Sara Bareilles: Judge on The Sing-Off, Season 3

Sara Bareilles said it plainly: "The Sing-Off is a really special show with a lot of heart and I love the other judges and so it seemed like a really goo…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

The Sing-Off scours the country in search of the best a cappella groups. Season 3 expanded the competition to 16 groups performing popular songs in a weekly competition culminating with a live finale. The grand prize: a Sony Music recording contract and $200,000. Sara Bareilles — Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter behind "Love Song" and "King of Anything" — joined Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men on the judging panel. The Sing-Off airs Mondays on NBC. Sara Bareilles spoke with Premier Guide Miami's Daedrian McNaughton.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: You have returned to the platform you performed on last season. How does it feel?

SARA BAREILLES: It's really exciting. At the finale I was a total nerd, giddy like bouncing off the walls backstage. I was so excited to be on the show. And then I had to really put on my façade that I'm totally cool about this. But on a lot of levels I'm still freaking out. I love this show. I love that it highlights the genre of music I feel very passionate about and feel like it's under-appreciated. And I've got the best seat in the house. I sit in the front row and I'm getting to impart my experience and level of wisdom on these people, and I feel like I'm learning a lot as well from all of the groups as well as the judges. So it's been a really exciting choice. I'm really happy I'm a part of the show.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Was it an easy decision for you to join the Sing-Off?

SARA BAREILLES: The decision was a totally easy one. I have an a cappella background and I was also a fan of the show as well as performed on the Season 2 finale. So when management brought this up to me I was interested. It was kind of a no-brainer for me. It's a really special show with a lot of heart and I love the other judges and so it seemed like a really good thing to be a part of.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: How well do you connect with the other judges knowing you are the newbie to the group?

SARA BAREILLES: I can't say enough good things about Ben and Shawn. At the heart of all things, they're both really kind people and have made it really, really comfortable for me to join up with them in the panel of judges. We had a natural chemistry that started just from Day 1. Ben and I have known each other for a while now and have become friends. But I really met Shawn on the set of the show and we had a really natural chemistry, the three of us. We make each other laugh and we really respect each other's opinions, so I think it's a really nice dynamic. If you're unsure about something or if you have a question or want clarification, I have no qualms in going to either Ben or Shawn to get their opinions. And I think that's what makes for a good judging panel. I'm one of the people that's not as interested in the conflict between the judges because I think it takes away from what the show is supposed to be about, which is the contestants singing their heart out. It's been a really nice thing to have some solidarity behind the judging panel and really get to focus on the music.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is your judging style?

SARA BAREILLES: I come with a lot of empathy for what they're going through and a lot of nostalgia for a time in my life that I really, really loved. From my judge's perspective I'm really one of the more emotional ones in terms of the judges that are out there. I get sucked into the story and into their journey, and I think that's part of the fact that I've been in those shoes — not in this exact format before, but I feel very connected. There's an all-girl group and I felt like I wanted to jump up on stage and be a part of it for a second there. Luckily security held me down before I could actually make it on stage.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Is it difficult to judge these groups?

SARA BAREILLES: I think it is hard to do and I didn't have anything to compare it to in terms of previous seasons of contestants. But I think it does help to clarify things, and you do keep in the back of your mind: this is a competition for who's going to be able to make a great record and hopefully connect to a mass audience and has a lot of depth and complexity to what they're capable of. And it makes it a little easier when you see groups that do it really, really well because you know what's possible. The most important thing is to keep your personal preference out of it.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What do you look for as a judge?

SARA BAREILLES: I'm always looking for the purity of the music. I think there's a combination — someone being a great performer and having an ability to connect with the audience can sometimes transcend minor technical issues, or maybe they're not the most perfect singer in the world. So I think it's a combination. It's about being moved by an expression of art. And what I love about a cappella is there isn't anything to hide behind. It's all voices and sometimes your jaw is on the floor just with the amazing talent of these people on the stage. I can't even imagine how they're making the sounds that they do make. They've gotten into the levels of people really manipulating tone, and having some incredible bass singers on the show that make it sound like an electric synthesizer and then an upright bass. There's been a lot of diversity up there, which I think is one of the things I look for — depth and range and diversity on stage.

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