful bird gets the home wrecker worm!

Josh Groban. Just thought I'd let you know, no homo, YOU RAISE ME UUUUUUUUPPP

Edit: Grammar

2nd Edit: holy shit he replied

thanks bud. hopefully your team will get better.

Hey Josh! Sooo looking forward to your concert in Phoenix next month!

My question ends with a plea. Have you heard of Lindsey Stirling? She's a dubstep violinist who is taking the electronic music world by storm. My question is, would you ever consider a collaboration with her? Your voice and her talent would make a beautiful music baby :D

I'm a big fan of Lindsey's! Her videos are really cool too. Have you seen the Game Of Thrones one she did? Would love to collab sometime.

Did you ever see the episode of The Simpsons where Lisa and a schizophrenic English girl make up a world called "Equalia" and your songs were frequently played there? If so, what did you think of that episode?

haha I did see that. I know some folks at the Simpsons and they told me before hand they were making that episode. I'm COMPLETELY HONORED that Lisa called herself a hardcore Grobanite. And equally honored that groundskeeper willie stuck guns in his ears when he heard me. To be loved AND spoofed on the Simpsons is the kind of love you don't forget.

JOSH! What is the secret to those glossy locks?

ketchup and baby tears

What is, according to your brother, your most annoying habit?

My brother is the coolest person I know. I've always been flying off the walls and he's always been calm and collected. The other day he was driving and I was just doing 15 minutes straight of annoying voices and made up languages. He said "someone's discovered the sound of their own voice today."

What is your favorite TV or online show?

Breaking Bad. How great was Aaron Paul's AMA??

CHESS. if you are really working on bringing Chess back to Broadway, please please please drop the history of chess and add a beautiful, stirring, wonderful love song. the passion needs to be punched up!! :) What are the odds this will happen? show and song. ... love this musical and you own Anatoly.

Thanks for bringing up Chess! One of the all time great shows and NEVER got the fair chance for a staged storyline that the music has always deserved. Many ways to go with this. I've loved playing Anatoly and I'm always talking with Tim Rice about ways to bring it back (the right way). hoping for 2014 sometime but that probably means 2016. we'll see. And, come on. There are SO MANY stirring love songs in that show! let them have History Of Chess. ;)

What was it like to be an (in-character) ass to Ed Helms, being that he seems like one of the nicest guys ever?

Ed Helms IS the nicest guy ever. Super funny obviously but also a really talented musician. He was playing guitar and singing the whole time we were on set. Was fun to play his brother and, side note, was fun (as a breaking bad fan) to be named Walter Jr on The Office.

Ask the closest person next to you what you smell like.

my friend Doug said i am a vibrant cornucopia of sandalwood and leather, with hints of turkey meatballs and axe deodorant. who wants to hug me.

How did the approach from the It's Always Sunny crew go? Did you watch the show before they asked you to appear in an episode?

I've always watched the show! Honestly couldn't stop laughing at the episode where sweet Dee is obsessed with me. After making Coffee Town with Glenn Howerton (who's such a great and talented guy) it was a given that I had to come make an appearance on this season. Stay tuned!

Let's be honest, are you secretly a redditor? ;)

Secretly?? My most common phrase every day is "seen it already."

Hi Josh! If you could play any role in any movie who would you be?

I would love to play a french sniper with Natalie Portman.

[deleted]

Music- heavy metal

food- any and all kinds of cheese.

hobbies- legos

Loved your episode of Nerdist.

Ever thought of doing your own podcast?

Thank you very kindly, Space ship in my pants. you took the reddit name I wanted but i forgive you. I'm a big fan of Nerdist and everything Chris Hardwick does. I don't think I have the patience for my own podcast but there are a few I'd like to be a guest on. Marc Maron's is another fav.

Singer, musician, actor, comedian, lover... which one word describes you best?

Singiciantorian. or lover.

How does it feel like to have the voice of an angel?

SO MUCH RESPONSIBILITY!! good thing i have the mind of the devil. mwa ha ha.

You've said before that you wanted to get a tattoo, if you were to get one what would it be and where would you get it? (tattoos are fun, I have nine.)

