I think there's so much honor and integrity and beauty in being able to be who you are.
— Sara Bareilles
With musical theatre, although there are rules, they're so different to the ones I feel like I have accidentally been ingrained with writing pop music. The main point is to tell the story. You just have to make sure the character's voice is strong and the storytelling is strong.
I have spent my whole career worrying that the big bad pop monster was going to eat me when I wasn't looking.
Everything I do will always be compared to 'Love Song' in terms of success or the way it's written or whatever, but it was a really formative moment in my life and in my career.
My life is so different because of 'Waitress.' The people that I'm close to, the things I do professionally, my colleagues, my best friend and my boyfriend - like, all of these things have come to me because of the show. And it's really beautiful.
I have no business carrying myself like some diva.
One of my earliest memories of writing at a piano was alongside my sister.
The greatest thing we can do is to give each other a safe space to truly, truly be ourselves in the world.
I love the sound and temperament of an upright piano.
I would like to look back on my body of work and be proud of each record in its own right, but as a whole, I want to continue to grow and move forward.
It's so easy to just rip someone's work apart.
I would never intentionally want to hurt someone's feelings.
I'm never gonna be somebody who's gonna fall down from the sky on a trapeze. That's not me. I really want to make sure that my focus stays on connecting with the audience.
I'm a traditional singer-songwriter. I have a more organic sound.
I'm writing about emotions.
Aesthetically, London is just beautiful; it's a gorgeous city. The architecture, monuments, the parks, the small streets - it's an incredible place to be.
I love, when I feel challenged, to step up to my highest capacity.
I'm mostly a mess, and I hide it pretty well a lot of time.
I'm a social person, and I'm used to working as a band member. I like that. I like being a part of a family onstage and on the road.
I want to do good work in the world.
I've been told to wear different things, to look different, to lose weight, to look sexier, to wear more hair, to wear more makeup.
I'm such a fan of the Obamas in general, and I love how dignified and charismatic and how intelligent they are. They are so warm and kind and encouraging, especially of young people, and I really love seeing that.
I didn't know I'd ever write a Broadway musical.
I'm grateful to have the chance to be inspired by the incredible artists that are out there.
I have been very fortunate to be a part of tours with other artists that have exposed me to new places that I've never been before. Once you discover something beautiful, you just want to keep coming back.
I think I have some anger-management issues, and they end up coming out in these passive-aggressive songs that sound happy.
Nobody ever thinks a song is about them. Well, not when it's mean. When it's a good song everybody thinks it's about them. And when it's mean, nobody thinks it's about them.
I'm of the ilk of writers that feels you have to be open to the inspiration.
I was a fat girl growing up and had to change schools because kids were so mean.
I used to sing songs from musicals all the time as a kid.
My favourite thing to do in any city is just to get lost and go for long walks.
I wasn't Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson. I wasn't Tori Amos or Norah Jones. Nobody knew what to do with me.
I feel very ill-equipped to be giving anyone advice about their life.
Elton John is a huge influence and an artist I've listened to since I was a little girl.
I don't want to fake anybody out and make them think I'm a great actress.
Stepping back into theatre, a childhood dream, I always felt like I would be onstage. I hadn't imagined myself in a composer role... I find it so satisfying to be behind the scenes and writing the music and watching it elevated and characterized by different voices than my own. It's so exciting.
I have a tendency to become very self-critical.
One of the great things I learned from how cooperative theater is, you can't be too precious about your ideas.
I have been influenced by many different artists at many different stages of my life. Starting out, it was people like Elton John, Billy Joel, Ben Folds, and Fiona Apple. As I got older I got deeper into the work of bands like the Beatles, artists like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Etta James, and Joni Mitchell.
If you take your fear and mash it into something that's actually useful, then it doesn't feel like it wins.
My hairstylist taught me a trick for my hair. You section off your hair and put them up in these crazy little knots and then it looks like you curled your hair. It's saved me so much time 'cause on the road you don't have time or plugs to plug your curling iron in.
I feel like my songs are like diary entries for me. So I usually write about things that have happened to me specifically or sometimes it can be someone who's close to me.
I never played coffee shops; I just played a lot of coffee shop-sized venues. I took every venue I could get my hands on.
The women in my family are all super-emotional. The catchphrase in our family is 'Listen to my words, not my tears.'
