Sara Bareilles Finds Power in Grief and Vulnerability

Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles has released "Good Grief," her first studio album in seven years, which delves into her experiences with profound loss and personal struggles. The album's 14 tracks, primarily piano ballads, confront inequities and raw emotions, including the deaths of close friends and her ongoing battle with infertility. Bareilles is also featured in a documentary, "Sara Bareilles: Good Grief," which captures the emotional and vulnerable process of creating the album, showing her as a determined bandleader navigating tears and harmonies.

Bareilles, known for her theater work like "Waitress" and the TV series "Girls5Eva," has found success across various artistic platforms. Despite career blossoms, she has faced significant personal hardships, including losing a pregnancy earlier this year. This period has been marked by anxiety and a reevaluation of her perception of the world. Her new musical project, an adaptation of "The Interestings," is set to premiere early next year.

She reflects on her career, acknowledging she's "not cool enough" for the music industry but feels empowered by the artistic world she has built. Bareilles' approach to her music now focuses on "telling the truth" and holding "nuance and complexity." She aims for her music to bring comfort, as seen in her recent "grief-in" pop-up performances that encourage public expression of sorrow.