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the records. Somebody like [Arista
Records founder] Clive Davis, for exam-
ple—I saw the documentary on him and
I thought, shit, I have done
nothing
! He’s
discovered
everybody
.”
When it comes to his own ability to
discover the next great voice, Foster’s
not sure what “it” is that’s buried deep
within him, that allows him to do just
that. He singles out no one in particular
as his favorite collaborator, but they’ve
all been marvelous revelations to him.
“Who knew that Josh Groban loved
Radiohead, and was a funny, funny guy
who ended up hosting the Tony Awards,
writing his own music, playing in a rock
band. I was just looking for someone
who could sing like Bocelli,” Foster says.
“Who knew that Michael Bublé could
write hit songs? I just loved the way he
sang, and the moment I saw him walk
on stage and snap his ngers, I was
hooked. …Who knew that Celine Dion
would become [the powerhouse singer
and businesswoman] she has become?
She was a -year-old singer who just
blew me away.
“I look for slots [in the music world]
that are available. In years, nobody
has come close to try to challenge Bublé
or Groban [in their genres]. Rihanna
has to compete with Ariana [Grande]
who has to compete with Pink who has
to compete with Ed Sheeran for all those
Top Ten spots. Name me one person
who’s competing with Josh Groban or
Michael Bublé? I knew, for example, that
the Sinatra ‘slot’ was available because
Harry Connick Jr. had started acting
and didn’t really want to do that music
anymore. And Andrea [Bocelli] didn’t
want to do pop music at that time. So
I said I’ll make a record that sounds
like Bocelli and I’ll nd someone who
sounds like Bocelli to sing it.” e result
was Groban’s
self-titled, chart-top-
ping debut release.
As for his legacy, Foster keeps it sim-
ple: He did his best.
“If it has your name on it, it
better
be
the best you can ever do,” Foster says,
chuckling. “I got that advice years ago
from Quincy Jones.”
Miriam Di Nunzio is the Entertainment Arts Digital
Content Editor at the
Chicago Sun-Times
.
I don’twant to be
that
LA guy.
The ‘schmuck-songwriter-
who-thinks-he-can-get-
a-hit-on-Broadway’ guy.
I have immersedmyself
in the culture to get
some respect.
RAVINIA MAGAZINE | JULY 23 – AUGUST 5, 2018
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