Sara Bareilles will be the recipient of the eminent Hal David Starlight Award, at the 49th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner slated for Thursday, June 14th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Additional special award honorees will be announced soon.

The Hal David Starlight Award, created in 2004, was named in honor of SHOF Chairman Emeritus Hal David, for his longtime support of young songwriters. Award recipients are gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs. Sara, a Sony/ATV Music Publishing writer, joins the distinguished company of Ed Sheeran, Nick Jonas, Nate Ruess, Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, Drake, Benny Blanco, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Rob Thomas and John Rzeznik.

SHOF Co-Chairs Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff commented, “Sara Bareilles is a force to be reckoned with in popular music. From her self-described ‘piano-based pop soul’ sound to her tremendous success with her long-running Broadway show ‘Waitress,’ Sara has been a pioneer, forging new ground as a singer-songwriter with every step in her career.”

President & CEO Linda Moran added, “Her songwriting speaks to our vulnerabilities and strengths in her singular voice, often from a women’s point of view, and she is a natural choice for the Hal David Starlight Award. Her talent resonates as much today as it will tomorrow, and we welcome this opportunity to honor her at our Annual Awards Gala.”

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, Sara has gone on to receive six Grammy® nominations throughout her career, which include Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Love Song” and one Album of the Year for her highly acclaimed third studio album, “The Blessed Unrest.” Her book, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song, was released in the fall of 2015 by Simon & Schuster and is a NY Times best seller.

Making her Broadway debut, Sara composed the music and lyrics for “Waitress,” for which she received her first Tony® Award nomination for Best Score and a 2017 Grammy® Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. She also made her Broadway acting debut by stepping into the lead role in “Waitress”. “What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress,” her most recent solo studio album, is out on Epic Records. Bareilles will next be seen playing the iconic role of Mary Magdalene alongside John Legend in NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” LIVE on April 1, 2018. For more information, please visit www.sarabmusic.com.

Inductees at this year’s event include Bill Anderson, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor P/K/A “Kool & The Gang,” Steve Dorff, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, John Mellencamp and Allee Willis. Sir Lucian Grainge to receive Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award.