Josh Groban

Singer

Curl-topped Josh Groban is the singer with boy-next-door appeal who sang the pop hit, "You Raise Me Up." His big career break came in 1998, when he sang "The Prayer" with Celine Dion at the Grammy rehearsals. Groban so impressed Rosie O'Donnell that she invited him to appear on her daytime talk show. Then came a string of television appearances and a recording contract, and in 2001 he released his self-titled debut album, a collection of songs in English and Italian. That same year he appeared in a small role on the TV series Ally McBeal (starring Calista Flockhart) and made frequent appearances on talk and variety shows. He released Josh Groban in Concert in 2002, and his 2003 appearance on the PBS program Great Performances was a big hit, especially among fervent fans known as "Grobanites." In 2004 Groban released his second studio album, Closer, and continued to pop up on TV, including an appearance at the Super Bowl half-time show eclipsed by the antics of Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.

Extra credit: Groban has also recorded "The Prayer" with classical singer Charlotte Church.

Groban's contemporaries in pop music include Clay Aiken and Norah Jones.