Sara Bareilles new album Good Grief is now available, marking her first studio release in seven years and beginning a major new chapter for the singer-songwriter. The 14-track record arrived August 28, 2026, through Epic Records. It explores loss, resilience, friendship, anxiety, love and the search for hope after difficult experiences.
The release comes at a significant moment in Bareilles’ career. She is also returning to the road this fall for her first major headline tour in seven years. A documentary about the making of the album opens in U.S. theaters September 2.
Together, the album, film and tour give fans an unusually close look at Bareilles’ latest creative period.
Good Grief Is Her First Studio Album in Seven Years
Good Grief is Bareilles’ seventh studio album. It follows her 2019 release Amidst the Chaos, which won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.
The lengthy gap between studio albums makes this release particularly important. Bareilles remained active during those years, but her work extended beyond traditional album cycles.
She continued developing projects in theater and television. She also experienced personal losses that ultimately influenced the songs on her new record.
The result is not simply a return to the sound of an earlier period.
Good Grief presents Bareilles at a different point in her life. Its songs examine how people process loss while continuing to live, love, work and maintain relationships.
The album contains 14 songs and has a running time of approximately 58 minutes.
Its track list is:
- “Home”
- “Just a Kid”
- “Still Crying”
- “A Love Story”
- “Hands Off My Body”
- “Ladies in a Line”
- “Heartland”
- “Capsize Me”
- “Nervous Breakdown”
- “Idiot Heart”
- “Say Leave”
- “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” featuring Brandi Carlile
- “Forever”
- “Wind Is the Weather”
The songs cover different sides of the same emotional landscape.
Some are directly connected to grief and remembrance. Others move toward relationships, anxiety, confidence and personal renewal.
The Album Centers on Grief Without Remaining in Sadness
The title immediately establishes the record’s central subject.
Bareilles uses Good Grief to explore what happens after loss rather than treating grief as a single moment.
The songs recognize that sadness can exist alongside laughter, love, anger and hope.
That emotional contrast gives the album its identity.
Instead of presenting grief as something that follows a simple timeline, Bareilles examines its continuing effects. Memories remain. Relationships change. Everyday experiences can suddenly carry a different meaning.
This perspective also explains why several songs feel connected to specific people and experiences from her life.
The record remains personal without becoming limited to one story.
Its themes can resonate with listeners who have experienced the death of someone close, major changes in relationships or other forms of emotional uncertainty.
Home Set the Tone for the Record
“Home” became the first song released from the project on June 3.
The track introduced listeners to the emotional direction of the album before the full collection arrived.
Its inspiration came from a conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper about grief and loss on Cooper’s podcast.
Bareilles heard that discussion and developed the idea into a song.
That origin is important because “Home” reflects one of the album’s strongest ideas: people understand difficult experiences through stories and honest conversations.
The song therefore works as an introduction to the record.
It establishes a reflective tone while opening the door to the deeper subjects explored across the remaining tracks.
For fans waiting several years for new music, “Home” also provided the first clear indication that Bareilles was approaching this project differently.
Still Crying Offered Another Look at the Album
Bareilles released “Still Crying” on July 31.
The track continued the album’s exploration of grief and the complicated process of moving forward.
Its title captures one of the record’s most direct ideas. Time does not automatically eliminate emotional pain.
A person can continue working, creating and living while still carrying a loss.
The song received a music video directed by Kimmy Gatewood. Its release gave listeners another visual entry point into the world of the album.
“Still Crying” also helped establish the emotional continuity between the album’s first two singles.
“Home” introduces the need for honesty around grief. “Still Crying” stays with that emotion rather than rushing toward an easy resolution.
Just a Kid Connects the Album to a Lost Friend
“Just a Kid” became another important part of the album rollout when Bareilles released its music video with the full record.
The video was directed by Josh Alexander and includes archival footage from Bareilles’ earlier touring years.
It also features footage connected to Chad Joseph, Bareilles’ longtime friend, manager and tour manager, who died in 2020.
Bareilles wrote “Just a Kid” about Joseph.
His presence gives the song a particularly personal role within Good Grief.
The archival footage also creates a connection between Bareilles’ past and present.
Fans see material from an earlier stage of her career while hearing a song shaped by memories of someone who was part of that journey.
That combination makes the track one of the clearest examples of how the album transforms personal memories into music.
Brandi Carlile Joins the Album
One of the most notable collaborations appears on “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet.”
The song features Brandi Carlile and was co-written with the late poet and activist Andrea Gibson.
Gibson’s connection to the song adds another dimension to an album already concerned with remembrance and loss.
The collaboration also brings together two prominent singer-songwriters whose work often places emotional storytelling at the center.
Carlile’s contribution gives the track an additional vocal presence while preserving Bareilles’ focus on personal expression.
The song is also connected to the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light, where it appeared and where Bareilles served as an executive producer.
Its inclusion on Good Grief further strengthens the record’s relationship with themes of mortality, friendship and emotional connection.
Nervous Breakdown Explores Anxiety and Relationships
Not every song on the album approaches grief through death or remembrance.
“Nervous Breakdown” examines anxiety and its impact on relationships.
Bareilles co-wrote the song with Ingrid Michaelson.
The track broadens the album’s emotional scope by looking at the internal struggles that can affect communication and closeness.
That subject fits naturally within a record about difficult periods of life.
Grief can alter relationships, but so can anxiety, uncertainty and fear.
By including these experiences, Bareilles avoids turning Good Grief into a collection of songs about only one form of loss.
Instead, the record looks at several ways emotional pressure can change a person’s perspective.
