Sara Bareilles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sara Bareilles
Bareilles in 2023
Born	Sara Beth Bareilles (1979-12-07) December 7, 1979 (age 45) Eureka, California, U.S.
Education	University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupation	Singer songwriter musician actress
Years active	2002–present
Partner(s)	Joe Tippett (2015–present; engaged)
Musical career
Genres	Pop pop rock soul
Instruments	Vocals piano
Labels	Epic
Signature

Sara Beth Bareilles (/bəˈrɛlɪs/ bə-REL-iss; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold millions of albums and singles in the United States. Bareilles has won two Grammy Awards and has been nominated for many other awards, including Primetime Emmy Awards and Tony Awards. In 2012, VH1 called her one of the Top 100 Greatest Women in Music.

After signing with Epic Records, Bareilles became very famous. This happened after she released her second album, Little Voice (2007). The first song from that album, "Love Song", became a huge hit. It reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This song also earned nominations for Song of the Year at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.

Bareilles also started working on Broadway. She wrote the music and lyrics for the 2015 musical Waitress. For this, she was nominated for a Tony Award and a Grammy Award. She also worked on other Broadway shows. These include SpongeBob SquarePants (2016) and a new version of Into the Woods. Both of these earned her Tony nominations.

Bareilles is also known for her work on television. In 2018, she played Mary Magdalene in the TV special Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on NBC. She was nominated for an Emmy for this role. She also played the main character, Dawn Solano, in the musical comedy Girls5eva (2021–present) on Peacock and Netflix.

Early Life and Education

Bareilles was born and grew up in Eureka, California. She is one of three daughters. Her mother, Bonnie Halvorsen, worked at a funeral home. Her father, Paul Bareilles, was an insurance adjuster. Sara has two sisters, Stacey and Jennifer, and a half-sister, Melody. Her family background includes Italian, English, German, Portuguese, and French roots. Her last name, Bareilles, is French. She can speak some Italian and lived in Bologna, Italy, for a year during college.

Bareilles was raised Catholic. She went to a religious school until junior high. Then she moved to a public school. In high school, she was part of the choir called Limited Edition. She also acted in local theater shows. One of her roles was Audrey in her high school's play Little Shop of Horrors.

After finishing Eureka High School in 1998, Bareilles studied communication at the University of California, Los Angeles. There, she joined a singing group called Awaken a Cappella. You can hear her on their album Dysfunktional Family. She sang her own song "Gravity" and "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5. Her group's version of "Gravity" was even on a special CD called Best of College a Cappella 2004. Bareilles knew the band Maroon 5 from their college days. She won the annual student concert UCLA Spring Sing twice. Bareilles taught herself to play many instruments, including the piano.

Music Career Beginnings

After graduating from UCLA in 2002, Bareilles started performing. She played at local bars and clubs in Los Angeles. She slowly gained fans before playing at bigger places. In 2003, she released two demo albums with mostly live songs. These were The First One in April and The Summer Sessions in October.

In January 2004, Bareilles released her first studio album, Careful Confessions. Later that year, she opened for other bands like Rocco DeLuca and the Burden and Guster. She also toured with Jon McLaughlin. In 2004, she appeared in the movie Girl Play as a singer. Her songs "Undertow," "Gravity," and "Fairy Tale" were also in the film.

She signed a contract with Epic Records on April 15, 2005. She spent the next year writing and preparing songs for her next album. In 2006, she opened for Marc Broussard's "Carencro" tour. Her song "Gravity" was also used in the 2006 movie Loving Annabelle. In 2007, Bareilles toured with Aqualung and Mika. She also opened for Maroon 5 and Paolo Nutini on their U.S. tours. She then opened for James Blunt on his U.S. tour.

Breakthrough with Little Voice

Bareilles touring Europe after the success of Little Voice (2008).

In June 2007, iTunes chose Bareilles's song "Love Song" as their free single of the week. This song was about her feeling stressed by Epic Records to write a "love song" for her first album. But there was no specific request for one. Most of the songs on her first major album, Little Voice, were better versions of songs from Careful Confessions.

