Sara Bareilles

When Sara Bareilles’ soaring 2007 single “Love Song” appeared at the top of the charts, fans who’d seen the talented singer, songwriter, and pianist performing at open mics around Los Angeles had one question: “What took so long?” Born in Eureka, California in 1979, Bareilles honed her vocal talents in her school’s choir and local theatre productions. After graduating from UCLA, her demo recordings led to a deal with Epic, which released her debut album, Careful Confessions, in 2004. Her breakthrough came with 2007’s Little Voice, a platinum-selling album about love, loss, and life as a young woman that garnered comparisons to Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor and, for the single “Love Song,” multiple Grammy nominations. From there, Bareilles’s career was on a rocket-like trajectory, thanks to her passionate vocals, unique melodies, and raw emotions. Her follow-up album, 2010’s Kaleidoscope Heart, debuted at number one of the charts, and 2013’s The Blessed Unrest, with its inescapable, heart-swelling single “Brave,” followed suit. Not content to rule the pop charts, Bareilles returned to theatre, writing the music for the 2015 Tony-nominated stage production Waitress and later making her Broadway acting debut in the show. She followed that with a star turn as Mary Magdalene on NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live and, in 2020, finally snagged her first Grammy for the gentle, T Bone Burnett-produced "Saint Honesty." This time, it was millions of fans who wondered, “What took so long?”