Sarah McLachlan

Early Life and Education

The daughter of a woman named Judy James, Sarah McLachlan was raised by her adoptive parents Jack, an American-born marine biologist, and Dorice McLachlan. The family also included two older adopted brothers, Stewart and Ian.

Starting with ukulele at age four, McLachlan played music throughout her youth. She rigorously studied classical guitar (12 years of lessons), piano (six years), voice (five years) and opera (three years) at the Nova Scotia Conservatory of Music. (See also Royal Conservatory of Music.) She won a local Kiwanis Music Festival contest by singing Sir Arthur Sullivan's 1861 music theatre piece “Where The Bee Sucks, There Lurk I.” However, pop music was more to her liking. “I was your average teenage rebel with a skateboard and a bad attitude,” she later told the Record.

Following an early passion for Joan Baez, McLachlan’s teenage influences included Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, and the British group Talk Talk. Her first stage experience was at 17 with the Halifax band October Game. Following high school, she spent a year studying jewellery design at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Touch (1988)

Nettwerk Records co-founder and talent scout Mark Jowett first approached Sarah McLachlan after his band Moev had performed on the same bill as October Game in 1985. At the urging of her parents, who thought she was too young, the 17-year-old McLachlan rejected the offer. But she accepted a second one two years later. Moving to Vancouver, the label's hometown, McLachlan recorded her debut album, Touch (1988), with producer Greg Reely following a preparatory stint with musician Daryl Neudorf. (In the late 1990s, Neudorf mounted an unsuccessful legal suit against Nettwerk and McLachlan regarding his songwriting contributions.)

McLachlan's powerful mezzo-soprano voice was frequently compared to Tori Amos and Sinéad O'Connor, and her music often described as “ethereal.” Interview magazine suggested that, “should a Botticelli angel float into song, she'd sound like Sarah McLachlan.” Los Angeles Times critic Richard Cromelin highlighted the album's “densely textured art-folk arrangements and abstract but intensely confessional lyrics.” The singles “Vox” and “Steaming” earned modest airplay. The album was eventually certified platinum in Canada.

In 1989, New York-based Arista Records signed McLachlan to release her albums in the United States.

Solace (1991)

Trained as a musician but relatively new to the art of songwriting, Sarah McLachlan spent a difficult year crafting new material with Montreal-based producer Pierre Marchand. A protégé of Daniel Lanois and former keyboard player with the singer Luba, Marchand helmed a series of recording sessions at Le Studio north of Montreal, then in Vancouver and finally New Orleans. The resultant Solace (1991) was a downbeat, introspective set of richly melodic songs dealing with such subject matter as spiritual rebirth (“Into the Fire”) and oceanic consciousness (“Drawn to the Rhythm”).

The glowing reviews continued, with Rolling Stone praising McLachlan’s “astonishing strength and clarity” as a performer. At the 1992 Juno Awards, she was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year and won for Best Video for “Into the Fire.” Solace was certified double platinum in Canada by May 1995.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993)

Steady touring, a trademark of her manager Terry McBride's approach to career development, continued to build a remarkably fervent grassroots fan base across North America. These fans came to call themselves “Fumblers” after Sarah McLachlan's third album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993). It was produced by Marchand in his own Wild Sky studio in Quebec's Laurentian Mountains. The dark mood of Solace continued on the album's lead single, “Possession,” which was written from the perspective of an obsessive fan, and “Hold On,” inspired by the award-winning AIDS documentary A Promise Kept (directed by Lawrence Zack and R. Alan Gough). The album also included “Ice Cream,” a rare emotionally upbeat number that went on to become an enduring concert favourite.

Without significant airplay and based largely on the support of her concert audience, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy went on to sell more than 3.5 million copies. It was certified quintuple platinum in Canada by the end of 1996. Nettwerk kept McLachlan’s profile high with a breakneck concert schedule. Her touring band included drummer Ashwin Sood, keyboardist David Kershaw, bass guitarist Brian Minato and guitarist Luke Doucet.

McLachlan contributed the single “I Will Remember You” to the soundtrack for the film The Brothers McMullen (1995). She also released two other album packages: the live-in-studio The Freedom Sessions, among the first CD releases to include bonus multimedia material; and the self-explanatory Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff, which included the single “Full of Grace.”

Surfacing (1997)

Arista Records reactivated “Possession” as a radio single in early 1997. The surge of airplay in the US set the stage for Sarah McLachlan's rapid evolution into a household name. Surfacing, McLachlan’s fourth studio album, was released in June. It included her first bona fide hit single, “Building A Mystery,” along with the hits “Sweet Surrender” and “Adia.” The album stayed on the US Billboard charts for more than two years and sold more than 9 million copies worldwide. In Canada, it achieved a rare diamond certification for selling more than 1 million copies.

