Josh Groban Says David Foster Told Him He Was a 'Little Flat' the First Time He Met Him at 16 (Exclusive)

Before David Foster and Josh Groban became friends and frequent collaborators, they crossed paths when Groban was only 16 years old.

During an appearance on Toby Gad's Songs You Know podcast, premiering exclusively with PEOPLE on Monday, Dec. 16, the "You Raise Me Up" singer revealed how he met Foster — and the one thing legendary producer said to him in that moment.

"I met David Foster through a voice teacher I was working with in L.A.," Groban, 43, tells Gad of Foster, 75.

"David Foster called him at one point and said, 'I'm in a real jam. I'm doing a a concert for the new governor of California and Michael Crawford from Phantom of the Opera had just backed out. Who've you got who's young, who's free, who will come and sing a song from Phantom?'"

Related: Josh Groban Jokes David Foster, Who Just Turned 75, 'Didn't Have Any Gray Hair When I Met Him' (Exclusive)

At that point, Groban "didn't know who he was" but his vocal coach suggested he submit a tape with his fellow students.

"He picked my tape and I went and I sang at that thing and that's how I met him," he says.

When the day of the performance arrived, Groban and Foster met in the rehearsal room. To his surprise, Foster walked over to him and gave him a quick critique.

"David comes in and and he's like, 'Hey guys, hey, how you doing.' Everybody's giving him a hug and he's kissing the ring and he comes over to me and goes, 'Hey man, David Foster nice to meet you. You were a little flat on that recording but I think you're going to do a lot better for the live thing.'"

Groban's response was "thank you" — and that was the beginning of their friendship.

When asked if he ever went back and listened to the tape, Groban says he didn't — but he made "damn sure" he wasn't "flat for the performance."

Related: Josh Groban Says He and David Foster Are a 'Musical Married Couple' but They 'Sometimes Take Little Breaks' (Exclusive)

The full episode officially premieres on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 11 a.m. ET here. In the podcast, Gad, the hitmaker behind John Legend's "All of Me" and Beyoncé's "If I Were a Boy," has in-depth conversations with individuals in the music industry to tell untold stories behind iconic songs.

In September, Groban opened up to PEOPLE about his friendship with Foster in light of his 75th birthday.

"I was 16 when I met David, and I was just so new and so young," Groban said at the time. "To have somebody like David as a mentor is just a 24/7 masterclass every single day. Somebody with his musicality [and] his understanding of singers and the recording process — he discovered and nurtured some of my favorite singers of all time."

He added, "To work with him was tough, but it was the education that brought me where I am today. Sometimes, like any musical married couple, we will take little breaks and we'll get back together, but we always find each other and he's always been an amazing support."

Read the original article on People