Music has always been important for Sara Bareilles. She began performing in school at an early age. Later, she joined a singing group while studying at the University of California, Los Angeles. “I got started my sophomore year at school, and I was just talking about it earlier. Actually, I felt like I just found my home because we were all equally geeky.” Bareilles had an easy time combining singing with songwriting. “They felt very, like, they went hand in hand to me ... writing the songs and singing them. Because I think they are all so personal and I tend to be a very autobiographical writer.” Her songs are often very personal. “I do write very much from my own perspective. I’m writing about things I’ve gone through … and, you know, a lot of relationship stuff and just sort of how I see the world.” She talks about her album “Kaleidoscope Heart.” “I feel like I took more risks this time around both from the songwriting perspective and from a production point, as well. We just kind of swung for the fences. And I wanted to have … I didn’t want to limit myself or self-edit too much this time around, so I 1 learningenglish.voanews.com | Voice of America | 10.3.12 really did what felt good. I had a blast recording the record.” Sara Bareilles is best known for her 2007 hit “Love Song.” You may be surprised to learn why she wrote it. “It was actually written for my record label. I had been turning in new music. I was getting the red light. I couldn’t go into the studio yet because they were waiting for something. But I wouldn’t … nobody said what they were waiting for. So I kept turning in new songs, thinking like, ‘Is this what you want? Is this what you want?’ And it was always a big thumbs down, and I ended up writing ‘Love Song’ out of frustration.” In her career, Bareilles has already earned several Grammy Award nominations and sold more than a million records. I’m Christopher Cruise. 2 learningenglish.voanews.com | Voice of America | 10.3.12 .