The Recording Process Was Highly Collaborative
The creation of Good Grief differed from a traditional studio project.
Bareilles produced the album herself and recorded much of it during a concentrated six-day period at Dreamland Recording Studios in Woodstock, New York.
She worked alongside a group of longtime collaborators.
The musicians included drummer Charley Drayton, guitarist Butterfly Boucher, keyboardist Misty Boyce, bassist Solomon Dorsey and multi-instrumentalist Rob Moose.
Jonathan Low worked as co-producer, recording engineer and mixer.
Additional sessions later took place at Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond Studios in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Dessner also served as a co-producer, while Bella Blasko worked as an engineer and mixer.
This group of musicians helped create the intimate environment surrounding the record.
The collaborative approach also appears in the documentary that follows the album’s creation.
The Documentary Shows How the Album Came Together
Sara Bareilles: Good Grief offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the record.
Josh Alexander directed the film.
The documentary premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival before moving into U.S. theaters.
Its theatrical release begins September 2, 2026, in more than 35 U.S. cities.
The film focuses on Bareilles returning to the studio after seven years with close friends and longtime collaborators.
Rather than simply documenting finished performances, it captures the creative process behind the music.
That gives the documentary a direct connection to the album.
Viewers can see the relationships, conversations and musical collaboration that shaped the recordings.
For fans interested in why Good Grief sounds and feels different from Bareilles’ earlier albums, the film provides additional context.
Theatrical Release Expands the Album Experience
The September 2 U.S. theatrical debut arrives only days after the album’s release.
That timing makes the documentary part of the current album campaign rather than a distant retrospective.
Screenings are scheduled in cities across the country, giving U.S. fans an opportunity to experience the story behind the record on the big screen.
The documentary also reinforces one of the most important elements of the project: community.
Bareilles did not create these songs in isolation.
Her collaborators became part of the recording process, and their relationships are an important part of the film.
The result is a companion piece that complements the album instead of simply repeating it.
The Good Grief Tour Begins September 9
Bareilles is taking the new music on the road beginning September 9 in Boston.
The tour marks her first major headline trek in seven years.
The opening performance takes place at MGM Music Hall at Fenway.
The North American itinerary then moves through major U.S. and Canadian cities.
Among the announced stops are Washington, D.C., Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Denver, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
The tour includes multiple nights in several markets.
New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Seattle are among the cities receiving more than one performance.
The current announced schedule continues through October 20.
The tour gives audiences an opportunity to hear songs from Good Grief alongside established material from Bareilles’ catalog.
For fans who have waited since the last studio album, the live shows provide another major part of the comeback.
The Album’s Track List Shows Its Emotional Range
The sequencing of Good Grief takes listeners through several moods.
“Home” begins the project with a reflective perspective.
“Just a Kid” moves into remembrance.
“Still Crying” stays close to the album’s central emotional subject.
Other tracks introduce different tones and perspectives.
“Hands Off My Body” and “Ladies in a Line” add a more assertive dimension.
“Heartland,” “Capsize Me” and “Nervous Breakdown” continue the movement between vulnerability and emotional intensity.
“Idiot Heart” and “Say Leave” explore relationships from different angles.
“Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” brings Carlile into the collection before “Forever” and “Wind Is the Weather” close the standard edition.
The track list therefore avoids a single emotional register.
The album can feel mournful in one moment and resilient in the next.
That contrast is central to its identity.
Why the Release Matters to Bareilles’ Career
The arrival of Good Grief is significant because it brings Bareilles back to the studio after a long period between albums.
Her previous studio record, Amidst the Chaos, arrived in 2019.
Since then, her career has continued across music, theater and television.
Her Broadway work with Waitress remains an important part of her artistic legacy. She also appeared in television projects and continued developing new creative work.
Yet Good Grief puts songwriting and recording back at the center.
The project also demonstrates how Bareilles’ experiences during the intervening years shaped her creative voice.
The album does not attempt to hide the difficult subjects that influenced it.
Instead, it places those experiences directly into the music.
Good Grief Gives Fans Three Ways to Follow the Story
Bareilles’ current project extends across three connected formats.
The first is the album itself.
The second is the documentary, which opens in theaters September 2.
The third is the live tour, which begins September 9.
Each format offers a different perspective.
The album provides the songs.
The documentary shows the process.
The tour brings the material into direct contact with audiences.
That structure makes this release cycle broader than a conventional studio album campaign.
It also fits the themes of Good Grief, which repeatedly emphasizes connection and shared experience.
What Is Confirmed About the Album Right Now
As of September 2, 2026, Good Grief is officially released and remains Sara Bareilles’ latest studio album.
The project contains 14 songs and runs for approximately 58 minutes.
It arrived August 28 through Epic Records.
The album includes “Home,” “Still Crying” and “Just a Kid,” along with the Brandi Carlile collaboration “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet.”
The documentary opens in U.S. theaters on September 2.
The Good Grief Tour starts September 9 and continues across North America through the currently announced October dates.
There is no need to wait for an upcoming release to hear Bareilles’ latest work. The album is already available, and its accompanying film and tour are now moving into the next stages.
For longtime fans, Good Grief represents a return to the recording studio after seven years.
For newer listeners, it offers a current introduction to Bareilles’ songwriting through a record built around loss, honesty and resilience.
Most importantly, the project shows that grief does not have to be presented as the end of a story.
Bareilles uses these songs to explore what can remain after loss, what can change and what can still grow.
What do you think of Sara Bareilles’ latest album and its emotional direction? Share your thoughts and stay tuned for the latest updates.