Sara Bareilles

Sara Bareilles (born December 7, 1979, Eureka, California, U.S.) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist who first gained fame for her self-described “piano-based pop soul” music, typified by the hit singles “Love Song” (2007) and “Brave” (2013). She later found success in the theater, especially as the lyricist and star of Waitress (2015).

Early life

Bareilles is one of three daughters born to Bonnie Halvorsen and Paul Bareilles. The family lived in Eureka, California, and at an early age Bareilles began performing. After graduating from the local high school, she studied communications at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). During this time she became increasingly involved in writing and singing. She joined the college’s Awaken A Cappella group and also began performing as a solo artist, playing at small venues. In addition, Bareilles learned to play the piano. Her hard work paid off in 2003, when she opened for Maroon 5—several members of the band were college friends—at several stops on the group’s first tour.

Music career

Bareilles’s first official release, the self-produced Careful Confessions (2004), was met with a mostly positive critical response. Its notable singles include “Gravity,” which she had begun writing while at UCLA. The record led to her 2005 signing with the music label Epic Records. However, Bareilles later considered that a creative mistake, and she reportedly clashed with some of the company’s executives.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Despite these difficulties, Bareilles’s first album for Epic, Little Voice (2007), was a huge success, eventually selling more than one million copies. The recording was especially noted for the hit single “Love Song,” a tongue-in-cheek rebellion against record labels requesting specific content from artists. In addition to clever lyrics, the album was praised for its catchy hooks. The success of Little Voice led to a sold-out tour. Between the Lines: Sara Bareilles Live at the Fillmore (2008) is a recording of one of her concerts.

In 2010 Bareilles released the follow-up album, Kaleidoscope Heart, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. While continuing to highlight her pop sensibilities, the recording was also influenced by earlier music, including 1970s rock. The album’s huge success led to an international tour, and in 2011 Bareilles served as a judge on the TV competition show The Sing-Off. Her fourth studio album, The Blessed Unrest (2013), was another hit, noted for being moodier and more daring that her previous efforts. Its first single was the chart-topping “Brave,” an uplifting track that was inspired by a friend’s decision to come out as gay.

However, Bareilles decided to step back from the limelight about 2014, having grown tired of the constant touring. In a 2022 interview with The New Yorker she said, “I could really see clearly, you know, down the road that the life of the touring musician gets very cyclical very quickly, really redundant. And I was not that interested in that.” During this time, she wrote a memoir, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song (2015).

Theater work and later activities

In 2013 Bareilles moved from Los Angeles to New York City. The previous year she had been approached by theater director Diane Paulus about a musical adaptation of the 2007 film Waitress. The dramedy starred Keri Russell as an unhappily married pregnant woman who begins an affair with her doctor. Bareilles ultimately wrote the music and lyrics for the stage production, which opened in 2015 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bareilles also performed in the lead role. The production was a surprise hit, and it transferred to Broadway in 2016. Her score was nominated for a Tony Award, and Bareilles recorded What’s Inside: Songs from “Waitress” (2015).

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

Bareilles then wrote songs for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical, which was based on the children’s animated TV show. The production debuted in 2017. That same year Bareilles landed a role in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, cast as the Baker’s Wife. Although she initially feared the musical would close quickly, Into the Woods was a huge success. It transferred to Broadway in 2022 before closing the following year. A cast recording of the production won a Grammy Award for best musical theater album in 2023.

Bareilles continued to branch out in 2018, starring as Mary Magdalene in a live telecast of Jesus Christ Superstar, which also featured John Legend and Alice Cooper. The following year she released her sixth studio album, Amidst the Chaos. It featured the single “Saint Honesty,” which won a Grammy for best American roots performance. She then cocreated the Apple TV+ series Little Voice (2020), which centers on an aspiring singer-songwriter. Bareilles also created original music for the dramedy.

Starting in 2021 Bareilles starred as Dawn in the NBC sitcom Girls5Eva. The parody focuses on a fictional girl group from the 1990s that attempts a comeback 20 years after breaking up. Girls5Eva was canceled after two seasons, but in 2022 it was revived by Netflix.