Thinking of you.

I think about you all the time.
The "you" that comes to my mind is this strange sort of amalgamation of a whole bunch of things. People that stop me on the street, fans whose faces have stuck in my brain, my dear friends, my critics, sweet little kids that sing along, people who constantly are encouraging me to continue to do whatever it is that I'm doing. I think about you all the time, and my Catholic upbringing has heaped on a load of guilt for not being able to respond to every body and also for not writing more often.
I hope you can understand that as things start moving more quickly for us, it gets harder for me to stay quite as plugged-in as I have in the past. And to be honest, we've talked about trying to do a whole shit-load of video blogs and stuff, and I'm just not interested in trying to bombard you with meaningless snippets of stuff. (I do plenty of that without even trying!) I want my entries in this journal and my communication with you all to mean something to me. So I hope you can be a bit forgiving if I don't have as many letters to you as I should.
That being said, let me tell you what's up for now. I'm perched at my hotel table in a lovely little London Hotel that it literally down the street from Picadilly Circus (not a real circus, I found out) and just down the block from the Queen of England. I called to tell her I'm here, but I guess she hasn't had a chance to get back to me yet. I think London is one of the most magical cities in the world. Dripping with the most beautiful architecture and the kind of history you FEEL when you walk down the cobblestone streets. I feel like everyone here is smarter than me (which most of them probably are) but I try to hide it by using big words. I think it's working.
I am here with the acoustic trio boys (joshy and javi) to do a few showcase-y things for UK radio and TV. The album is not out quite yet here, so we are doing some preliminary promotion for when it comes out in June. After this, we are headed to Munich, and then Amsterdam. Really wish I had some time off to see more this time around, but I think it'll have to wait till next time we come back to do the tourist thing. There is so much to see in this beautiful world, and this trip has made me feel very small again. I look forward to getting some time to really explore.
We are beginning rehearsals for the headlining run in April, and the whole show is moving forward in bigger, new ways. Nothing drastic, just a few ways to make our stage show more interesting, and aesthetically appealing. For example, we have a BACKDROP now. And I'm upgrading to an electric upright piano on stage. And, we've had a giant paper mache confetti machine made in the image of my face that spews out bits of recycled newspaper from her mouth while I'm singing the word "down" at the end of Gravity.
No big deal... Just subtle changes that will enhance the musical experience.
Some people thought that last part was a bit much,
I disagree.
We also just finished the video for Bottle it Up. I'm so proud of it, and had a phenomenal time doing this one. The Boys are featured in the video and we worked with one of my new favorite people, Marcos Siega who directed. I'm also wearing a green dress in the video. Does it GET any better than that? I think not. The video will premiere on VH1 in the next few weeks, and I can't wait to share it.
All in all, I am still jaw-droppingly amazed at all this support from wonderful people like you. The song has officially gone #1 in the country. What the f*ck is going on here!? Y'all is CRAZY for doing that, but I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening, and for asking others to as well. What a ride.
I'll touch base again soon. Sending lots and lots of love from across the pond...

xoxox
Sara UK

(see also the Will & Grace episode where Jack tries to start the phrase "Steak it UK!!" It didn't catch on. Poor Jack. Whatever will he do?)

Please forgive me. As you may or may not know already, due to a scheduling
conflict, we have had to cancel one of our two Toronto shows with James
Blunt. Now, don't worry, our boy James will still be coming on that Sunday
night, (cue the collective sigh of relief from the ladies) but I
unfortunately can't make it until the Monday night show. I can't even tell
you how much I love Canada, and specifically Toronto. I'm so so so so (four
of them) sorry about any inconvenience or frustration this might have caused
anyone. I do take our commitments to our live shows very seriously and if
there was any way around this, I promise we would take it. I can't wait to
return and try and make it up to anyone who might potentially be mad at me.
Please don't be mad at me. :) Thank you for your understanding.

lots of love!


s

Wow. Do NOT go look up St. Valentine. There's a whole mess of facts and people and disjointed stories that I can't make sense of. Booooooring.
I will admit that I don't know the story of St. Valentine but i THOUGHT that I did. And what I thought i knew as fact was kind of a nice little story. So, i'll go ahead and disseminate false truth as long as you agree to remember that I'm kind of making this up from a half memory that I thought I heard on the History Channel. :)


