Twitter-loving Groban returns with a more diverse resume

On May 11, Josh Groban posed a question to his nearly 1 million Twitter followers:

“Should I drunk tweet?” he asked.

More than 70% voted yes, and madness ensued.

In a series of six tweets, he explained his take on hot sauce (most of it is bad) and shared the evening’s alcohol selection (whiskey, washed down with rum).

Finally, at 1:41 a.m., he logged off after his girlfriend and manager texted him to cut it out.

The 38-year-old is best known for his emotional rendition of “You Raise Me Up” — delivered with impressive octave changes — and his humor might come as a surprise to those who listen to his music for its sincerity.

Groban, who will perform on Thursday at Nationwide Arena, spends hours studying exact pronunciations for his songs in languages such as German and Italian.

He also spends hours roaming the internet and concocting cocky tweets — although, he thinks, he should probably reprioritize his time.

“I think it’s time for a social media splash of water

in the face,” he said. “We’re hanging on to some old nostalgic things, like drunk tweeting, but deep down we know we’re slow dancing in a burning room, as John Mayer would say.”

Humans aren’t programmed for constant engagement with the masses, Groban thinks, and has often thought about quitting his internet habit cold turkey.

The temptation is especially strong when there are millions of others following along.

Groban achieved almost instantaneous popularity after teaming up with producer David Foster in the late 1990s.

His debut album ended up double-platinum, as did his next three.

Honing in on an easily digested blend of standards, multilingual ballads, musical-theater hits and a few originals, Groban provided something for everyone who wasn’t too cool to accept his classical pop styling.

After nearly a decade of recording gussied-up pop songs and pulling on satin suit jackets to sing them live, in 2016 Groban headed to Broadway for a stint in the title role of “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.” Then, last year, he earned a spot on the Netflix series “The Good Cop.”

That variety might keep him personally engaged, but Groban always returns to his songs.

Last year, that meant releasing “Bridges,” a collection with a heftier dose of originals (nine of 12) and a more upbeat sound. (Even the cover is lighthearted, painted in shades of sherbet.)

He guesses his next record will include more classic tunes, but on this one, the writing came easily, with verses often popping into his head while showering or in an airplane.

One advantage of being a song interpreter, he said, is little pressure to pump out new music.

“I go into every album as a singer first,” he said. “I don't put pressure on myself to make sure every song is written by me. If I find a classical song, or even a new song, and it connects to me deeply, I’m not precious about that.”

When he first started singing professionally in his late teens, Groban feared being pigeonholed. He wanted to do musical theater, act, sing and do comedy.

“But everyone thinks I’m so serious,” he said.

As he’s shown more sides, Groban no longer fears being known strictly as the ballad guy, even if he is one of the last musicians of his caliber to come through the ranks with multiplatinum albums in tow.

Groban is still on top, though, he says, it would be easier if his fans (many of whom are middle-aged and above) used streaming services.

He’s optimistic.

“At some point, streaming will be for everybody," Groban said. "At the moment, it’s primarily pop and hip-hop, but at some point it will come over to all other genres.”

If his mom is any indication, his hope is wellearned. She recently bought a new Jeep and wasn’t sure what to do without a CD player. Groban showed her the car’s USB port.

Now she can listen to her son belt “The Prayer” on repeat.