Touching a chord with her words

SOME may still think of Sara Bareilles as a one-hit wonder - the American singer-songwriter who became famous overnight after the release of her 2007 single Love Song.

But over the last few years, the 34-year-old artist has been making waves in the industry with more recent hits such as Brave - which she describes as a love letter to a friend who was struggling with coming out of the closet.

The song took a life of its own, however, and went on to become an anthem for many causes that involved bravery - such as the fight against cancer. "That's what you hope for as a songwriter - that you can have a hand in creating something that takes on a life of its own and it seems that song really did," says Bareilles, who was in town earlier this week as part of The Little Black Dress Tour.