Early life

Bareilles was born and raised in Eureka, California in Humboldt County, one of three daughters of Bonnie Halvorsen (née Capellas), a funeral home worker, and Paul Bareilles, an insurance adjuster. She has a half-sister named Melody. She is of Italian, English, German, Portuguese, and French descent; she speaks Italian and lived in Italy for a year. Bareilles was raised Catholic and participated in the high school choir, Limited Edition, and local community theater musical productions, including her high school's production of Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey.

After graduating from high school in 1998, Bareilles attended the Communication Studies program at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was a member of the co-ed a cappella group Awaken a Cappella, and can be heard on their Dysfunktional Family album singing "Gravity" and "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5. The group's rendition of Bareilles' "Gravity" was featured on the Best of College a Cappella 2004 compilation CD. Bareilles and the band Maroon 5 have been acquainted since their younger days in California when the band was known as Kara's Flowers. She performed in the annual student concert UCLA Spring Sing, winning twice. Bareilles taught herself to play the piano and subsequently all other instruments she is seen playing.

Career

2002-06: Career beginnings and Careful Confessions

After graduating from UCLA in 2002, Bareilles performed at local bars and clubs (such as the Hotel Café and Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles), building a following before performing in larger venues. She issued two demos of mostly live tracks in 2003: The First One in April and The Summer Sessions in October. In 2004, she appeared as a singer in a bar in the indie film Girl Play, performing the song "Undertow".

In January 2004, Bareilles released her first studio album, Careful Confessions. She then signed a contract with Epic Records on April 15, 2005. The remainder of the year and early 2006 she spent writing and reworking songs for her upcoming album.

In mid-2004 she opened for Rocco DeLuca and the Burden during their inaugural headline tour, supported Guster on their first UK tour and co-headlined a tour with Jon McLaughlin. She toured as the opening act in 2006 for Marc Broussard's "Carencro" tour. Bareilles' song "Gravity" appeared briefly in the 2006 independent film Loving Annabelle. In 2007, Bareilles toured as the opening act for Aqualung and Mika, and later that year opened for several shows on both Maroon 5 and Paolo Nutini's U.S. tours. She also opened for James Blunt on his U.S. Tour in association with VH1 You Oughta Know.

2007-08: Little Voice

In June 2007, iTunes featured Bareilles' single "Love Song" as the free single of the week. The following month, her major-label debut, Little Voice, shot to No. 1 on the list of most downloaded albums of the music store in its first week of release, and debuted at No. 45 on the Billboard 200 chart. After being featured on a Rhapsody commercial in 2007, "Love Song" began climbing the pop charts, jumping from No. 73 to No. 16 in one week. It entered the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 27, 2007, and peaked at No. 4. On other charts, such as the Pop 100 and Hot AC, "Love Song" hit No. 1. Bareilles performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday, January 17, 2008, and on the Today show on Thursday, February 21, 2008. Soon after that, the song entered the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 4. The music video was directed by Josh Forbes and stars British actor Adam Campbell.

As of 2010, Little Voice has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album peaked in the Billboard 200 at No. 7, and the UK Top 40 at No. 9. Bareilles' breakthrough single, "Love Song" has since been certified 3× Platinum.

On October 28, 2008, Bareilles released Between the Lines: Sara Bareilles Live at the Fillmore on DVD and CD. The package is a recording of her first headlining tour at the famous Fillmore in San Francisco. This package also included live recordings of her unreleased song "August Moon", as well as a cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". She concluded the tour in her home town of Eureka, California on December 19, 2008, at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts.

She toured with Counting Crows and Maroon 5 between July 22 and August 26, 2008. The first stop was Virginia Beach, Virginia and the last stop Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Bareilles was selected as MTV artist of the week for July 7-11 and appeared again on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Wednesday, July 9, 2008; and on December 9, 2008 (with Ingrid Michaelson).

During the spring of 2009, Bareilles was on her second headlining tour, the "Gravity Tour", to promote the third and final single from her album Little Voice. She made her third appearance in Charlottesville, VA during UVA's annual Springfest on March 28, her first as the opener for Marc Broussard in 2005 and the second being an opening for Maroon 5. Bareilles also played multiple college shows in April and May. Some were for college students only and others were open to the public.

