Sara Beth Bareilles (pronounced /bəˈrɛlɪs/; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. Bareilles' vocal range registers from contralto to mezzo-soprano.

Bareilles was born and raised in Eureka, California. She was raised Catholic and participated in the high school choir, Limited Edition, and local community theater musical productions, including her high school's production of Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey. She graduated from Eureka Senior High School in June 1998, having been voted "Most Talented" in the senior yearbook of that year. Her family resides in the Eureka, Sacramento and Santa Cruz areas of California.

Bareilles attended UCLA, where she was a member of the co-ed a cappella group Awaken A Cappella, and can be heard on their Dysfunktional Family Album singing Gravity and I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. The group's rendition of Bareilles' "Gravity" was featured on the Best of College A Cappella 2004 compilation CD. Sara also stated on MTV's TRL that she and the band Maroon 5 go back far to their younger days in California when the band was known as Kara's Flowers. She performed in the annual student concert, UCLA Spring Sing, winning twice.