Josh Groban

Having started life with dreams of acting, it wasn’t until the summers of ’97 and ’98 where he attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts Camp in Michigan that singing became his priority. Groban subsequently studied at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and Cernegie Mellon University, before dropping out of the latter having been offered a recording contract. Aided by singing at the 1999 inauguration of the Governor of California Gray Davis, a duet with Céline Dion, and a popular appearance in “Alley McBeal”, Groban’s early career went from strength to strength

Following a host of benefit shows including “The Andre Agassi Grand Slam Event for Children” with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley and Robin Williams, “Muhammed Ali’s Fight Night Foundation”, and “The Family Celebration”, the singer released his self-titled debut album. The November 2001 release highlighted Groban’s voice as a force to be reckoned with, notably on the singles “Gira Con Me Questa Notte” and “Alla Luce Del Sole”. The album subsequently went double-platinum, earned favourable reviews from critics, and spawned the Adult Contemporary Chart No. 1 “To Where You Are”.

The singer’s classical style and enviable vocal range have led him to perform at a number of high profile events including the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, the Vatican in Rome, Italy, and at the World’s Children’s Day alongside Céline Dion, Nick Carter and Enrique Iglesias. The singer’s sophomore full-length “Closer”, released in November 2003, represented a much more honest and open approach to songwriting and producing than its predecessor. The album ultimately topped the U.S Billboard 200 after debuting at No. 4, aided by the popular singles “You Raise Me Up” and “Remember When It Rained”. Groban built on this success with the release of “Live at the Greek” in 2004, “Awake” in 2006, the Christmas album “Noel” in 2007, “Illuminations” in 2010, and “All That Echoes” in 2013.

Growing up listening to the likes of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle, Hudson’s excursion into her own musical creativity came singing in her local church choir in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. In 2002 the singer subsequently signed a recording contract with Righteous Records, who ultimately freed Hudson of her contract in 2004 in order for her to appear on the third season of American Idol. After singing Elton John’s “Circle of Life”, and Barry Manilow’s “Weekend in New England” on the show, Hudson had a shock exit from the programme, however gained a significant amount of exposure and proved popular with fans.

In 2005 Hudson was cast as Effie White for the film adaptation of the musical production of “Dreamgirls” over American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino. For her role the singer earned critical acclaim as well as an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. The film’s show-stopping song “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” sung by Hudson later debuted at No. 98 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Following the surprise murder of her mother, brother and nephew by her brother-in-law, Hudson’s debut album was postponed, however finally surfaced in September 2008. The eponymously-titled debut, aided by the popular single “Spotlight” debuted at No. Two on the Billboard 200, featuring guest contributions from Missy Elliot, Robin Thicke, and Timbaland. Hudson’s sophomore album “Remember Me” was issued by Arista Records in March 2011. Once again debuting at No. Two, the album was led by the R.Kelly penned single “Where You At?”, and was notably more upbeat than its predecessor.

Not content to focus solely on her music, Hudon continued to appear in high-profile films including 2008’s “Sex and the City” and “The Secret Life of Bees”, 2009’s “Fragments”, and 2011’s “Winnie Mandela”. After appearances at the 2012 Grammy Awards, the Super Bowl XLVII, and 85th Academy Awards, Hudson released the single “I Can’t Describe (The Way I Feel)” ahead of her third full-length album. “JHUD” arrived in 2014 featuring the contributions of R. Kelly, Pharrell Williams and Timbaland, and reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200.