Sara Bareilles

Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress who has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned two Grammy Awards, alongside nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards. In 2012, she was listed among VH1's Top 100 Greatest Women in Music.

Bareilles was born on December 7, 1979, in Eureka, California. She participated in her high school choir and local community theater productions before graduating in 1998. She then attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), majoring in communication studies. During her college years, she performed with the a cappella group Awaken a Cappella, taught herself to play instruments including the piano, and won the annual UCLA Spring Sing concert twice.

After graduating from college in 2002, Bareilles began performing at local venues and released two demos in 2003. She self-published her debut studio album, Careful Confessions, in 2004. After signing with Epic Records in 2005, she released her second studio album, Little Voice, in 2007. The album debuted at number 45 on the Billboard 200 and later peaked at number seven. Its lead single, "Love Song", reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and received Grammy Award nominations for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2010, Bareilles released her third studio album, Kaleidoscope Heart, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The album featured the platinum-certified single "King of Anything". Following this release, she served as a celebrity judge on the third season of the NBC television series The Sing-Off. In 2012, she released the EP Once Upon Another Time, produced by Ben Folds, followed by her fourth studio album, The Blessed Unrest, in 2013, which included the single "Brave".

Bareilles expanded her career into musical theater by writing the music and lyrics for the 2015 Broadway musical Waitress. Her work earned her nominations for a Tony Award for Best Original Score, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and an Olivier Award for its 2019 West End production. She also released the 2015 studio album What's Inside: Songs from Waitress. Bareilles later contributed to and performed in other Broadway productions, including SpongeBob SquarePants and a revival of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, both of which earned her additional Tony nominations.

In addition to her stage and music career, Bareilles has worked in television. She portrayed Mary Magdalene in the 2018 NBC special Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, receiving an Emmy nomination for her performance. She subsequently played the lead role of Dawn Solano in the musical comedy series Girls5eva from 2021 to 2024.