Josh Groban Album 2001
Sandra Grady
"Noel" Is the Biggest Selling CD of 2007; "Noel" Becomes the Longest Running Christmas Album at Number One in Billboard 51 Year Chart History With a Four Week Run (and Counting); "Noel" Breaks the Previous Record Held by Elvis Presley; Groban's Catalogue Sales up by 50%
BURBANK, CA--(Marketwire - December 19, 2007) - Singer Josh Groban is giving big thanks to Santa this holiday season as his album "Noel" maintains the Number One slot for an astounding 4th week in a row, surpassing Elvis Presley's record for most weeks at Number One for a Christmas album in Billboard Magazine's 51 year chart history. The King's "Elvis' Christmas" had previously held the Number One slot in 1957 for a total of three weeks.
Groban's "Noel" has sold 669,661 albums this past week for total US sales of 2.8 million copies, passing the blockbuster "High School Musical" (2.7 million) and "Daughtry" (2.3 million), and shows no signs of slowing down. In addition, Groban's previous multi-platinum albums have had huge sales jumps. "Awake," "Closer" and his self-titled debut have all had jumps of between 45 and 50 percent this past week.
The 26-year-old Los Angeles native is currently in Europe promoting his CD, which has been certified-gold in France, four times platinum in Canada and Number One in South Africa. On the radio, "Noel" has been in the Number One slot on the BDS (Billboard) Main Stream Adult Contemporary Chart for four weeks, and remains the number one selling album on Amazon and all digital sales charts.
Groban, who has upcoming appearances on "Good Morning America" on December 22nd and 24th, "Larry King Live" on December 24th and the "ABC Disney Special" on the morning of December 25th, has been declared one of "Oprah's Favorite Things" on a recent "The Oprah Winfrey Show." The artist also opened the NBC Christmas Tree Lighting Show singing "O Come All Ye Faithful" and performed "I'll Be Home For Christmas" on "Good Morning America" for several returning soldiers and their families. www.joshgroban.com
His latest album, "Harmony," out Friday, offers fresh takes on some of his favorite songs, including Roberta Flack's "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" and Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me." It also features collaborations with Sara Bareilles ("Both Sides Now") and Leslie Odom Jr. ("Shape of My Heart").
"I wanted to make an album where I could sing songs that had been on my bucket list for a long time," Groban told USA TODAY. "These are timeless songs that have been the soundtracks to our lives for so many years. I hope this is a time where a fan can close their eyes and say, 'Hold my calls for 45 minutes' and be transported away."
Several tracks had already been recorded when the coronavirus pandemic prompted lockdowns nationwide. That forced Groban and his team to improvise in order to complete the album. After a brief pause, they got back to work, relying on technology to connect crew members in London, Nashville and New York.
"I'm old school. I've always liked being in the room," Groban said. "I've been spoiled. My music has been generally pretty large, pretty expansive since I was 18 years old. From the moment I started, I've always been in a room with a huge orchestra. I've always said I don't want to do it detached."
"This has been a real kicker of a year," he said. "It's a real devastation out there what's happening in the artistic community. I feel unbelievably grateful in so many ways. I feel like I'm in a very lucky position where I can at least see a little light around the corner."
Another bright spot during the pandemic has been chatting via FaceTime with friends and loved ones, including his brother in New York and his parents in Los Angeles. Coronavirus fears mean he won't get to see his family in person this holiday season.
"I'm just not sure I'll be comfortable sitting at a table with my folks, carving a turkey," he said. "It's heartbreaking. We all feel like so many moments have been stolen from us this year. I miss those things tremendously."
With concerts out of the question for now, Groban, like many other performers, has turned to livestreaming. His first was in June. Two more are upcoming: Nov. 26 and Dec. 19. Both shows are at 4 p.m. ET. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased on Groban's website, joshgroban.com/livestream.
"I could've just hibernated," he said. "I don't have to do these, but my band, my crew are all having so much fun. You get to read all the comments and see how much it meant. I know it has meant a lot to a lot of people who've been feeling isolated."
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