I still don't have one which makes me think maybe I shouldn't get one. I know me and I'll start with some tiny thing and end up a member of the Yakuza. Maybe one day. Before I start sagging.

Hey Josh! I'm a big fan of your music. If you could choose to perform a duet with someone who's alive or dead, who would you choose?

thanks! i've been so fortunate to have sung with so many of my heroes...sometimes very much in the realm of what I do and sometimes really out of the box collabs. My favorites sometimes are the ones that on paper don't really make sense but the combo of voices is surprisingly good. I'd love to sing with Bjork, would have loved to sing with Pavarotti, and I'd like to do a free form improvisational dramatic scene with Mandy Patinkin. With singing.

Do you like it when fans get up and dance during your concert? Does it give you more energy?

Good question!! I always love to see the audience get into it. Dancing is always great to see. As long as the person behind you isn't going "seriously? this is a ballad."

What is your opinion of the use of "You Raise Me Up" in this video?

OH MY GOD. laughing. crying. mostly crying. calling shrink. must be art. so i'm cool with it.

Josh! Your Twitter account is just about my favorite thing on the internet (here's the list: 1. grumpy cat 2. any videos involving tiny horses 3. Monty Python GIFS 4. Josh Groban's Twitter account)

What is the relationship between you, your career, and your twitter? Are you YOU on twitter, or some slightly different bizarro Groban that the public sees? How does it (or doesn't it) reflect the ideas, attitudes, and emotions expressed in your music?

In short, I'm curious what you think Twitter's role is in your life. Thanks very much, Mister!

thanks miss! I was actually kinda resistant to twitter when it first came out. Then I realized it was a great way to be myself in a different way and in small doses. I'm definitely my weirdest self on twitter. 30% me. Its a great outlet to show the non-serious side. We're all incredibly strange in our own ways. LET IT OUT.

Josh, I love your political views, even when you offend a few fans you still stay true to your beliefs.

sometimes its a fine line between sharing what you believe in and also understanding the universality of the art that you're putting out there. you never want to silence yourself but you also want to keep yourself a little bit neutral because the most important thing is the connective tissue of the music. but thank you.

This is the most ridiculous question ever.

I've been listening to your music for about 3 months now. Constantly. Everyday. Every hour. Seriously. Don't get me wrong, it's great, lovely and fabulous but I love music and it's getting a bit annoying that you've captured my music world.

Any suggestion what should I do with that? What will you recommend to listen to instead?

Hugs and best wishes from Poland,

Agnieszka

PS I especially love your italian songs. I'm humming E ti promettero right now. I want to learn italian now and I'm into italian opera too. I'm going to see Tosca this month, ;)

I'm sorry for your sudden affliction with my music. Keep listening. All day. Every day. Every hour. Eventually you will develop a tolerance and feel better about your new obsession. GOOD LUCK!

If a big fan looked at your iTunes collection, what would be the most surprising find? As in, what do you listen to that a fan would never expect?

Banana Phone by Rafi.

When you get your pilot's license where do you want to fly first? If you could fly overseas, where would you go?

my first goal is just up. that would be great. then down. safely. after that I have no clue currently.

Hey, Josh!

Huge fan, thanks for the AMA. I know you were a drama student before going into recording, I was wondering who your theater idols were growing up and the role theater plays in your career today.

Thanks!

Yeah I went to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) in downtown LA and studied theater there and was at Carnegie Mellon briefly getting my BA in Musical Theater before I got signed. Grew up idolizing people like Brian Stokes Mitchel, Mandy Patinkin, George Hearn, Audra Mcdonald, etc...been extremely fun meeting and working with these heroes and being welcomed into that community that I respect so much.

First things first: I absolutely LOVE your voice. My school actually did a rendition of "Believe" during our winter concert!

Anyways, at what age did you discover your God-given talent?

thank you matt...always cool to hear that my songs are being sung in arts programs in schools. I was super shy about singing until I was about 15. It took a teacher in my highschool to push me to the front and get me out of my comfort zone. I was then signed at 17 so it was a quick and wild ride from that point out. keep it up

What was the last book you read?

John Steinbeck's Travels With Charlie...loved it. Dog lovers unite.

