Examiner.com 2009 Year in Review: Josh Groban

It is time to bid farewell to 2009 and reflect upon the year’s events. The year has certainly proved to be a successful one for Josh Groban. Here’s a recap of the major events.

Josh Groban is greeted before testifying for arts funding from 
Congress, in Washington on Tuesday, March 31 
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The White House and Capital Hill

Josh kicked off 2009 with the honor of being invited to perform at the historical Presidential Inauguration Concert where he got to meet President Obama himself. That same week he sang at the Heroes Red White and Blue Inaugural Ball, one of several balls the president and first lady attended that night. He later returned to the White House in March to campaign on Capital Hill for 22nd annual Arts Advocacy Day.

Josh Groban accepts the Hollywood Bowl honors. 
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Awards and Honors

Josh received several honors in 2009. He was inaugurated into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. Josh was also nominated for a Grammy for his multi platinum album, Noel. Much to Josh’s surprise, he was featured in People magazines’ “Sexiest Man of the Year” issue.

A Year of Giving

Despite all the attention over his looks and voice, Josh still has a big heart. His giving spirit held strong in 2009 with a number of charitable events. Among the charity events that Josh was involved in were skipping lunch for  Feeding America, performing at MusiCares, OneXOne,  and Mandela Day concerts. His charity, The Josh Groban Foundation, continued to grow raising funds for a number of children’s charities. Africa continues to be a country dear to Josh Groban's heart. This year he joined Batonga’s American Advisory Board.

Josh Groban appears on Joshua Bell's CD, At Home with Friends

 CDs, DVD, and TV Appearances

Although Josh has been busy working on his album, he managed to work on a few projects with other artists. Josh did a duet with Joshua Bell and Nelly Furtado, which were released this year. He also appeared on the Bridge School Collection Volume 4 album. Two DVDs featuring Josh were released as well: PBS Soundstage concert and Chess In Concert. On TV, Josh surprised a Grobanite on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He also guest starred on the new hit series Glee playing himself. 

A Year Of Change

2009 brought about some changes. Groban changed management from long time management team Avnet Management to Front Line. The newly redesigned fan web site was launched late this year.  The new Josh Groban Twitter account was born in 2009 which now has over 100,000 followers.

The Celebrity Gossip

This year Josh did not escape the celebrity gossip. He was rumored to be dating singer, Katy Perry.  Both parties denied the rumors. Later, the flamboyant Perry showed off a fake tattoo of Josh’s name spelled incorrectly on her chest. More recently, the singer is rumored to be dating Jennifer Aniston, according to Star magazine.  Fans are taking this with a grain salt, considering the source.

What’s Ahead?

It has been quite an exciting and busy year for Josh. 2010 shows no signs of slowing down with a new album, upcoming appearances at the Citi BCS National Championship and the 2010 MusiCares event in January.  You can get a preview of one of Josh Groban’s new song on his blog site.

What was your favorite Josh moment of 2009? Share your comments below.