Exclusive: Sara Bareilles On the Joy She Finds in 'The Medium Time'

Sara Bareilles has added another Emmy nomination to her list of accolades.

Though she has been nominated for her work television work before (first for her performance in the Jesus Christ Superstar concert and subsequently for her writing at the 72nd Tony Awards), this is her first time for the musical comedy series Girls5eva.

The premise of the series itself is slightly meta: Bareilles (a singer/songwriter) plays Dawn, a singer-songwriter who writes songs for her fictional band. Though the band's claim to fame was a '90s one-hit wonder, the four members- played by Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps, and Paula Pell- attempt to make a comeback throughout its three seasons.

Some of the original songs featured in the show have been penned by Bareilles herself, including the Season 3 finale number, The Medium Time. The song succinctly expresses a positive sentiment about the "medium" amount of fame, highlighting the importance of finding a balance in one's personal and artistic endeavors. 

Bareilles herself shares these feelings and BroadwayWorld sat down with the performer to talk about writing the Emmy-nominated number, her thoughts about real-world fame, and Richard Kind folklore.

This interview has been condensed for clarity and length.

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"The Medium Time" plays a pivotal role in the Season 3 finale. We know where Dawn gets the inspiration for the song, but where did you come up with the idea for it? 

There was an original song that didn't end up living in the zeitgeist of our show about Ann Dowd, the actress. It was a celebration of her career and how she disappears into roles. The chorus was three-part or four-part harmony, and it was just the four of us singing "Ann Dowd! Ann Dowd!" And we felt such joy!

We were on location at a little club where we film, and the four of us were in the back just practicing the song. We were so happy simply singing together. We've become very close friends, but we also really enjoy sharing music. I think I was inspired by that moment and wanted to create something that felt kind of simple and was really about showcasing the alchemy of these four characters, and selfishly, the alchemy of my costars and me. We love to sing together, and I wanted to do something that was going to just lean into that.

That joy you're talking about really does come across in the show. The dynamic between the four of you is incredibly fun to watch, so I can see how you would want to capture that with a song.

It was a surprise that there was this much joy to be had making a television series. I feel so lucky that we got this chance to do it and, to be acknowledged for a moment that purely came out of just wanting to make more joyful moments, is so cool. It's just icing.

What does your collaboration with the other writers of Girls5eva look like when crafting songs to fit into the story?

One of the things that I love about the way the Girls5eva ecosystem works is that our music department is so badass. If you give them a task, they'll go and run with it. There's a lot of infiltration from the writer's room, especially Meredith Scardino, who is just the most profound fountainhead of ideas. And she's really musical.

Comedy is so akin to music, with its comic timing and writing. There's such a musicality about this kind of writing, and I think Meredith just has this fastball. Every time we've collaborated it has been with the music department, but it also very much has felt like it's been a collaboration with Meredith. This was no different, and she would be my first call if I had questions about what we were aiming for or when brainstorming for a certain moment or beat. She just always had a million helpful things to offer.

Like so many, I adore Richard Kind. How did his involvement and participation in the storyline come about?

He's such a staple and a beloved member of, not only New York film and TV but also the New York theater scene. I think he's one of the tent poles that keeps this industry running. He's got his finger in everything. I don't know if it's folklore or not, but I feel like there was a story about Richard Kind eating at a craft service for a film set that he wasn't actually working on. I don't know if that's true, but it was a little seed of an idea that obviously lives in the script. He was such a joy and the most fun. I felt so lucky that I got to work with a legendary actor.

As someone prominent in both the music and Broadway worlds, does the theme of "The Medium Time" feel particularly close to your heart?

Yes. I feel like I'm smack in the medium time in the best way. I'm so happy, and I don't mean that to diminish anything. I have had a tremendous amount of success that I never saw coming and feel really grateful for. But I love being able to thread the needle of working consistently, getting to have robust creative pursuits, and also being solid in my experience as just a straight-up human being on the face of the planet. The fact that 100% of my bandwidth is not taken by trying to manage what happens when you're a forward-facing artist, musician, actor, whatever. Fame is such an interesting and kind of toxic side of the industry. I feel really grateful that the amount of fame and notoriety I manage is very manageable. I don't wish fame on my worst enemy.

You’ve been nominated for Emmys before, but this is the first time for Girls5eva. How does it feel to receive this recognition for the show?

Amazing. As I said, I did not know when I said yes to doing this project that it would be such a joy bomb in my life. We started filming in, I think, October of 2020. It was just a tremendously difficult time for so many reasons globally. Also, I had lost a friend to cancer that month, and so it was a very dark time. To get to go to a room with other people felt like getting a ticket to the Magic Kingdom. We got to go to work and we got to take our masks off and knew we were doing it safely. It was all about making people laugh.

One of the great takeaways from working on this show is understanding fundamentally how not frivolous comedy is. I think it's so essential. There's a real need for what is offered through that mode of expression. It's something that makes people happy, that makes them feel connected and joyful, that makes them laugh. There are real healing benefits to that. Being a part of this show has changed my life for the better in such a profound way and the recognition is just a really beautiful acknowledgment of the magic and the magnitude of this show.

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Girls5eva is available to stream on Netflix. Listen to "The Medium Time" below.

Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas