Sara Bareilles is looking to replicate the success of her hit Love Song with the release of her new single Bottle It Up. Sara took time out to chat to FemaleFirst about life in the spotlight, her new album and losing her virginity.
What have you been up to recently, anything exciting?
Well we just flew in from Australia so we had a couple of days off getting to know Sydney and we had a fabulous time.
You are set to release Bottle It Up; can you tell me a bit about the single?
Its kind of a common response single as the song wrote itself in two parts. The first part I wrote about five years ago when I was thinking about what would happen if I ever got a record deal and it shows my hopes and fears about what it would feel like.Then I put the song away and never finished it and then last year when we were getting ready to record Little Voice the song spoke to me again and sort of wrote itself as it was the answer to all my worries and I wrote it for love and it put to rest a lot of anxieties I had previously.Your debut single Love Song was a huge hit, do you think this will do as well as that did?
Its hard to tell because Love Song was a very special moment in time for me and that song.Songs are like your children so you never want to make comparisons but Love Song was a great door-opener so I dont necessarily have the same expectations of Bottle It Up but its still an important song to me so I hope people get to hear it.
Also, your debut album, Little Voice, has been a huge success; will you be making another?
Yeah! Im already writing for the next record and will probably go into the studio at some point next year. Im really excited as I have a lot of ideas in my head about what I want it to feel like!
Do you think it will be something a little bit different?
I think it will be yes; I think in some ways Im feeling a little bit more playful about the whole thing and I just want to feel songs I feel connected to but Im not going to put pressure on myself to say the most important things Ive ever said; I just want to have a record that feels great for me and hopefully translates to the listener.
Was the title inspired by the film of the same name?
It wasnt actually and I didnt even make that connection until after the album was out. Little Voice was my mantra as I was in the studio because I had a hard time honing in on my own opinion and I felt really inexperienced and like I didnt have the right things to say and little Voice is in reference to your intuition and your confidence and whilst making the record I really learnt to listen to myself.
Did you ever think your single and album would do as well as they have done?
When you are pouring your heart and soul into something of course you hope it would be successful but I didnt ever really pictured the way it would feel in real-life and there has been a lot of surprises along the way and I wasnt prepared for the way it is.
I really wanted people to hear this record and it to be on the radio and TV but it just wasnt something I actually planned.
You seem to have had an interest in performing from an early age; can you remember what sparked it off?
I think the thing that did it for me was theatre as my mum is an actress in the local community and my older sister did a lot of musical theatre so I was always watching my family on the stage so performing felt very natural and it wasnt a weird thing to want to be a performer.
I just feel in love with Broadway and the musical theatre and I remember my favourite Christmas present ever was the librettos to Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Phantom Of The Opera.
How did you eventually get into the music industry?
It was a long and slow process for me; I started really grass-roots and was doing coffee shops and really small clubs and over time things grew in terms of my fan base and repertoire and my knowledge of where I was headed and how I was going to get there.
Along the way you meet people who help to move forward so obviously I met my manager and in turn he in turn helped me meet people from my label so it was a chain reaction but a really slow and long chain. Well worth the wait though as I have the benefit of having gone through all the steps so I feel very accomplished and proud of the fact that weve done the small gigs and horrible venue and now its nice to play in places where were greatly appreciate.
Who do you look up to within the industry?
I look up to people like KT Tunstall as well as older artists like Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Raitt and people who have longevity under their belts and who are real songwriters and real touring artists who can go out and play shows when theyre 50 and 60 years old.
From a female perspective I like seeing women who are fiercely independent and comfortable with being in charge. I really admire Coldplay as they have shown a progression in their music and they have stayed very true to who they our.
Where would you like to be in ten years from now?
I would like to be supporting my fourth or fifth album and be touring the world and to feel as satisfied with it all as I do now. I want to still feel like this is what Im meant to be doing.
Whats in the near future for you?
Were hading back to the states after weve done a few more date sin Europe as were doing a five week headline tour of the States before we come back to Europe for some more shows and then well be taking a little break for the holidays!
We ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview....and Caprice wants to know; When did you lose your virginity?
I lost my virginity when I was 16 to my high school sweetheart who I was madly in love with at the time. It was kind of awkward and not a romantic or fun experience!
So can you come up with a question for the next person I interview?
Do you believe in astrology charts and what is your sign?
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