Sara Bareilles

As a gifted singer and a versatile pianist with no formal training, Sara Bareilles burst onto the pop scene with a naturally skilled voice ranging from powerful and soulful to sweet and gentle, earning her instant comparisons to Fiona Apple and Norah Jones.

Bareilles was born (1979) and raised in Eureka, California. She participated in the high school choir, Limited Edition, and local community theater musical productions.

Bareilles attended UCLA, where she was a member of their a cappella group Awaken. After graduating from college in 2002, Bareilles performed at local bars and clubs, 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 January 2004, Bareilles released her first studio album, Careful Confessions. She signed a contract with Epic Records' on April 15, 2005. In 2007, Bareilles toured as the opening act for Aqualung and Mika. In late-2007, she 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 July 2007 she released her second album, Little Voices, featuring the hit single Love Song.

After being featured on a Rhapsody commercial in 2007, "Love Song" began climbing the pop charts, jumping from #73 to #16 in one week. As of December 27, 2007, "Love Song" has entered the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. 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.

As of February 14, 2008, "Little Voice" has jumped to the top 10 of the Billboard 200 at #7.

She is scheduled to tour with Counting Crows and Maroon 5 in summer 2008.