New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sara Bareilles and Daveed Diggs have joined Audible's new Breakthrough series, the first-ever singing competition series developed and launched exclusively as a podcast.
Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and musician Bareilles will serve as a judge alongsdie Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Kelly Rowland.
The pair will mentor and guide the performances as well as the artistic development of five artists through a season of musical challenges-- all while each contestant's physical appearance is concealed, allowing listeners to connect with these undiscovered performers exclusively through their music.
"I am so thrilled to be joining this group of wildly talented people for Breakthrough!" said, Sara Bareilles. "I love that the creative team are on the same journey as our audience - getting to know these artists without seeing them - developing a sense of their artistry through only their music and storytelling. These five incredible souls showed up to each challenge with courage and vulnerability that invited us all into a remarkably intimate space, and I learned so much from them. No matter where you are in your career it is always inspiring to witness someone reach for the deepest parts of themselves and be willing to share that tender space."
"I am so happy to be a part of this series that highlights and gives a voice to emerging artists," shared Kelly Rowland. "Audible is an ideal space for this and Breakthrough is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to up-and-coming musicians. I'm rooting for them all!"
Along the way, Grammy and Tony Award-winning host Daveed Diggs will escort listeners on the contestants' journeys as they learn from industry notables. At the end of the competition, one artist will be crowned the winner of Breakthrough.
Over the course of nine episodes, the artists will be challenged with covering well-known tunes that mean the most to them, stretching to genres outside of their comfort zones, and writing and recording hooks and full original songs. Mid-season prizes, including additional vocal coaching sessions, studio recording time, and recording equipment, will be awarded during each challenge.
"With our long-standing, highly popular Words + Music series and our newer Origins series, Audible has created a unique auditory experience for our listeners. Breakthrough pushes the boundaries of audio even further and invites music lovers to participate in the first of its kind, audio-only singing competition," said Zola Mashariki, Head of Audible Studios. "We are excited to have the immensely talented Kelly Rowland, Sara Bareilles, and Daveed Diggs guide the contestants as they hone their musical abilities and learn from some of the top artists in the music business."
"Sara, Kelly, and Daveed bring such unique industry experience and incredible insight to this brand-new format in the podcast space," said Will Malnati Founder & CEO of AT WILL MEDIA. "We are thrilled that, along with the fearless and forward-thinking team at Audible, and these incredible mentors and host, we are able to give listeners a chance to experience artists' growth in a medium that strips away the bright lights and big stage, and allows us to focus on their raw, natural talent."
Breakthrough expands upon Audible's mission to amplify and give a voice to emerging talent, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to up-and-coming musicians. Watch a teaser here:
Sara Bareilles has received two Tony Award nominations, three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and nine Grammy Award nominations, garnering a 2020 Grammy in the category of Best American Roots Performance for her song "Saint Honesty", and a 2023 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for Into The Woods.
On Broadway, she composed music and lyrics for Waitress, and stepped into the lead role in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Other musical credits include a song on the Tony Award-nominated score for SpongeBob SquarePants and Emmy Award-nominated appearance as Mary Magdalene in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live.
Bareilles produced original music and executive produced the musical drama series Little Voice, teaming up with Jessie Nelson, J.J. Abrams and Apple. She plays Dawn Solano on the Emmy-nominated musical comedy series Girls5eva, and recently stared as The Baker's Wife in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods.
Grammy and Tony Award winning actor, rapper, writer and producer Daveed Diggs is widely known for originating the dual roles of Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette in the Broadway sensation, HAMILTON. He received a Grammy and Tony Award in 2016 for his stage performance in addition to a 2021 Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the Disney+ version.
This Spring, Diggs will star in the live-action film adaptation of Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID, where he will voice the role of Sebastian, directed by Rob Marshall and releasing on May 26, 2023. He will also star in AppleTV's "Extrapolations," which will begin streaming on March 17th, 2023. Diggs serves as the co-creator, co-executive producer and writer of the Starz series, "Blindspotting," which will premiere its second season at SXSW this March before premiering on air this Spring. Additionally, he lends his voice to Apple TV+'s hit animated musical sitcom, "Central Park," he will also lend his voice to Disney+'s new drama series, "The Crossover."
