Eureka homegirl Sara Bareilles hit the big time some time ago, but her career just got even bigger. Her hit single "Love Song," which went to No. 1 on the charts, is now in the running for a "Song of the Year" Grammy. It doesn't get much bigger than that, but wait, she's also in the running for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance," and Apple just announced that her album, Little Voice , ranked in the top 5 this year for iTunes sales for 2008 .

NEW YORK, Dec 04, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Epic recording artist Sara Bareilles marked another milestone in her already remarkable career today by grabbing two Grammy nominations. "Love Song," the hit single from her debut album, Little Voice garnered the female singer-songwriter a nomination for "Song Of The Year," as well as for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" as nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards were announced at the Nokia Theatre last evening.

The nominations affirm what has truly been an amazing year for Sara, whose album Little Voice has spawned the hit singles, "Love Song," and "Bottle It Up." When Sara made her impressive debut in July 2007 with the infectious "Love Song," the album skyrocketed up the charts reaching the # 1 spot on iTunes, while the song ascended into the top five on the mainstream top 40 airplay chart and quickly became the # 1 song in America.

Since then, Sara Bareilles has emerged as one of the most interesting breakthrough artists of 2008. She's stood in a class of her own on the pop charts with a blend of pop, soul and jazz that reveals an incredible vocal prowess. Spotlighted as an "On the Verge" artist by USA Today, Sara is as popular with the critics as she is with the fans. Rolling Stone wrote, "Whether banging away at the driving 'Love Song,' turning slinky for 'Bottle It Up,' or getting contemplative on the gently orchestrated 'City,' Bareilles' writing voice is uniquely her own."

The accomplishments this singer songwriter has made in 2008 alone are mind-blowing; she's sold over 1 million albums worldwide, "Love Song" became the # 1 song in over 13 countries and spent 19 weeks in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, she was named the # 1 adult contemporary song of 2008, was awarded the ASCAP Vanguard Songwriters Award, and Little Voice just this week was named as one of the top selling albums at iTunes in 2008.

Sara recently released her first live DVD - Between The Lines Sara Bareilles Live At The Fillmore - which captured the artist's sold-out concert in the San Francisco filmed on July 12th at the iconic venue, The Fillmore. In addition, Sara is featured on the incredible holiday compilation, Hotel Cafe Presents Winter Songs , whereby she wrote and recorded the title track and gorgeous ballad, "Winter Song" with fellow singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. Following a very successful second headlining tour that wrapped in November, look for Sara to head back out on the road in early 2009.

SOURCE: Epic Records