Sara Bareilles is opening up about the “crazy” time she spent touring with rock band Maroon 5.
“Oh my god, it was crazy. It was crazy,” the singer, 46, said in a clip of a recent Rolling Stone interview shared via TikTok on Friday, July 3. “I saw cocaine for the first time. Like, went to use the bathroom at a party and there was a little — this [does] not even belong to the band, this was one of those things where we’re out and about.”
Bareilles continued, “I was like, ‘Oh my god, that’s cocaine.’ Couldn’t believe it. Still never done cocaine, guys. I don’t do drugs. Except with therapists.”
Bareilles famous attended UCLA as the same time as Maroon 5 band members Ryan Dusick and Mickey Madden. (The band also consists of lead singer Adam Levine, PJ Morton, James Valentine, Nate Morton, James Carmichael and Matt Flynn.)
After college and establishing themselves in their respective singing careers, Bareilles has toured with Maroon 5 on multiple occasions, including the band’s 2008 “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long Tour” and their 2012 “Hands All Over Tour.”
@rollingstone @thesarabareilles on writing a song based on Stephen Colbert losing his father and two brothers at a young age: On Anderson Cooper’s podcast, “He had this incredible conversation with Stephen Colbert. It’s these two men that I really love, and their tenderness with each other and about their loss was so moving to me.” #sarabareilles #goodgrief #stephencolbert #andersoncooper #allthereis
“Oh my god, those boys were so wonderful to us,” the singer continued of her experience on the road with the band. “They were so generous and so kind and they were, felt like big brothers. They took me on the road, our band, they took us under their wing, they shared everything they had.”
She continued, “It was — it was really awesome. I could not get over seeing all the girls. There was a lot of, like, literally throwing underwear. I thought it was, like, a trope that happened, but it’s real. They just throw their underwear, and I’m like, ‘Did you bring two pairs?’ is the first thing I think about, because if you’re wearing a skirt and you sit down on a surface your vagina is touching the chair. So, this is where my mind goes.”
In a January 2014 interview with CBS News, Bareilles opened up about how the members of Maroon 5 were able to alter the path of her singing career by showcasing her talents while touring.
“Those boys changed the trajectory of my life in a big way,” she told the news outlet at the time. “And yeah, I’m forever grateful.”
In addition to discussing her on- and off-stage connection with the band, Bareilles also discussed the release of her new album “Good Grief” — her first in seven years — which focused on her depression and feelings of grief during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“What I realized is that grief must be witness. You must share it. It doesn’t heal on its own,” she explained. “And the recognition that is born from taking the time to share and unpack and just see each other in your grief is the thing that actually transforms and transmutes.”
She added, “Of course, I wish my friends were still here, but I am a different person because of losing them and loving them. And I am more of who I think I’m meant to be become because of it. So it’s wild. Grief is a miracle. It’s just love. It’s so beautiful.”