In July 2007, Little Voice quickly became the most downloaded album on iTunes. It also started at number 45 on the Billboard 200 chart. After being in a Rhapsody commercial in 2007, "Love Song" became very popular. It jumped from number 73 to number 16 in just one week. By December 2007, it was in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached its highest spot at number 4. "Love Song" also hit number 1 on other charts like Pop 100 and Hot AC. Bareilles performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Today show. Soon after, the song reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Josh Forbes and starred British actor Adam Campbell.

By 2010, Little Voice was certified platinum. This means it sold over one million copies. The album reached number 7 on the Billboard 200 and number 9 in the UK. "Love Song" was certified triple platinum, selling over three million copies.

On October 28, 2008, Bareilles released Between the Lines: Sara Bareilles Live at the Fillmore. This was a DVD and CD recording of her first big tour. It was recorded at The Fillmore in San Francisco. The album also included a live version of her song "August Moon" and a cover of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. She finished the tour in her hometown of Eureka, California, on December 19, 2008.

She toured with Counting Crows and Maroon 5 in the summer of 2008. Bareilles was chosen as MTV's Artist of the Week in July 2008. She appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno again in July and December 2008.

In spring 2009, Bareilles went on her second main tour, the Gravity Tour. This tour promoted "Gravity", the third song from Little Voice. She also played many college shows in April and May. She sent a special holiday message to fans and gave away a free live acoustic EP. This EP had seven acoustic songs, including a new song "Free Ride".

New Albums and TV Shows

Bareilles performing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 2008.

After becoming famous, Bareilles felt tired and worried about writing another big hit. This feeling is described in her song "Uncharted". She even had a time when she couldn't write any songs at all. She started working on her next album in summer 2009. She worked with famous musicians like Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Pharrell Williams. Neal Avron produced the album. It was recorded in Los Angeles. The album was named Kaleidoscope Heart.

The first song from Kaleidoscope Heart, "King of Anything", started playing on the radio in May 2010. It was released for sale in June. "King of Anything" later sold over one million copies. Before the album came out, Bareilles released videos showing how she made some of the songs. She was also chosen as VH1's Posted Artist of the Month in July 2010.

Kaleidoscope Heart was released on September 7, 2010. It became number 1 in the United States, selling 90,000 copies. Her previous album, Little Voice, also re-entered the charts that week.

Bareilles toured to support Kaleidoscope Heart from September to December 2010. Most of her shows were sold out. She toured Europe, Asia, and Australia with Maroon 5 in spring 2011. She also had a small tour in April 2011 to support "Uncharted", the second song from Kaleidoscope Heart. She also opened some shows for the country music duo Sugarland. The third song from Kaleidoscope Heart was "Gonna Get Over You".

Bareilles became a judge on the NBC TV show The Sing-Off in its third season. She joined Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman from Boyz II Men. Bareilles also appeared as a guest star on Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures.

On August 13, 2011, a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair right after Bareilles finished performing. She was not hurt. She tweeted that her heart ached for the people who died. Seven people were killed and over 45 were injured.

New Music and Broadway Success

After joining The Sing-Off, Bareilles announced she was recording a new EP. Her co-star Ben Folds produced it. She also worked with other singers like Greg Laswell and Jon McLaughlin. Her EP, Once Upon Another Time, was released on May 22, 2012. It had 5 new songs. The first song from the EP, "Stay", was released on April 21, 2012.

On September 10, 2012, Bareilles said she was working on a new album in New York. She also sang a new song called "Only Shadows". In January 2013, she shared her plans for the year. After moving to New York, Bareilles finished her new album. In January, she was featured with the a cappella group Straight No Chaser. They sang "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5.

In February 2013, Bareilles started giving hints about her new album on Twitter and YouTube. On March 27, 2013, she announced an 18-city tour to promote the album. The first song, "Brave", was released digitally on April 23. She also released a lyric video for "Brave" on YouTube. The album, named The Blessed Unrest, was released on July 16, 2013.

Bareilles sang two songs for the movie Bounty Killer, which came out in September 2013. Her live album, Brave Enough: Live at the Variety Playhouse, was released on October 22, 2013.

