Sara Bareilles has recently launched her new documentary, *Good Grief*, which reflects on the emotional toll of loss, featuring prominently at the Tribeca Film Festival on 4 June. The film poignantly explores the heartbreak Bareilles experienced following the deaths of two close friends — her long-time manager Chad Joseph and actor Gavin Creel — both of whom succumbed to terminal cancer.
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The singer-songwriter, now 46, recounts the profound effects of losing these significant figures in her life. She reveals that Joseph was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2019 and tragically passed away in 2020, a loss that weighed heavily on her heart. In honour of Joseph, she wrote a track titled “Just a Kid” for her upcoming album, reflecting on their college days together. “It’s a little nostalgic on purpose. It feels like college to me. It’s about my best friend. It’s a joyful, sad song,” Bareilles shared, encapsulating the bittersweet memories of their friendship.
Bareilles speaks movingly of Joseph’s role in her career, reminiscing on how he quit his job to help her when she was just starting out. “I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t been there. He, like, saved me,” she expressed during a candid moment in the documentary. The film tackles the reality of grief, capturing Bareilles’s insight on how loss can diminish the closeness we once had with loved ones. “When we lose people we love, I think what I grieve is the parts that stop feeling so present,” she explained, her emotion evident as she recalled the fading connection with those who are gone.
The documentary also highlights her friendship with Gavin Creel, who faced a devastating stage 4 diagnosis of sarcoma. Bareilles grapples with the painful irony of losing another beloved friend to cancer. “I’m like, what is this karma — to have another best friend, you know, another stage 4 diagnosis?” she tearfully muses in the film. She acknowledges the preciousness of the shared experiences that define relationships, stating, “It’s very precious to move through that stage of life with someone…Death is really alive. It’s as alive as it gets.”
In addition to the documentary, Bareilles has also recently appeared on *All There Is with Anderson Cooper*, where she performed her unreleased song “Home.” This public discussion about her experiences has also fed into her creative process. The singer articulated how listening to Anderson Cooper’s conversations with Stephen Colbert inspired her during a time when she was grappling with personal losses. “I was really moved,” she recounted. “You say it in the interview: It’s about telling your story, and about telling your story warts and all.”
Bareilles has announced that her new album, *Good Grief*, is set to launch on 28 August. In a press release, she described her latest work as a collection of songs that emerged as heartfelt expressions rather than an effort to impose order on grief. “This whole collection of songs felt like transmissions rather than a deliberate attempt to make sense of the world,” she noted, underscoring the authenticity of her artistic journey.
In her heartfelt conclusion, Bareilles expressed a deep desire for the album to resonate with listeners, offering solace and catharsis amid their struggles. “My deepest hope is that *Good Grief* provides some kind of comfort or catharsis,” she stated, emphasising her belief in the healing power of music in processing emotional complexities.
As *Good Grief* continues to garner attention at film festivals, Bareilles’s vulnerable sharing of her experiences with loss invites audiences to reflect on their own lives and the connections that shape us. Through her artistry, she not only honours those she has lost but also encourages a broader conversation about the nature of grief and the strength found in remembrance.