She sent out a special holiday message to fans on her mailing list and gave out a free live acoustic EP recorded during her Gravity Tour last Spring. The EP contains 7 acoustic songs, including a new song "Free Ride", "I'm on Fire", a Bruce Springsteen cover duet with Tony Lucca, and two speaking segments.

In early 2010, Bareilles recorded video of what she called "An Ode to Jersey Shore" and posted it to her official website as a gag for fans.

2009-12: Kaleidoscope Heart and The Sing-Off

After an extended period of writer's block, Bareilles began work on the follow-up to her major label debut in the summer of 2009, collaborating with the likes of Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, members of Weezer, and Pharrell Williams. As the songs began to take their final shape, Neal Avron was assigned to produce, record, and mix the entire album. The album, eventually titled Kaleidoscope Heart, was recorded at The Village Recorder and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles.

The first single from Kaleidoscope Heart, "King of Anything", began receiving radio airplay in the United States in May 2010, and was released for sale in June. "King of Anything" had its first play on British radio airwaves on Paul Kay's "Album Download" show on Mid-Wales commercial radio station "Radio Maldwyn - The Magic 756" in August 2010. "King of Anything" has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.

In anticipation of the new album, Bareilles released a series of webisodes, featuring the making of select songs from Kaleidoscope Heart, including "King of Anything", "Uncharted", "Gonna Get Over You", "Bluebird", and a strings-only version of "King of Anything". The first webisode also contains Bareilles writing the chorus for "Hold My Heart". She was selected as VH1's Posted Artist of the Month for July 2010, chronicling her life leading up to the album's release.

Kaleidoscope Heart was released on September 7, 2010, and debuted at number 1 in the United States, selling 90,000 copies. Interestingly, her previous album Little Voice re-entered the charts at number 200 in the same week, bookending the charts.

Bareilles toured in support of Kaleidoscope Heart from September to December 2010, with most of the shows being sold out. Bareilles toured Europe and parts of Asia and Australia with Maroon 5 throughout spring 2011. She embarked on a small headline "Uncharted" tour in April 2011 with openers Elizabeth & the Catapult and Ximena Sariñana in support of the second single from Kaleidoscope Heart, "Uncharted", which concluded April 23, 2011 in Memphis, Tennessee. She also opened select shows for country music duo Sugarland on their Summer 2011 Incredible Machine Tour. The third and final single released from Kaleidoscope Heart is "Gonna Get Over You", with a music video directed by Jonah Hill.

Bareilles was added in the third season of the NBC television series The Sing-Off as a celebrity judge following the departure of Nicole Scherzinger, alongside Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men. Bareilles also guest-starred on Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures.

Indiana State Fair stage collapse

Main article: Indiana State Fair stage collapse

On August 13, 2011, the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand stage at the Indiana State Fair collapsed right after Bareilles finished performing as the opening act for Sugarland. She was uninjured, tweeting, "I'm speechless and feel so helpless; my heart aches for the lives lost." Seven people died and more than 45 were injured in the collapse.

2012-14: Once Upon Another Time EP and The Blessed Unrest

Soon after joining The Sing-Off, Bareilles announced she was in the process of recording a new EP with co-star Ben Folds producing it. She also collaborated with fellow singer songwriters Greg Laswell and Jon McLaughlin on their new singles in February. In March, she will release A Trace of Sun a documentary of her time volunteering in Japan after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Her EP, Once Upon Another Time, was released on 22 May and contained 5 new recordings. The first and only single from the EP, "Stay" was released on April 21, 2012 on 7" vinyl, exclusive to Record Store Day participants with a vinyl-only B-side "Beautiful Girl".

During her Stageit show on September 10, 2012, she stated that she was working on a new record in New York. She also premiered a new song which may be appearing on her new album, titled "Only Shadows". In January 2013, she revealed the plans for what was to come later in the year. After moving to New York, Bareilles finished her record, and released the lead single from that album "soon" thereafter. In January, Bareilles was a featured artist of the a cappella group Straight No Chaser on the Jackson 5 song, "I Want You Back" which premiered on Billboard.

In February 2013, she began teasing her fans to her upcoming album through her Twitter and YouTube accounts. First is the video that she released on her website, titled "Sara is Making a Record...".

On March 27, 2013, Bareilles announced that she would be doing an 18 city tour to promote the new album. The first single, "Brave", was released digitally on April 23. On April 17, 2013, Bareilles released a lyric video for her single "Brave" on YouTube. Her album, titled The Blessed Unrest, was released on July 13, 2013.