Hi Josh, love your work.

My question is: how do you find a balance between contemporary (i.e. modern) and still stay true to old classical roots in music? I know that some critics don't understand this. I am curious.

Also out of curiosity, what is your favorite work of fiction? (you seem like a LOTR guy.)

P.S. Your hair is incredible.

a really good question and one that I constantly grapple with when i'm making music and using my voice. I influences are all across the board and many are really rooted in contemporary music but i definitely have a voice that is more of a traditional sound. I guess from day one I decided that the in between of those worlds could work to my advantage. I was lucky that I had a team around me that let me be me, let me ignore the trends and the hype of whats hot at the moment and just do my thing. Critics have come around too which is cool. Just keeping my head down and always going for the "goose bump test".

crap. i'm typing fast. sorry for the typos!

Do you see any difference in the attitude of the audience during concerts in Australia&New Zealand, in Europe and the summer concerts in the U.S.?

usually when you have summer concerts and especially if they're outdoors theres plenty of alcohol being poured into little plastic cups. I'd never require a 2 drink minimum for a show but it DOESNT HURT. The Australia New Zealand audiences take a minute to warm up but I think its a respect thing, they sit tight until the end which is nice. Europe it really depends on the country. The great thing about the touring is you see through all the differences in language, culture, location, and (even when singing in many different languages) you see a real similar connection. Its probably the coolest factor of what i do.

Have you ever thought about doing stand up?

Its already terrifying going up and doing something i'm actually good at. I don't think i have the stomach for that kind of punishment. I'll stick to twitter and funny bits.

Dear Josh Groban,

I love your music. "You are loved" and "Brave" make me so happy. I've been influenced by a lot of your stuff and I was wondering what artists/bands/songs/genres influence you.

I love you!

thanks zoe...growing up I listened to voices that really had a pathos...I wasn't interested in "perfect" i was interested in voices I could instantly recognize and had a nuance that gave me chills. Now I listen to everything as long as i feel its pushing the needle and challenging me. They say entertainers give you what you want and artists give you what you didn't know you wanted. I'm inspired by those who give me the latter.

This isn't a question, I just want to tell you that you're my favourite Never Mind The Buzzcocks host of all time<3

based on the ABSOLUTE BRILLIANCE that has hosted that show I take that as an enormous compliment, tanks berry much.

I'm very excited about your upcoming InTheRound tour! How will the GroBand instruments (piano, drums) not interfere with audience view of you - especially for those sitting close to the stage?

I am SO excited about the In The Round tour this fall. A lot of questions here about bucket lists and goals in my career. Doing a 360 degree show has always been one of them. The instruments will be interspersed throughout the stage and moving at different times. Every side of the stage will have a front row and even in the back there won't be a bad seat because the setup will be built very intimately. Gonna be a great challenge but probably the most fun i've ever had on stage. see you there!

What is one thing in life you haven't done yet that you'd love to experience at some point?

For me, travel is seriously the best gift of this business. I've always wanted to learn how to fly. I'm working on getting my pilots license. I realize this is probably a horrible horrible mistake and that makes me want to challenge myself even more to do it!

What's it like transitioning between singing and acting?

I think its at many times a really natural transition because even in song you're telling a story. For me though, especially since the acting side is more comedy, its a chance for me to get out some of the weird demons I can't necessarily expel in the seriousness of the music I make

Hey, Josh! Cake or pie--which do you prefer?

carrot cake and humble pie (never had much of a sweet tooth)

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO BRAID HAIR?

nope. do you?

Are we ever going to see a Robert Mondavi wine, or any wine, with your name on it?

One day. Won't be with Mondavi (long story) but it will happen in the future. And its gonna be DELICIOUS AS ALL GET UP. ps i'm 90

Hi Josh, what will be your new album do you have any ideas already

Ok last answer gotta run! LOTS of ideas swarming through my head. I want to make a broadway/film songs album with a great orchestra. I also have been writing a ton and will definitely be getting back in the studio as soon as December.

What is your favorite kind of sandwich?

mayonnaise and pills on white bread. WHO'S SEEN TOYS???!!!!!