In October 2013, two nurses and a former patient from a children's hospital made a YouTube video. They danced and sang to Bareilles's song "Brave". Bareilles surprised them during a TV interview. She said the video reminded her how important music is. In 2019, she visited the hospital to sing the song with them live.

On January 26, 2014, Bareilles sang with Carole King at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. They sang King's "Beautiful" and Bareilles's "Brave". On April 28, 2014, Bareilles performed with Elton John. In May, Bareilles recorded a cover of "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" for the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Bareilles toured 24 American cities in summer 2014 for her "The Little Black Dress Summer Tour". She sang "Smile" during the "In Memoriam" part of the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards show in August 2014.

Waitress and Other Projects

Sara Bareilles at the White House.

In June 2013, it was reported that Bareilles would write music for Waitress. This was a musical based on the 2007 movie. The musical opened on August 20, 2015. Bareilles sang a song from the musical, "She Used To Be Mine", during some of her tours. Waitress ended its Broadway run on January 5, 2020.

In October 2012, Simon & Schuster announced they would publish a book by Bareilles. The book, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song, was released on October 6, 2015. It contains essays and photos.

Bareilles started working on her fifth album, What's Inside: Songs from Waitress, in April 2015. She worked with producer Neal Avron. In June 2015, Bareilles said the album would have songs from Waitress. These songs would be changed to sound like her own. The album was released on November 6, 2015.

In June 2016, Bareilles played Ariel in a live show of Disney's The Little Mermaid in Hollywood. She sang "Both Sides, Now" at the 89th Academy Awards in February 2017.

On March 31, 2017, Bareilles performed on Broadway. She played Jenna Hunterson in Waitress for 10 weeks. She returned to the role in January 2018 and again in January 2019.

Recent Work and Television

On April 1, 2018, Bareilles played Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. This was a TV musical on NBC. Fans and critics loved her in the role. She was nominated for an Emmy and a Grammy Award.

On June 10, 2018, Bareilles hosted the 72nd Tony Awards with Josh Groban. They performed an opening song called "This One's for You". Bareilles was nominated for a Tony Award for her music in SpongeBob SquarePants. She was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for her work at the Tony Awards.

In August 2018, it was announced that Waitress would open in London's West End in February 2019.

In early 2017, Bareilles said she was working on a new album. The first song from it, "Armor", was released on October 26, 2018. On February 13, 2019, she announced the album's title: Amidst the Chaos. It came out in April 2019 and reached number six on the Billboard 200. She also released "Shiny" on May 10, 2019, for Mother's Day.

On January 27, 2020, Bareilles made her West End debut as Jenna Hunterson in Waitress. She had to leave early on March 14 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Bareilles also won a Grammy Award for her song "Saint Honesty" from Amidst the Chaos.

On March 25, 2019, Bareilles announced a new series for Apple TV+ called Little Voice. She worked with J. J. Abrams and Jessie Nelson on it. She also recorded the theme song. The series premiered on July 10, 2020. On September 4, 2020, Bareilles released an album called More Love: Songs from Little Voice Season One.

On August 10, 2020, Bareilles was announced to star in Peacock's new musical comedy Girls5eva. The first season was released on May 6, 2021.

On May 5, 2021, it was announced that Bareilles would play Jenna again in a new Broadway run of Waitress. The show opened on September 2, 2021. Bareilles played the role until October 17. Her live album, Amidst the Chaos: Live from the Hollywood Bowl, was released in 2021.

In May 2022, Bareilles starred as the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods at the New York City Center. She played the role again in a Broadway revival until September 4, 2022. She was nominated for a Tony Award for this role.

In May 2023, Bareilles recorded "When You Wish Upon a Star" for The Walt Disney Company's 100th anniversary. She performed it live on American Idol. For the third season of the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, she co-wrote "Look for the Light".

In late 2023, a live recording of Waitress: The Musical was released. Bareilles was a producer on the film and played Jenna. The movie did well at the box office. On October 27, 2023, Girls5eva was renewed for a third season by Netflix.

