Sara Bareilles is thankful to pal Katy Perry after she inadvertently helped drive up sales of her song Brave by drawing comparisons to the pop star's own hit single Roar.

The I Kissed a Girl hitmaker came under attack from Bareilles' fans last month (Aug13) amid claims the composition of Roar was strikingly similar to Brave, but Bareilles insists she has no problems with the track and reveals she's been cashing in on the controversy.

She tells the Associated Press, "I was stoked. I was like, 'Great'. I was like, 'You guys want to go get (mad) about something and buy my music? That's great.'

"I don't feel like anything was taken from me artistically. I wasn't the one having any problems with it. I've known Katy a long time. We are friends and she and I spoke about it. I look at it as two female artists who are releasing a message of empowerment."

However, Bareilles admits she was not happy with the way her fans had bad-mouthed Perry online as the comparisons became more widespread.

She adds, "To be totally honest, I was sort of disappointed in how aggressive fans were being about it. I don't promote drama in my life and competition and stuff like that."

A mash-up of Brave and Roar has since appeared online.