NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 13, 2008) Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs, Inc, is very proud to welcome
Sara Bareilles, one of the biggest breakthrough female artists of the year, to their roster. With a #1 single on Pop radio ("Love Song"), a certified gold album (
Little Voices), a phenomenal Rhapsody TV spot, tours with James Blunt and Maroon 5 and numerous TV appearances under her belt, not to mention a sold-out headlining tour that just wrapped at the end of April, the singer/songwriter/pianist is definitely in a league of her own. Bareilles plays a Yamaha
CLP280 Clavinova digital piano,
CP300 stage piano and a
U1 upright piano, as well as Yamaha keyboards.
"Sara performed at the Yamaha dealer concert we put on in January, and I knew right away she would be a welcome addition to our roster," comments Chris Gero, vice president of Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs, Inc. "We are happy to support such a talented and driven musician at the start of what will prove to be a very long and exciting musical career."
Bareilles is a mesmerizing singer-songwriter who grew up performing in her native Humboldt County, California with no formal training in either voice or piano. Much of her adolescence was spent perched in front of a worn piano learning chords and scribbling simple melodies and lyrics. In 2003, Bareilles co-produced her first independent studio demo,
Careful Confessions, and she earned a loyal grassroots following through touring.
In March 2005, she performed at the popular "ASCAP Presents…" acoustic showcase at South By Southwest. With word of mouth support and hypnotic live performances that left fans hanging on her every word, Epic Records took notice and signed Bareilles to a record deal the following month.
The following February, producer Eric Rosse took her under his wing, and the two spent more than a year perfecting the orchestration for the new album. Her highly anticipated debut album
Little Voice was finally released on July 3, 2007, and it skyrocketed to #1 on the
iTunes album chart and made an impressive debut on
Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart at #45. Currently at #7, the album has been charting for 31 weeks and features the single, "Love Song," which after appearing in a Rhapsody commercial jumped from #73 to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is currently at #1 and has been charting for 28 weeks.
Bareilles will be touring with the Counting Crows and Maroon 5 July 25 - Aug. 26, 2008.
