Sara Bareilles Releases 'Brave' Single Co-Written By Jack Antonoff And Inspired By Gay Friend

Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles already has several hits under her belt, including the hugely popular "Love Song" and "King of Anything," but her new single might be our favorite yet.

The track, "Brave," from her upcoming album to be released on July 16, was co-written by Jack Antonoff of the band fun. and was penned for a friend of Bareilles' who was struggling with coming out of the closet (see the lyric video above).

"Watching that process made me consider how much of ourselves we feel the need to hide from each other on a daily basis," Bareilles tells The Huffington Post. "It made me want to express support and encouragement for the idea of speaking out for your authentic self... whomever that may be."

In a webisode interview (see below), Antonoff says that "Brave" is "a civil rights anthem in a time when there are no civil rights anthems and there's a giant need for [one]."

Responding to his vision of the song, Bareilles says, "Music is the ultimate unifier. It has a way of elevating and giving voice to what can be found in the collective consciousness and in its best moments, it encourages people to come together."

She adds, "When people find common ground with each other, we come closer to seeing how similar we all actually are. That breeds understanding, compassion, love. That's the kind of change I would like to see."

To find out how you can participate in a special "Brave" campaign that lets you share your own story of being brave, click here. For more on Bareilles, visit her official website and follow her on Twitter.