Artistic Style

Music Style and Inspirations

In her book Sounds Like Me, Bareilles talks about the different advice she got when trying to get a record deal. Some labels said her voice was great but her songs needed work. Others said her songs were great but her singing wasn't good enough. This experience was shown in her TV series Little Voice.

Bareilles is known for her strong singing voice, called a mezzo-soprano. People often compare her to artists like Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple, and Billy Joel. This is because of her singing and how she uses the piano in her music.

She describes her sound as "piano-based pop soul." Bareilles finds inspiration from singers like Etta James and Sam Cooke.

In an interview, Bareilles explained that writing her early song "Love Song" was a very important moment for her. She felt she was "fighting for the essence of some truth inside [of her], which to [her was] a beautiful love song."

She is often praised for her songwriting. Critics say she "shows how she feels and shares wise thoughts in lyrics that speak honestly about relationships from a woman's point of view." They also say her "writing voice is uniquely her own."

Collaborations with Other Artists

Bareilles and her former band during her Kaleidoscope Heart Tour in 2010.

Bareilles performing at the Warfield in 2012.

In December 2008, Bareilles released "Winter Song" with Ingrid Michaelson. They sang it on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The song reached number 2 on the Irish Singles Chart in December 2011. She also recorded "Come Home," a song with OneRepublic, released in July 2009.

Bareilles was one of many singers in the season 3 finale of 30 Rock. The episode was a funny version of charity songs. She appeared with Weezer on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

She has performed for the President and First Lady many times.

• In September 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama invited her to play at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh. She performed for the First Ladies of 20 nations.
• The Obamas invited her again to perform at the Easter Egg Roll in 2010.
• In October 2010, Bareilles opened for President Barack Obama at a rally in Las Vegas.
• In December 2010, Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson sang "Winter Song" for the Obamas at the National Christmas Tree Lighting.

In 2011, Bareilles sang on the Maroon 5 song "Out of Goodbyes". She also appeared with the band Sugarland for a cover of "Come on Eileen".

In December 2010, Bareilles appeared on The Sing-Off to sing "King of Anything". She later joined The Sing-Off as a judge. She and Ben Folds sang "Baby, It's Cold Outside" on a Christmas episode in December 2011. Folds later produced her 2012 EP Once Upon Another Time.

She sang "Love Won't Let You Get Away" with Seth MacFarlane on his album Music Is Better Than Words. They performed it live in March 2011. Bareilles was also on MacFarlane's Christmas album Holiday for Swing in 2014. They sang "Baby, It's Cold Outside" again.

Bareilles was featured on the song "Mango Tree" from the Zac Brown Band album Jekyll + Hyde in 2015. She was also featured on "Summer is Over," a song by Jon McLaughlin, in January 2012.

Bareilles worked with Ben Folds again in January 2018. They performed with the National Symphony Orchestra. They played classical music, new songs, and five of Bareilles's songs.

Personal Life

Bareilles was in a relationship with her former band member and guitarist Javier Dunn until 2013. In August 2015, she met actor Joe Tippett while working on Waitress. They started a relationship. The couple first appeared in public at the 71st Tony Awards two years later. On New Year's Day in 2023, Bareilles and Tippett announced they were engaged. Tippett has also appeared in Waitress and on TV shows like The Morning Show. Bareilles lives in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan.

Bareilles considers herself a feminist. She says that being a feminist is about celebrating women. Bareilles has always supported the LGBTQ+ community. She says her song "Brave" was inspired by a friend who was struggling with coming out.

Discography

Studio albums

• Careful Confessions (2004)
• Little Voice (2007)
• Kaleidoscope Heart (2010)
• The Blessed Unrest (2013)
• What's Inside: Songs from Waitress (2015)
• Amidst the Chaos (2019)

Soundtrack albums

• Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event) (2018)
• More Love: Songs from Little Voice Season One (2020)
• Girls5eva: Music from the Peacock Original Series (2021)
• Girls5eva: Season 2 (Original Series Soundtrack) (2022)
• Into the Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording) (2022)

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage Credits

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Sara Bareilles para niños