Sara Bareilles

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 have spent my whole career worrying that the big bad pop monster was going to eat me when I wasn't looking.

I'm mostly a mess, and I hide it pretty well a lot of time.

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.

Elton John is a huge influence and an artist I've listened to since I was a little girl.

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 want to do good work in the world.

I don't want to fake anybody out and make them think I'm a great actress.

I have no business carrying myself like some diva.

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.

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.

One of my earliest memories of writing at a piano was alongside my sister.

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 have a tendency to become very self-critical.

I didn't know I'd ever write a Broadway musical.

One of the great things I learned from how cooperative theater is, you can't be too precious about your ideas.

I love the sound and temperament of an upright piano.

I'm grateful to have the chance to be inspired by the incredible artists that are out there.

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.