Josh Groban discusses making new album during the pandemic and learning how to press pause
Josh Groban hopes to lift our spirits with the gift of music.
The award-winning singer has debuted his latest album, “Harmony,” which features his rendition of classic songs like “The Impossible Dream,” “Angels” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
Groban spoke to CNN about how he ended up finishing the album in the midst of the pandemic.
“Choosing songs after the lock down changed a little bit, like Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and “Impossible Dream,” they all of a sudden had a deeper resonance in what it means to have hope in these walls around us right now,” he said.
The album also features his longtime collaborator and friend, Sara Bareilles.
“Sara is someone with such depth and ability. She can do it all and we bounce off each other really well and share the same humor … I just love her voice and singing with her and we both have such an appreciation for Joni Mitchell and her songs. We had a talk about ‘Both Sides Now’ and how it resonated with us our whole lives — and especially today.”
Since Groban can’t perform in front of a live audience, he’s turned to virtual concerts. He has two upcoming shows, one of which will be his first ever holiday concert.
“It’s definitely an adjustment to get used to not having an in person experience with fans and feeling the back and forth about what you’re doing in the room,” Groban said. “It feels so good to sing and knowing that more people than ever are listening from wherever their space is in the world, it’s beautiful.”
For the first time since he was a teen, Groban said the events of the past year have forced to press pause.
“I think for all of us to all of a sudden deal with the idea that we’re going to go it alone for a minute and we’re going to have to figure out what our lives mean in the face of this insanity that’s happening around us and uncertainty. Those of us that really rely on the next thing on the treadmill, that uncertainty can sometimes be very hard. As somebody who has deep personal experience with things like depression and anxiety … it’s the perfect storm for that kind of mentality.”
“There’s no shame in just doing the small things every day to just get you through those moments … you don’t have to feel like you’re setting yourself up to knock down the biggest thing you could possibly imagine,” Groban said. “For me it’s been little things. Instead of trying to write a whole song, just try and think about one line. I haven’t done a lot of cooking, maybe I can learn to make pasta today and see if I can look up how to boil water and do that. And all those little baby steps lead to realizing that you’re accomplishing quite a bit.”