Lilith Fair

A key factor in Surfacing's success was the first, full-scale Lilith Fair festival tour. It rolled through 35 cities and was masterminded by Sarah McLachlan, McBride, Nettwerk's Dan Fraser and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. Designed as an all-female counterpart to such testosterone-heavy rock tours as Lollapalooza, Lilith Fair featured McLachlan as headliner at all shows along with a rotating cast of support acts, including Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Fiona Apple, the Indigo Girls and Shawn Colvin in the first year.

Lilith Fair thrust McLachlan into the media spotlight and onto the covers of Entertainment Weekly, Time (the Canadian edition; the US version featured a photo of another Lilith participant, Jewel) and countless music magazines. While McLachlan shunned the idea, the tour gave her a reputation as music's leading feminist. (The tour was named after Lilith, who in Jewish extrabiblical lore was Adam's original wife. She refused to be submissive and was rejected in favour of the more pliable Eve.)

Lilith Fair became the most successful North American concert tour of 1997, according to the US concert-industry magazine Pollstar, earning $16.4 million from 37 concerts. Encore tours the following two summers included such high-profile names as the Dixie Chicks, Queen Latifah, the Pretenders, Erykah Badu, Cowboy Junkies, Angelique Kidjo, Beth Orton, Dido, Liz Phair, Wynonna Judd, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Nicks. In 1998 the tour was extended to 47 cities and a first-ever European show was held in London, England.

An era came to an end on 31 Aug 1999 at a rainy Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. All told, more than 2 million people attended the 139 Lilith dates.

Mirrorball (1999)

The live album Mirrorball and a sister DVD release (filmed at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon) were released in 1999. It showcased Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith-era touring band: Sood, Minato, Vince Jones (keyboards), Sean Ashby (guitars), David Sinclair (guitars) and Camille Henderson (vocals).

Mirrorball was certified quadruple platinum in Canada and garnered three Grammy Award nominations in 2000, winning Female Pop Vocal Performance for “I Will Remember You.” No stranger by then to the Los Angeles awards ceremonies, McLachlan had won two Grammys in 1998 (for “Building a Mystery” and the plaintive piano instrumental “Last Dance”). She was also nominated in 2001 for her Toy Story 2 soundtrack contribution “When She Loved Me” (written by Randy Newman) and a duet with Sheryl Crow (“The Difficult Kind” from Crow's album Live from Central Park).

Children and Hiatus

Following Lilith Fair, Sarah McLachlan focused on family and philanthropic concerns during a three-year break. During her hiatus, McLachlan remained on the charts with Sarah McLachlan Remixed (2001). It featured extended club versions of her songs by such notable remixers as William Orbit, BT and DJ Tiesto (whose remake of “Silence,” which McLachlan sang with the Vancouver electronic duo Delerium, reached No. 6 on the Billboard dance chart and served as her breakthrough single in Britain). A version of Paul McCartney's Beatles-era classic “Blackbird” was the lead cut on the soundtrack for the Sean Penn film I Am Sam. “Don't Let Go,” a duet with Bryan Adams, was featured in the 2002 animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

Afterglow (2003)

Sarah McLachlan’s career sales stood at 22 million units when she released Afterglow (2003), her fourth album with Marchand and first studio release in six years. It debuted at No. 1 in Canada and near the top of the US charts, though critical response was muted. (Entertainment Weekly called the album “comely but slight.”) Afterglow was certified quintuple platinum in Canada and sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.

Life Acoustic EP (2004) and Afterglow Live (2004)

The five-song Live Acoustic EP was released in May 2004. The same songs were originally available exclusively in the US through the iTunes music store, where they were downloaded over 100,000 times in total and helped establish Apple Computer's online service as a legitimate music retailer. The concert recording Afterglow Live was released in November 2004. McLachlan then re-recorded “World on Fire” with Robbie Robertson in early 2005 as the theme song for US cable channel TNT's historical series Into the West.

Wintersong (2006)

Sarah McLachlan’s Christmas album, Wintersong (2006), sold more than 1 million copies worldwide and was certified triple platinum in Canada. It includes versions of Joni Mitchell's “River” and John Lennon's “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” along with McLachlan's own title track. Wintersong received a Juno Award nomination for Pop Album of the Year and a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

In an exceedingly rare concert appearance, Mclachlan performed at the Unite Against AIDS fundraising concert for UNICEF at Montreal's Bell Centre in 2007.

