Sara Bareilles can't be stopped.
The 36-year-old "Brave" singer recently wrote the original music and lyrics for her first Broadway musical, "Waitress." On top of writing, rehearsing and prepping for opening night, Bareilles found time in her busy schedule to perform at the state dinner with the Obamas and the Trudeaus.
The Huffington Post caught up with the singer bright and early on a Sunday morning in Central Park at the 13th Annual More/Shape Women's Half-Marathon. There, Bareilles was paired with a high school mentee, Kimberley Dao, from New York Road Runner's Run for the Future program. The two ran a mile of the half-marathon together, and according to Dao, her celebrity mentor was "very fast."
The Run for the Future program helps NYC girls run their first 5K and earn money toward school, while also instilling self-confidence. That’s a message Bareilles, who works hard to encourage her female fans to love themselves, can definitely get behind.
“I love seeing how much women are celebrating women right now,” Bareilles said. “And I love men, don’t get me wrong, this is not about male-bashing at all, but I do love building a sense of community and sisterhood amongst women.”
The singer also added, “The greatest thing we can do is to give each other a safe space to truly, truly be ourselves in the world.”
Bareilles told HuffPost in a previous interview that when she was growing up, she was teased and sometimes felt “unlovable.” But if she could go back in time and give advice to her younger self, the “Love Song” singer said she would try to be more confident.
“I have a tendency to become very self critical,” Bareilles explained. “If I could tap into being my own older sister, I would almost always give myself a hug and be like, ‘You’re doing the best you can. Keep doing the best you can and that’s all you can do.’”
Bareilles' best has gotten her to the top of the charts time and time again, and in front of some of the most important audiences in the world. Most recently, the Grammy-nominated singer had the "huge honor" of singing for a star-studded audience at the state dinner for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"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," the singer said, adding that the Trudeaus and Obamas felt like "North American Royalty."
Amidst the highly politicized climate of the country, the singer also said that it was "inspiring to hear two world leaders speak so eloquently about what is possible and ideologies that I really believe in."
When asked what was next for the successful singer, Bareilles said that she was enjoying her time celebrating with the "Waitress" cast and crew and couldn't wait for audiences to experience the production live. In the near future, she wants to take a little vacation before she starts working on her next project -- a new album.
"I have to figure out what [my next record] is going to look and feel like," Bareilles said. "I feel rejuvenated from working on a project that’s so far from what I’m normally doing. It’ll be fun to get back to my next ‘Sara Bareilles’ record."
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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