Most frequent collaboratorDavid Foster · 37 tracks
GenresClassical CrossoverAdult ContemporaryVocal Pop
Co-Performer
29%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 36 of 124 tracks
Did Josh Groban write his own songs?
Rarely in his early career. Most tracks were written by professional songwriters and produced by David Foster, but he co-wrote 11 of the 13 songs on his 2010 album Illuminations.
By the Numbers
10
Studio Albums
124
Tracks Credited
29%
Self-Written
35 million worldwide
Records Sold
25
Years Active
387
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 36 / 124 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 124 tracks: how many Josh Groban wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Josh Groban has a writing credit29%
2%
27%
71%
Sole author2tracks2%
Co-written34tracks27%
Outside writers88tracks71%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Josh Groban's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 124 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)25%
Composer (music)22%
Producer2%
Performer99%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Josh Groban's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 29%
0%
23%
31%
0%
85%
58%
0%
75%
17%
0%
2001Josh Groban
2003Closer
2006Awake
2007Noel
2010Illuminations
2013All That Echoes
2015Stages
2018Bridges
2020Harmony
2026Cinematic
Early · 13% written
Mid · 54% written
Late · 9% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
13%
2000s
Josh Groban, Closer +2 more
54%
2010s
Illuminations, All That Echoes +2 more
9%
2020s
Harmony, Cinematic
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Josh Groban sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Josh Groban
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 384. BH Bernie Herms
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Josh Groban's ten albums trace a vocalist's slow move toward the songwriting credit. His debut and Closer are almost entirely outside-written, with songs from Richard Marx, Linda Thompson, Rolf Lovland, and Brendan Graham carrying his voice rather than his pen. Noel and Stages are interpretive by design, one a holiday record of traditional carols and historical hymns, the other a set of Broadway standards written decades before Groban recorded them. The turn comes with Illuminations, where he co-wrote 11 of 13 tracks alongside Rick Rubin's production, the high point of his own authorship. All That Echoes, Bridges, and Harmony keep a mix of his own co-writes and outside songs, usually alongside his longtime collaborator David Foster, while Cinematic returns him to interpretation, singing cinematic and international songs under producer Greg Wells. Across the catalog, his legal name, Joshua Winslow Groban, appears in the composer column only on the albums where he genuinely picked up a pen.
Quick Facts
Billboard 200 #1 albums3 - Closer (2003), Noel (2007), All That Echoes (2013)
Grammy nominations5-time nominee, no wins as of 2026
BroadwayTony Award nominee for Best Actor in a Musical - Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (2017) and Sweeney Todd revival (2024)
Best-selling albumNoel (2007) - certified 6x Platinum in the US, best-selling US album of 2007 with almost 3.7 million sold that year
Co-writing high pointCo-wrote 11 of the 13 tracks on Illuminations (2010)
Longtime collaboratorDavid Foster produced his debut through his early-2010s albums; Greg Wells produced Cinematic (2026)
Creative Fingerprint
Groban is primarily a vocalist-interpreter who performs songs written and produced largely by others, most notably longtime collaborator David Foster, though he stepped further into songwriting on Illuminations (2010), where he co-wrote 11 of the album's 13 tracks.
The Story
Josh Groban, born Joshua Winslow Groban on February 27, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, is a classical crossover vocalist who built his career largely as an interpreter, singing songs written by outside songwriters and produced through most of his early career by David Foster. His 2001 self-titled debut and 2003 follow-up Closer introduced his operatic pop-baritone sound, powered by songs like 'You Raise Me Up,' written by Rolf Lovland and Brendan Graham. He has released ten studio albums, including the holiday album Noel (2007), his best-selling record, and Illuminations (2010), produced by Rick Rubin, where he co-wrote 11 of 13 tracks, his deepest involvement in his own songwriting. He also released the Broadway-covers album Stages (2015) and his most recent record, Cinematic (2026), produced by Greg Wells. Away from music, he starred on Broadway in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (2016-2017) and a Sweeney Todd revival (2023-2024), earning a Tony nomination for each. He has sold more than 35 million records worldwide.
Awards & Recognition
5-time Grammy nominee, no wins as of 2026
Tony Award nominee for Best Actor in a Musical - Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (2017)
Tony Award nominee for Best Actor in a Musical - Sweeney Todd revival (2024)
Frequently Asked Questions Josh Groban
Did Josh Groban write his own songs?
Rarely in his early career. Most tracks were written by professional songwriters and produced by David Foster, but he co-wrote 11 of the 13 songs on his 2010 album Illuminations.
Who wrote 'You Raise Me Up'?
Rolf Lovland composed the music and Brendan Graham wrote the lyrics. Groban's 2003 recording became the song's best-known version, but he had no writing credit on it.
Who wrote 'To Where You Are'?
Richard Marx wrote the music and Linda Thompson wrote the lyrics for the 2001 song from Groban's debut album.
How many studio albums has Josh Groban released?
Ten, from his self-titled 2001 debut through Cinematic in 2026.
Has Josh Groban ever won a Grammy?
No. He has 5 Grammy nominations as of 2026 but has not won a competitive Grammy.
What is Josh Groban's best-selling album?
Noel (2007), his holiday album, which sold almost 3.7 million copies in the US in its release year alone and is certified 6x Platinum.
Has Josh Groban starred on Broadway?
Yes. He played Pierre in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (2016-2017) and starred in a Sweeney Todd revival (2023-2024), earning Tony nominations for both.
Is Noel a compilation album?
No. It consists of newly recorded studio versions of holiday songs, so it counts as a studio album rather than a compilation.
How many records has Josh Groban sold worldwide?
Over 35 million as of his most recent reporting.
Who produces Josh Groban's music?
David Foster produced his early albums and remained a frequent collaborator for years afterward; more recent work such as Cinematic (2026) was produced by Greg Wells.
Josh Groban