St. Valentine's Day: by Sara Bareilles (and the history channel of my mind)

once upon a time there was terrible unrest in a faraway land. (History Channel ALWAYS talks about faraway lands.) A tyrannical King was being an a**hole and told everybody that they couldn't get married anymore. (he might have said something like, "I decree that there will be no more marriages until.....blah blah blah.") I don't know what he was so pissed off about. But he said he would kill any priest who married people, and the people who tried to get married. Sucks for them.
Among those people was one (ta-daaaah!) ST. VALENTINE. Who decided that in the name of love he would continue to marry people and uphold the value of two souls finding each other. And so he did. And then everyone in the kingdom was happy again and the King ran away and a good kind Queen took over. Yay for that.

the end.

*this is completely made-up. get over it.


What i do appreciate about V day is that it acknowledges love. And there is nothing in this world more worthy of acknowledgment. I just have to say that I've been reading tons of messages and emails from so many of you and it just warms my heart. It makes me smile and laugh and tear up and think about how cool people can be. I don't get a chance to write back to everyone, but please know that your love does come through and I am so lucky to receive it. So thank you for that, and I'm sending it right back at cha. Along with some really bad history lessons.

Happy Valentine's Day.
Heart you all.

xo
s

hi little ones.
wow it's been a long time, and i feel like I'm writing to all my old camp friends or something. You know, the "catch you up on what I'm up to" kind of letter that makes you remember the good ol' times, and look forward to the new ol' times. Or something.
Long story short, January was insane. I know lots of you have stayed up to date and have been keeping tabs on where we've been, but just in case you missed it, here goes...

The year started with a few days of radio promotional visits in California where I got to do my first set of acoustic radio lounges for people who actually knew who I was BEFORE they came. Crazy. Then, off to NY for the CBS morning show and a real-live interview for Rolling Stone Magazine! omgomgomg. We then flew directly to Hawaii to sing for a huge group of dentists and play with sea turtles, then back to LA to sing with Stevie Wonder!! omgx6
The morning after Stevie rocked my world, we flew to Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah, where I saw no films, but I did see Paris Hilton in the flesh. I also reaffirmed I'm officially NOT nor ever will be a Hollywood starlet. Me and my boys stuck out like sore thumbs but enjoyed the parade of it all. We noshed on the crazy atmosphere, some Rock Band video games (I'm a killer bass player, no big deal) and a beautiful dinner with friends then boarded the plane out of there.

just so you know, this is only the second week of January.

I then went on my radio promotion "EXTRAVAGANZA" which consisted of a whole bunch of flights across middle america and hotel rooms and in-stores and beautiful beautiful fans, and me singing Love Song over and over for people eating chicken. They weren't always eating chicken, just one time. But that was enough.
I think extravaganza is a nice way to think about it.

Then the last week of the year (aka this past week) was Regis and Kelly (she's so mini!) TRL (I'm a teenager again! What am i doing here?!) and Ellen Degeneres (hi God, it's me, Ellen...)

Not to mention the unveiling of the new website, which i love so much I've had it tattooed to the insides of my eyelids, and the embarking on our February tour with James Blunt.


What a whirlwind.


And once again, I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I have YOU to thank for all of this. I don't know why this gets to be MY life, but I promise I'm honoring it by enjoying it, and I pass that right along to you.
And more than ever, I'm concentrated on finding the fun in it all. It is actually a lot of work to do all this stuff, but I am by no means complaining. I just have to try a bit harder to stay silly. Cut to: Night out in Louisville Kentucky where I danced with a plastic penguin and ran down an escalator the wrong way.
Things around me may be growing up, but I don't have to... right?

Anyway, we go to pick up the BUS tonight for the start of our tour!!! I can't believe it. I seriously can't. And I should be packing right now, but I'm just so filled with amazement and joy that i had to write my old camp buddies (that's you) and say thanks for all the good times. I'm really lucky to have them.

Anyhoo, to all of you who write to me, I'm reading your words and LOVING your words and so grateful for your support. I'm trying to write back when i can, but please just know that I cherish all the love that pours out of you and I'm putting it in little tiny airplane safe 2oz bottles and sending them all over the world.
That's supposed to be a cool analogy, but I'm not sure about it yet.

moving on...
look for more from me and the boys soon, and please know I truly truly love and appreciate all you give to this music.

See you soon!!!!

xoxoxo

sara