NBC previously confirmed to BWW that Tony nominee Sara Bareilles will perform the Broadway for Orlando song "What the World Needs Now Is Love' on the network's annual MACY'S 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR. The special will air on NBC tonight, July 4 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT) with an hour long encore presentation at 10 p.m. In addition, the 25 minute synchronized fireworks display will be choreographed to a soaring and patriotic score performed by the United States Air Force Band and DREAMGIRLS star Jennifer Holliday.
Previously announced performers on the broadcast include multi-platinum band DNCE, global superstar Pitbull, Kenny Chesney, 5 Seconds of Summer, Meghan Trainor and the Radio City Rockettes. Returning to emcee the broadcast are "TODAY" show co-hosts Willie Geist and Tamron Hall.
The 40th annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks will illuminate the sky over New York City in an unparalleled display of color, shapes, light and sound, from five firing locations on the East River in midtown and within the Seaport district. The 2016 celebration will include more than 56,000 pyrotechnic effects and feature the New York debut of pyro-writing, an explosive version of skywriting created using fireworks that will spell out "USA" in the night sky.Sara Bareilles first achieved mainstream critical praise in 2007 with her widely successful hit "Love Song," which reached No. 1 in 22 countries around the world from her debut album "Little Voice." Since then, the Eureka, Calif. native has gone on to receive five Grammy nominations throughout her career, which include Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Love Song." Bareilles' highly anticipated sophomore release "Kaleidoscope Heart" was released September 2010, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and has gained praise everywhere including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, People and Los Angeles Times. The album yielded the hit single "King of Anything," which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2012 she released her highly revered "Once Upon Another Time" EP, produced by singer/songwriter Ben Folds. Her highly acclaimed third studio album "The Blessed Unrest," released in 2013 via Epic Records, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart and was nominated for two GRAMMY AWARDS including the coveted Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance for her hit single "Brave." Her New York Times best-selling book, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) In Song, was released in the fall of 2015 by Simon & Schuster. Making her Broadway debut, Bareilles wrote the music for the new show "Waitress," for which she received her first Tony Award nomination for Best Score. "What's Inside: Songs from Waitress," her most recent solo studio album, is out now on Epic Records.
