No matter how big he gets, no matter how many albums he sells, Michael Buble will always be just a good ol' Canadian kid.

How do I know?

Well, the first clue is the number of phone calls he has to field during our interview, to accept deserved congratulations from family members, including Grandma, for being on the cusp of selling one million copies of his self-titled CD (he's expected to hit the mark in the next day or two), a disc that has earned him comparisons to Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick Jr.

The second clue is the number of "ehs" that pepper his speech.

But more telling is the 26-year-old's answer to the question of whom he's met during his rise that left him a little star-struck.

"I've met a million of those people and the only one so far that blew me away was (Wayne) Gretzky," says Buble, who plays the Jack Singer Concert Hall this evening.

"I'm pretty good friends with him ... and Janet, and for me that's the coolest thing."

That says it all.

For the Vancouver native to choose that as a highlight out of a story that includes so many celebrities shows where his heart lies.

Which is fitting, really, because although he's become an international success, selling out shows all over the world, Buble's monster career very much has its roots in Canada.

After years of crooning in clubs and on cruise ships, he was taken under the wing of producer and composer David Foster after the elder heard Buble sing at the wedding of Brian Mulroney's daughter.

Foster produced Buble's debut -- featuring covers of such songs as Fever, Come Fly With Me and Van Morrison's Moondance -- and another Canadian, Paul Anka acted as executive producer for the disc, which was then released worldwide on Reprise Records.

The rest was up to Buble, and with his smooth, velvet vocals, good looks, showmanship, charm, and strong work ethic, a million copies was almost a certainty.

"I hope it's a little of everything," he says of his appeal, noting he and the honest connection he has with the material makes for a formidable duo. I hope it's my voice and I hope people can tell that I'm sincere .

"(And) this music never went anywhere -- it's not in or out. It's just the record companies and the radio stations didn't give people the choice of having this. Because of people like Norah Jones and Josh Groban it opened things up."

His audience he breaks down to "60% young women, 20% gay men and then 20% husbands and wives and older folks."

But don't forget the celebrities, which must also make up a large chunk.

Other than the Gretzkys, Buble also recollects several other brushes with great ones during the interview, including one with Sean Connery and another with Tony Bennet, whom he now calls a friend.

"I think we became friends because I looked at him and I said, 'God, I've stolen so much from you,' " Buble laughs.

"He laughed and he came to my show ... and I finished my show and he said, 'You sonuvabitch, you did steal a lot of stuff from me!'

"But he said 'That's OK, because I stole from everybody, too ... You steal from one and you're a thief, but if you steal from all you can call it research.' And then he laughed his head off." All the way to the bank.