For more than two decades, Josh Groban’s voice has existed in a rare, almost timeless space — one that lives comfortably between generations, between tradition and modernity, between the grand sweep of orchestral pop and the intimacy of personal reflection. In the Philippines, that connection has proven especially enduring. On February 18, Groban returns to Manila for his ‘Gems World Tour 2026,’ bringing his greatest hits to the Mall of Asia Arena for a night that feels like a continuation of a long, shared history with Filipino audiences.
That cross-generational appeal often reveals itself in unexpected ways. When I tell Groban that my father — an “oldies” listener raised on the likes of Sinatra and Johnny Mathis — was a fan of his, he laughs, then acknowledges the significance. “Dads are tough,” he says. “Dads are a tough audience to win over. Dads have like… you know, if I can get the dads in the audience to be won over, I’m like, ‘Oh, we did a good job.’”
The remark may sound lighthearted, but it hints at how Groban’s music has aged gracefully in an industry defined by constant change. Since emerging in the early 2000s, his catalog has weathered shifting trends, formats, and listening habits. His songs have remained present because listeners continue to choose them as part of their everyday lives.
When asked what has allowed his music to endure across decades, Groban avoids attributing it to any single creative decision or strategy. His answer instead centers on intention and trust. “There’s so much to making art and making music that you can’t think about the result. You just have to do it from your heart and hope for the best,” he says. “And I can’t point a finger at anything I’ve done at all. Everything that has allowed me to stay relevant, stay invited to perform, I give all credit to my fans and my listeners.”
For Groban, longevity is something granted rather than engineered. “It is totally up to them whether they want to continue making my music part of the soundtrack of their life,” he explains. “And all I can do is continue to grow with them and to try and do things that excite me and inspire me.”
That sense of gratitude becomes especially pronounced when he speaks about his Filipino audience. “My gratitude for my fan base and especially in the Philippines for being by my side all this time, that’s not something I can force. That’s something that they’ve chosen to do,” he says. “And it’s unbelievably meaningful for me that with the chaos of the world and with everybody’s insane lives every single day, that they have chosen to have that loyalty to my music.”
That perspective shapes how Groban approaches his current world tour, which supports his new greatest hits album Gems. The tour reflects a career built song by song, moment by moment, rather than a static look backward. It gives him space to honor familiar material while continuing to move forward creatively.
When Groban steps onto the MOA Arena stage, he knows he will be performing for a uniquely layered audience. Some fans have been with him since the beginning, while others discovered his music much later. Crafting a setlist that resonates across that spectrum comes with its own challenges. “Well, it’s a lot of songs to choose from,” he admits. “I didn’t have that problem when I first started touring. I had to find songs to fill in the gaps. Now I have a lot of songs to choose from.”
Over time, the Philippines has made its preferences clear. “There are songs that I know have been very big songs in the Philippines, songs like ‘You Raise Me Up,’ ‘To Where You Are,’ ‘You Are Loved,’ and some others as well that we’re definitely gonna have represented on stage,” he says.
Manila has also embraced a song that holds a particularly personal place in Groban’s catalog. “There are songs that only in the Philippines have I been asked to sing, like ‘She’s Out of My Life’ — the Michael Jackson song,” he recalls. “I was so surprised when I first toured in the Philippines that that was a song that my fans loved me singing.”
Recorded during a period of heartbreak, the song found a deeper emotional resonance with Filipino listeners. “In the Philippines, as is always the case, my Filipino fans were like, ‘We feel your pain, you know? Sing that song for us.’ And so I’ll sing that again this time around because that’s like my special song just for Manila.”
While Gems reflects on the past, Groban is already looking ahead. Manila audiences will hear material from an upcoming album inspired by songs from film, recorded with producer Greg Wells and an orchestra in London. “That [album] will not be out before I come to the Philippines,” he says, “but I’m gonna give the Philippines a sneak peek of some of the songs that we’re putting on that album.”
As Groban prepares to return to Manila on February 18, he promises a set list of songs that have stayed with listeners for years, alongside material that hints at where he is headed next. For an artist whose records have scored countless moments of his fans’ lives, the stage remains the place where that relationship is reaffirmed. “Every time I get a chance to perform,” he says, “it’s my chance on stage to thank them for that opportunity.”