JOSH GROBAN - GROBAN REFUSES TO 'DUMB DOWN' OPERA

American singer JOSH GROBAN has too much "respect" for opera music to corrupt it as a pop star, despite his classical training. Groban, who celebrated his 26th birthday yesterday (27FEB07), insists he won't attempt to tackle the opera genre until he feels he's mature enough. He says, "I love opera, but I have such a great respect for it that I want to wait. "I don't want to dumb down opera. If I'm going to sing an aria from one of the great operas, I'm going to do it in the way it's supposed to be done. "I'm not going to put a techno beat to NESSUN DORMA! I view myself most definitely as a pop artist, and I love using my voice for new music."