Bareilles performed two songs for the feature film Bounty Killer, released in September 2013. "The Kill" was written by Will Collyer and Sujata Day. "Gonna Getcha" was written by Will Collyer and the film's director, Henry Saine.

Her live album, "Brave Enough: Live at the Variety Playhouse", was released on October 22, 2013. The concert was recorded at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia.

In October 2013, two nurses from University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital Brittany Bloemke and Natalie Snyder, along with former patient Sarah Ewald produced a YouTube video containing coworkers and young cancer patients dancing and singing to Bareilles's song "Brave". As of November 11, 2013 it has been viewed over 1,000,000 times since its initial publication on October 7, 2013. On October 31, 2013 while the trio were being interviewed by host Nischelle Turner on the HLN show Showbiz Tonight, Bareilles surprised them by Skyping into the interview. Of the video she said: "I was sent this video by a friend of a friend who lives in Minnesota, and I watched it late at night and immediately my eyes welled up with tears. It's moments like this that remind me of the importance of music, and I can't think of a more perfect incarnation of this song. It's exactly the kind of thing that gives the life to this song that we were hoping for."

On January 26, 2014, Bareilles performed a duet with Carole King at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. The pair performed renditions of King's "Beautiful" and Bareilles' "Brave".

On April 28, 2014, Bareilles performed with Elton John at The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Annual Hot Pink Party Fundraiser. In May, Bareilles recorded a cover of Jackie Wilson's song "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" for the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Bareilles toured 24 cities of United States from July 10, 2014 to August 14, 2014 in her The Little Black Dress Summer Tour. The tour was in support of her album The Blessed Unrest which featured opening acts by American singer Emily King, indie pop band Lucius, and Canadian singer Hannah Georgas.

Bareilles sang "Smile" during the "In Memoriam" segment of the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards show on August 25, 2014.

2015-present: Waitress, Sounds Like Me, and What's Inside

On October 25, 2012, Simon & Schuster announced it would be releasing a book by Bareilles containing essays and photos. The book was tentatively set for release in 2014; however, Bareilles only finished the book in March 2015, according to an Instagram post on Bareilles's account. On April 30, 2015, Simon & Schuster announced that Bareilles's book is titled Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song. It was released on October 6, 2015.

In June 2013, it was reported that Bareilles was to score Waitress, a musical adaptation of the 2007 film of the same name. The musical opened on August 20, 2015, produced by the American Repertory Theater. The production is directed by Diane Paulus and stars Jessie Mueller in the leading role. Bareilles debuted one song from the musical called "She Used to be Mine" during some shows on her Little Black Dress Tour.

Bareilles began work on her fifth studio album, What's Inside: Songs from Waitress, in April 2015 at New York City's Electric Lady Studios with producer Neal Avron, who previously worked with Bareilles on Kaleidoscope Heart. In June 2015, Bareilles confirmed during a Google Hangout Q & A session that the album would feature songs she'd written for Waitress reworked "to sound like Sara Bareilles songs." On June 27, 2015, Bareilles and Nadia DiGiallonardo performed "She Used To Be Mine", the album's lead single, with Rich Dworsky and The Berkshire Boys on A Prairie Home Companion. The album was released on November 6, 2015, through Epic Records.

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Bareilles is often compared to artists such as Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple, Billy Joel, due to her vocal ability and incorporation of piano in her music.

She has described her sound as "piano based pop soul," with Bareilles finding inspiration from singers such as Etta James and Sam Cooke.

She is often praised for her songwriting abilities, with critics stating she "conveys vulnerability and wisdom in lyrics that speak honestly about relationships from a woman's point of view", and that her "writing voice is uniquely her own".

Band members

Bareilles' first band consisted of members: Javier Dunn (guitar and vocals), Daniel Rhine (bass) and Josh Day (drums, percussion and backing vocals). Other musicians who have toured with her as part of her band include Eric Robinson (guitar and keys), Holly Conlan (backing vocals), Steve Goold (drums, percussion) and Philip Krohnengold (guitar and keyboards).

In 2013, Bareilles parted amicably with her longtime band mates to "move in a new direction". She subsequently embarked on a short solo tour, before forming a new band in anticipation of her fall co-headlining tour with OneRepublic. The new band consists of Rich Hinman (guitar), Steve Goold (drums, percussion), Chris Morrissey (bass), Cara Fox and Christina Courtin (strings) and Misty Boyce (keyboards).

