Two-Time GRAMMY® Winner Sara Bareilles Finds Hope in the Heartache on GOOD GRIEF
“One of the year’s finest achievements from a singer-songwriter” —Variety
Sara Bareilles has never been afraid to sit with a complicated feeling, and on Good Grief, she gives loss, love, anger and hope plenty of room to coexist. Her seventh studio album—and first since the GRAMMY®-winning Amidst the Chaos—finds her returning to the studio with longtime collaborators for a collection that feels intimate without becoming heavy. “Home,” inspired by a conversation about grief between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper on Cooper’s podcast on grief and loss, beautifully establishes that emotional center, while “Just a Kid” looks at life through a more vulnerable lens. “Heartland” brings another dimension to the record, and “Capsize Me” leans into the feeling of being emotionally overwhelmed rather than trying to neatly resolve it. Bareilles self-produced much of Good Grief, and there’s an organic warmth to the 14-track collection that suits songs built around real emotions rather than easy answers. In her own words, “My deepest hope is that Good Grief provides some kind of comfort or catharsis.”
That doesn’t mean Good Grief spends all of its time being solemn. Bareilles has always known how to pair emotional honesty with wit and melody, and “Nervous Breakdown” practically announces its state of mind before the first note. One of the album’s most affecting moments comes with “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet,” featuring Brandi Carlile and co-written by Carlile and late poet and activist Andrea Gibson. Originally featured in the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, the song fits naturally into an album interested in the many shapes grief can take—and the love that remains alongside it. Across Good Grief, Bareilles moves between personal loss, relationships, women’s experiences and unexpected flashes of light, ultimately making an album that understands something important: healing doesn’t require pretending everything is okay.
Two-time GRAMMY® Award winner Sara Bareilles has spent two decades building a career that stretches far beyond the traditional singer-songwriter lane. After breaking through with songs including “Love Song” and “Brave,” she expanded her creative world into theater, television, acting, producing and writing, composing the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical Waitress and later stepping into its lead role herself. Her stage work has earned multiple Tony Award nominations, including recognition for her performance as the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, while her portrayal of Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar Live! earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination. She has also starred in the musical comedy series Girls5eva and is a New York Times bestselling author. The making of the album was captured in the documentary, Sara Bareilles: Good Grief, released this fall. Now, Good Grief brings Bareilles back to where so much of her story began: sitting at the center of a collection of songs, telling the truth about where she is—and finding a little hope in the telling.
For more information on Sara Bareilles and Good Grief, visit sarabmusic.com.
REVIEWS
“...a beautifully bittersweet and soaring collection that balances profound personal loss with uplifting, cathartic joy.” —Variety
“songwriting and grief are bridged by a holiness, a mysticism even” —CNN
“The rawness of her feelings, and the urgency of the music — are palpable.” —New York Times “It circles what won't leave, turns pain into motion, hardens into a demand and… lets the heart run wild.” —NPR
