Sara Bareilles to receive SongHall's Hal David Starlight Award
Sara Bareilles (courtesy of Songwriters Hall of Fame)
Sara Bareilles will receive the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) Hal David Starlight Award at the organization’s 49th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner June 14 at New York’s Marriott Marquis Hotel.
The special award, which was created in 2004, was named in honor of the late SHOF chairman emeritus, in recognition of his longtime support of young songwriters.
“Sara Bareilles is a force to be reckoned with in popular music,” said SHOF co-chairs Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in making today’s announcement. “From her self-described ‘piano-based pop soul’ sound to her tremendous success with her long-running Broadway show Waitress, Sara has been a pioneer, forging new ground as a singer-songwriter with every step in her career.”
Added SHOF president/CEO Linda Moran: “Sara’s songwriting speaks to our vulnerabilities and strengths in her singular voice, often from a women’s point of view, and she is a natural choice for the Hal David Starlight Award. Her talent resonates as much today as it will tomorrow, and we welcome this opportunity to honor her at our Annual Awards Gala.”
Bareilles first achieved mainstream praise in 2007 with her worldwide hit “Love Song,” from her debut album Little Voice. She has since garnered six Grammy nominations, and in 2015 published the best-selling Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song via Simon & Schuster. She received Tony and Grammy nominations for scoring Waitress (in which she played the lead role), and will play Mary Magdalene alongside John Legend in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE on April 1.
Hal David Starlight Award recipients are gifted young songwriters who are making significant impact in the music industry with their original songs. Previous honorees include Ed Sheeran, Nick Jonas, Nate Ruess, Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, Drake, Benny Blanco, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Rob Thomas and John Rzeznik.
This year’s SHOF inductees are Bill Anderson, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor (professionally known as Kool & The Gang), Steve Dorff, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, John Mellencamp and Allee Willis.
Sir Lucian Grainge will receive the SHOF Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award. Additional special SHOF award honorees will be announced soon.
Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame is dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create music around the world. To qualify for induction, a songwriter must be a published writer for a minimum of 20 years with a notable catalog of hit songs.