'This is unusual': Sara Bareilles recalls strip club show, talks new series 'Little Voice'
When Sara Bareilles says she used to play anywhere that would have her, she truly means anywhere.
Starting out as a singer-songwriter, "I played at a place in Los Angeles that doubled as a strip club," says the Grammy winner. "There was a pole in the middle of the stage that we had to set up around and I was like, 'This is unusual.' I opened for a magician one time, I played birthday parties and street fairs – anything that would kick me some cash for playing music, I would do."
Bareilles, 40, funneled that experience – as well as many other real-life stories – into her new Apple TV+ series "Little Voice," which starts streaming Friday with new episodes airing weekly. The nine-episode first season follows Bess King (Brittany O'Grady of Fox's "Star"), an aspiring songwriter in New York who moonlights as a bartender and dog walker when she's not chasing her singing dreams.
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The J.J. Abrams-produced drama features original music by Bareilles, who also reteams with writer Jessie Nelson following their Tony-nominated Broadway musical "Waitress." She talks to USA TODAY about "Little Voice" and more.
Question: You revealed on Instagram that you wrote the song "Little Voice" for your first album (2004's "Careful Confessions"), but were told it wasn't good enough to include. Who gave you that feedback and how did you find it again?
Sara Bareilles: Well, I'll leave it mildly ambiguous, but it wasn't my record label. But I was trying to write a theme song for this show and I couldn't quite crack the code. Then I remembered this song had been sitting here forever – 15 years now – and I hesitated to bring it up (to Jessie) initially, because I was imprinted with the insecurity from getting feedback that it wasn't strong enough for the record. So I was like, "Oh, this probably just isn't a good song." But I just love that's the story of this song coming back to life. It's so embedded in the themes of this show: trusting your instincts, believing in yourself and taking big swings on your own behalf.
Q: People tell Bess that her music is too "earnest" and "sentimental" and she struggles to embrace those parts of her songwriting. How did you handle criticism starting out?
Bareilles: One of the hard things as a young artist is learning to have a tough skin about feedback because everyone's an expert about your art, turns out. I remember early on in my career, I sent my demo to a music attorney. I was sitting in my car and I was proud of myself, because he hadn't called me back and I called him to ask for feedback. And he told me I was just a voice. "You don't have the chops," basically. It was gut-wrenching. I was devastated. So everyone else's (opinion) is a huge challenge to get over as a young artist and continues to be, although I'm just better at telling them to (expletive) off at this point. (Laughs.)
Q: What's your relationship been like to music these last few months? Between the pandemic and protests, have you felt inspired to write about what you're seeing or how you're feeling?
Bareilles: I am one of the people who's kind of fallen silent at the moment. I'm finding a lot of comfort in listening to music, so I'm turning to my tried-and-true forever companions of music. People like Joni Mitchell and Carole King and the Laurel Canyon folk writers. Those protest songs of the '60s and '70s, it feels like there's some resurgence of that and a sense that we need to be writing about and tapping into something bigger than ourselves. So I don't really need to write about my story right now, but I don't know what (else) to say. I'm just observing and journaling and trying to not have panic attacks on the daily. I've been having a hard time, but I have every faith that this will metabolize into something creative eventually.
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Q: You've been vocal in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement on your Instagram. Have you attended any marches or vigils here in New York?
Bareilles: Yeah, they're all the time and they're everywhere and it's amazing. I was actually (at a protest recently) with friends in Washington Square Park. To see just how peaceful and how connected it all feels, it's a tremendously powerful experience. I highly recommend it. It's definitely been a big part of how I'm metabolizing this time.
Q: You were forced to leave the London production of "Waitress" early due to the pandemic. Do you hope to return to the show when it's safe again to do so? Or what are your thoughts on the musical's future?
Bareilles: Gosh, my heart is breaking, because they just got the news that Broadway can't come back till next year and I know that's such a tremendous hardship on so many people. The future is completely unknown at this point. "Waitress," at this moment, is not returning to the West End. But honestly, things change all the time, so I have no idea. That show will be a lifelong love of mine and anytime I get to engage and embrace participation, I love to do it.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sara Bareilles talks Apple TV+ show 'Little Voice,' 'amazing' protests
