I’m not gay, but if I were, I don’t view it as a bad thing. People have speculated, have wanted to speculate – whatever, fine. I would have nothing to hide if that were the case. Honestly, if I were gay, I would have had no problem saying it from day one.
How do you feel about people speculating about your sexuality? You came out as “not gay” on Twitter a couple years ago. That was probably my greatest test, and I failed. (Laughs) Listen, if I was gonna be gay, that would’ve been the moment. I think the wonderful thing about the arts is that I grew up in a community where I felt there was acceptance and friendship regardless of our own personal lives.Īnd co-starring with Ryan Gosling in “Crazy, Stupid, Love” – that didn’t challenge your heterosexuality? It’s not about questioning yourself or anything like that – it’s about the togetherness of it. I think that’s also what the straight community needs to understand – that it’s about friendship and alliance. It wasn’t in any way, shape or form about my own life or my own sexuality – it was about understanding and accepting everybody, and being friends regardless of that. When you look back, did that closeness to the queer community ever make you question your own sexuality? And so, for me, the arts were the first scenario where I found a connective tissue between everybody. It was the first situation where I had felt that everybody was friends with everybody, and everybody felt the most comfortable being themselves at these places. The wonderful thing I found about the arts and the arts connection was, I had come from a situation where I had a hard time making friends at school and I was bullied, and I finally went to school where everybody had the same inspiration for the arts, everybody had the same passion. Many of my friends were gay at these places – at camp, at school. County High School for the Arts – and grew up in Los Angeles and with a wonderful arts background, and I got to meet all sorts of people.
I went to a great arts high school in Los Angeles – L.A. Like you said, I went to a wonderful arts camp at Interlochen. Did you find a lot of gay people gravitating to you at a young age? I imagine you’ve been immersed in the gay community for much of your life. You’re from L.A., and you went to arts schools, including Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. We would do a killer “Pretty Women” (from “Sweeney Todd”), I think. There’s such a warm tone to the way he sings, and he’s just such a great actor and a really great guy. I love his voice, and I grew up listening to his voice. If I could sing with any man, it would probably be Brian Stokes Mitchell. If you could duet on a love song with any man, who would it be and why? Ohhhh!” (Laughs)Īnd you’re like, “Not the bears in the forest.” How did you figure out what type of bears he was referring to? Something that was surprising to me that happened when I first got signed at 19, 20 years old: I was at some kind of shop, and I was walking around with someone – it was probably my girlfriend – and this guy comes up to me and goes, “Hey, I just want you to know, the bears love you.” I’m like, “Excuse me? What?” And I didn’t know what that meant! I’m like, “Are you a baseball team?” Look, when Rufus Wainwright is complimenting you, musically or otherwise, it’s a great honor. I’ll always put my gay on for Rufus.ĭuring an interview you did regarding that performance, Rufus referred to you as a “dreamboat.” At this point in your career, are you used to that kind of attention from gay men? I was fortunate enough to see you during the summer of 2014 in Toronto for Rufus Wainwright’s “If I Loved You: Gentlemen Prefer Broadway – An Evening of Love Duets,” where you got your gay on. Gay Men’s Chorus during Obama’s 2009 presidential inauguration, the validation his younger “awkward” self felt after being named “Sexiest Newcomer” and how Ryan Gosling put the singer’s sexuality to the test. While discussing the release during a recent interview, the 34-year-old also highlighted the significance of performing with the Washington, D.C. His first collection of songs from musicals (out April 28), Groban takes on some of Broadway’s best for the album, which includes “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel” and “The Phantom of the Opera” showstopper “All I Ask Of You,” a duet with Kelly Clarkson. “Stages” is yet another swoon-worthy set from the singer. Nearly 15 years later, members of the LGBT community – even the non-hairy ones – are still feeling struck and soothed by Groban’s elastic range. “I’m like, ‘Are you a baseball team?'” says Josh Groban, recalling an early-career encounter with a man who informed the crooner about his growing number of gay bear fans.