Collaborations with other artists

In December 2008, a single with Ingrid Michaelson titled "Winter Song" was released off the compilation The Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs. Bareilles and Michaelson performed it on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and an animated video was released. In December 2011, "Winter Song" reached number 2 on the Irish Singles Chart. She also recorded a song "Come Home", a duet with OneRepublic, which was released on iTunes on July 14, 2009.

Bareilles performed with many other singers on the season 3 finale of 30 Rock, alongside Mary J. Blige, Rachael Yamagata, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones and Elvis Costello. She also appeared with Weezer on Jimmy Kimmel Live and AOL Sessions guest performing "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" as well for a special performance on YouTube.

She has performed for the First Family numerous times. Bareilles was first invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to play at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh in September 2009. Here she performed songs for the First Ladies of 20 nations and afterward dined with Michelle Obama. The Obamas again invited her to perform at the Easter Egg Roll in 2010. On October 20, 2010, it was announced that Bareilles would open for President Obama at a Las Vegas rally for the Democratic midterm elections. In late 2010 as pop rock band Maroon 5 was touring in promotion for their Hands All Over album, Bareilles contributed to the female vocals (originally belonging to Lady Antebellum) for the song "Out of Goodbyes". She appeared with the band Sugarland for a cover of Dexys (Midnight Runners) "Come on Eileen" in a YouTube exclusive. In December, Bareilles and fellow singer Ingrid Michaelson performed "Winter Song" for the Obamas and many spectators at the National Christmas Tree Lighting.

In December 2010, Bareilles appeared with The Backbeats on the season finale of The Sing-Off. She performed the duet "Love Won't Let You Get Away" with Seth MacFarlane on his debut studio album Music Is Better Than Words, and reunited to perform the song with him at Club Nokia on March 26, 2011.

Bareilles is featured on the first single from Jon McLaughlin's fourth studio effort Promising Promises, "Summer Is Over". The track was released in January 2012.

Bareilles is featured on Seth MacFarlane's Christmas album Holiday for Swing, released on September 30, 2014. She joins MacFarlane on the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside". The album, which also has collaborations with Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra's bassist Chuck Berghoffer as well as a 65-piece orchestra, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Personal life

Bareilles considers herself "definitely sort of a feminist", saying: "I don't think that being a feminist has anything to do with hating anything. It's about celebrating women and being productive for females. I'm not one for seeing amazing, intelligent women being reduced to sex symbols."

Discography

Main article: Sara Bareilles discography

• Careful Confessions (2004)
• Little Voice (2007)
• Kaleidoscope Heart (2010)
• The Blessed Unrest (2013)
• What's Inside: Songs from Waitress (2015)

Filmography

Television/film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2004	Girl Play	Singer in Bar
2004	Fairytale	Princess	Video short
2008	Walmart Soundcheck	Herself	"Sara Bareilles" (Season 3, episode 3)
2008	Lipstick Jungle	Herself	"Chapter nine: Help!" (Season 2, episode 2)
2010	30 Rock	Herself	"Sara Bareilles" (Season 3, episode 22, "Kidney Now")
2011	Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures	Herself	"Epic Rockstar" (Season 1, episode 7)
2011	The Sing-Off	Judge	Season 3; 11 episodes
2011	No Ordinary Family	Herself	"No Ordinary Animal" (Episode 18)
2012	A Trace Of The Sun: Volunteering In Japan	Herself	Documentary
2012	Rock Hall of Fame	Herself	Tribute to Laura Nyro Induction: "Stony End"
2013	Community	Balloon Guide	"Intro to Felt Surrogacy" (Season 4, episode 9)

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
2009	Grammy Award	Song of the Year	"Love Song"	Nominated
		Best Female Pop Vocal Performance		Nominated
2011			"King of Anything"	Nominated
2014		Album of the Year	The Blessed Unrest	Nominated
		Best Pop Solo Performance	"Brave"	Nominated
2014	American Music Award	Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist		Nominated
2016	Tony Award	Best Original Score	Waitress	Pending

Charities

Sara Bareilles supports the following charitable causes: Education, Health Care, Health Education, Arts Education, Gay Rights, Children.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]