Sara Bareilles

After graduating from UCLA in 2002, Sara Bareilles began performing at local venues and independently released the demo collections The First One and The Summer Sessions (2003). She self-released her debut album, Careful Confessions, in 2004, toured with Guster and Jon McLaughlin, and contributed music to the film Girl Play (2004). She signed with Epic Records in 2005 and opened for Marc Broussard in 2006. Her song "Gravity" also appeared in the film Loving Annabelle (2006). In 2007, she toured with Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, Aqualung, Mika, Maroon 5, Paolo Nutini, and James Blunt.

Bareilles achieved her breakthrough with her Epic Records debut, Little Voice (2007), which featured the hit single "Love Song." She released the live album and concert DVD Between the Lines: Sara Bareilles Live at the Fillmore (2008) and continued touring throughout 2008 and 2009, including her Gravity Tour.

Bareilles released her third studio album, Kaleidoscope Heart, in 2010, featuring the singles "King of Anything," "Uncharted," and "Gonna Get Over You." She toured internationally in support of the album through 2011, including dates with Maroon 5 and Sugarland. During this period, she also joined NBC's The Sing-Off as a celebrity judge and guest-starred on Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures (2011).

In 2012, Bareilles released the EP Once Upon Another Time, produced by Ben Folds, and collaborated with Greg Laswell and Jon McLaughlin. She also released the documentary A Trace of Sun (2012). Her fourth studio album, The Blessed Unrest, followed in 2013, led by the single "Brave." That year she also released the live album Brave Enough: Live at the Variety Playhouse and contributed songs to the film Bounty Killer (2013). In 2014, she toured in support of The Blessed Unrest, performed with Carole King and Elton John, recorded a cover of "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" for the Oprah Winfrey Network, and performed during the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Bareilles made her musical theater composing debut with Waitress, which premiered at the American Repertory Theater in 2015 before transferring to Broadway in 2016. She released her memoir, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song, and the companion album What's Inside: Songs from Waitress in 2015. She portrayed Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid at the Hollywood Bowl (2016), performed during the Academy Awards (2017), and made her Broadway acting debut as Jenna Hunterson in Waitress (2017), returning to the role in 2018 and 2019. She also co-wrote and performed "If I Dare" for the film Battle of the Sexes (2017).

In 2018, Bareilles portrayed Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, co-hosted the 72nd Tony Awards with Josh Groban, and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score for SpongeBob SquarePants. Waitress opened in London's West End in 2019. She released her sixth studio album, Amidst the Chaos (2019), featuring the single "Armor."

Bareilles made her West End debut in Waitress (2020) and released More Love: Songs from Little Voice Season One following the premiere of the Apple TV+ series Little Voice, which she co-created with Jessie Nelson and for which she wrote music. She joined the cast of Peacock's Girls5eva (2021) and returned to Broadway in the Waitress revival the same year. She also released the concert album Amidst the Chaos: Live from the Hollywood Bowl (2021).

In 2022, Bareilles starred as the Baker's Wife in the Encores! and Broadway productions of Into the Woods, earning a Tony Award nomination. She recorded "When You Wish Upon a Star" for Disney's 100 Years of Wonder campaign (2023), co-wrote "Look for the Light" for the third season of Only Murders in the Building (2023), and produced and starred in the filmed version of Waitress: The Musical (2023). Girls5eva moved to Netflix for its third season in 2024. In 2026, Bareilles announced her seventh studio album, Good Grief, scheduled for release on August 28, 2026.

Her new musical, The Interestings, will premiere at Berkeley Rep in 2027, directed by Michael Arden.