How Josh Groban Paved a Unique Path to Success, From Practicing Magic and Singing on Broadway to Acting in ‘Glee’: ‘All You Have Is Your Internal Compass’

Josh Groban’s first impressionable experience with the Hollywood Walk of Fame is tied in his memory to a passion that, at one time, could have taken him down a completely different career path. As a kid, his father would frequently take the Los Angeles native to a magic shop on Hollywood Boulevard.

Coming and going from the shop, he would stroll the Walk of Fame, starstruck by the names beneath his feet.

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“I remember thinking about how absolutely iconic and cool it is that these names are down there,” Groban tells Variety. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be one of them.”

Unlike his career in sleight-of-hand magic, Groban will defy those wildest dreams on May 6, when he will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The classical/operatic/pop crossover crooner has built a career that few, even himself, could’ve predicted. He has taken what could have been a life spent comfortably packing concert halls around the world and diversified it with celebrated acting credits, two Tony-nominated Broadway runs and cultural recognition that classical vocalists often don’t enjoy.

In many ways, Groban’s career has always been tied to Hollywood. “I didn’t have the usual avenues that musicians have when they become successful, like a radio hit or MTV or that kind of highway to stardom,” he says. “So everything that made me popular with people really relied on crossing over into different forms of media.”

Before he even released his debut album in 2001, Groban worked with Celine Dion on the 1999 Grammy Awards telecast and even landed a guest star role on “Ally McBeal” that showed off his pipes. From there, the Grammy-winning vocalist played the world’s largest stages with the biggest talents, but it always ran parallel to his increasing relevance to pop culture. He popped up as himself in everything from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” to “CSI: NY”; he appeared on multiple film soundtracks, including “The Polar Express,” with his song “Believe” remaining a holiday staple. Fifteen years later, he still gets stopped for his self-deprecating appearances on “Glee.”

“There is a part of me that is weird and tells jokes, but I felt like I had to be the guy that’s on the billboard,” he says. “You’ve got to be the serious guy who sings the serious music. Something like ‘Glee’ was my way of letting off some steam for the very, very controlled first five years of my career.”

But whether it’s classical music, covers or his duet with Oscar the Grouch, Groban always goes back to the music. He’s dabbled in many genres, a nod to his youth when he was shuffling between stalwart crooners and electronic grunge. To this day, he has a guiding principle for his musical taste: “All you have is your internal compass that tells you, does this give me goosebumps or not?” he says.

Twenty-five years in, those goosebumps are taking him to new arenas: his upcoming tour with special guests like Jennifer Hudson, his return to Vegas with his “Gems” Caesars Palace show and his new album, “Cinematic,” filled with covers from film theme songs, including classics from “Skyfall,” “The Lion King” and “Against All Odds.” But it’s “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” that stands as his undisputed favorite for one reason — he sings alongside his father, Jack, on the trumpet.

Groban considered two giants in the field, Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard, for the song’s instrumental break, but then it hit him that his father was perfect for the solo. “He’s 80 years old, and it’s my favorite duet I’ve ever done,” he says.

And none of it would’ve happened if he had stuck with magic. Luckily, he botched his audition for junior membership to the Magic Castle.

“My secret coin fell on the ground, my hanky fell out of my pocket,” he says. “Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, and I think it is my signal that I fell into the right job.”