A second edition of Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff was released by Nettwerk in 2008. The lead track, “Ordinary Mind,” was McLachlan's contribution to the children’s movie Charlotte's Web (2006).

2010–24

In 2011, Sarah McLachlan was nominated for three Juno Awards, including songwriter of the year, artist of the year and pop album of the year for Laws of illusion (2010).

In 2014, McLachlin released her eighth studio album, Shine On. She stated in a press release that “Many of the songs are inspired at least partially or wholly by my father’s passing three years ago and the profound effect losing him had on me. I had to find my footing again without the anchor of his unconditional love.” Shine On was certified gold in Canada and won the Juno Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year in 2015. Her second Christmas album, Wonderland (2016), won that same award in 2017 and was also certified gold in Canada. McLachlan gave several notable performances to promote the album, including at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and on NBC's annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center.

In March 2019, McLachlan hosted the Juno Awards gala at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario. She used her opening monologue to take a shot at then-US president Donald Trump. After comparing him to a “crazy neighbour” who “starts causing all kinds of trouble, like putting up weird walls, picking fights with all the other neighbours, [and] telling your daughters how they should behave,” she concluded by saying “you just watch feeling helpless, and hope that they’ll be gone by 2020.”

In 2024, McLachlan celebrated the 30th anniversary of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy with a 30-date tour, with Feist as her opening act. The Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th Anniversary Canadian Tour, scheduled to start November 1st, 2024 in Rama, Ontario, was postponed in October. On November 20th, McLachlan announced the cancellation of the tour due to health concerns. 

Charity Work and Other Activities

Sarah McLachlan is almost as well known for her philanthropy and works of charity as she is for her music. She appeared on a variety of benefit albums in the 1990s, including No Alternative (for AIDS research) and Lit from Within (in aid of Canadian rape crisis centres). As the executive producer of Lilith Fair, McLachlan donated $1 from each ticket sold to women's shelters along the concert trail. Combined with donations by tour sponsors to the Breast Cancer Fund, Amnesty International, Planned Parenthood and the HIV/AIDS awareness organization LIFEbeat, Lilith generated $7 million for non-profit organizations.

McLachlan founded the Sarah McLachlan Foundation in 1999, and in 2002 she launched the Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach, a free after-school music program. In 2011, it morphed into the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, which provides music education for inner city youth in Vancouver. The school later expanded with locations in Surrey and Edmonton.

McLachlan made a significant statement with her barebones video for “World on Fire” in 2003. She spent only $15 on the video and donated the rest of its $150,000 budget to third-world relief organizations, including CARE, Comic Relief, War Child and Engineers Without Borders.

Beginning in 2006, McLachlan served as a spokesperson for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). She appeared in commercials advocating against animal cruelty and in favour of rescue shelters, particularly for dogs. The ads, which also featured her song “Angel,” were hugely successful. Subsequent campaigns were launched in 2008 and 2009. By 2015, more than $30 million had been raised. McLachlan told People magazine in 2015 that she is constantly called out in public as “that dog lady.” She also appeared in Super Bowl commercials parodying the SPCA campaigns in 2014 and 2023.

McLachlan’s many other charitable endeavours include raising money for the Asian tsunami relief fund in early 2005 and advocating for the cancellation of African debt. She has also raised money for HIV/AIDS and cancer research and been involved with Artists Against Racism, Autism Speaks, Feeding America, Musician, and the Stephen Lewis Foundation (see Stephen Lewis).

Personal Life

Sarah McLachlan married Ashwin Sood, her Calgary-born drummer, in early 1997. She gave birth to their first child, India, in 2002. McLachlan and Sood had a second daughter, Taja Summer, in 2007, before divorcing in 2008.

Honours

In 1998, Sarah McLachlan received the William Harold Moon Award from SOCAN for “bringing international recognition to Canada through her music.” That same year, she received the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award from the Government of New York for advancing the careers of women in music. She was also named woman of the year by Chatelaine magazine. The tremendous success of Lilith Fair also earned McLachlan the BC Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1999. She was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1999 and a Member of the Order of British Columbia in 2001.

For her many charitable endeavours, McLachlan received the Humanitarian Award at the 2009 Juno Awards, as well as the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award at the Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards in 2011. She was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2012, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024. She received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 2015.

In September 2024, to mark the 30th anniversary of McLachlan’s breakout album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp in her honour. The day the stamp was unveiled, 17 September 2024, was also declared Sarah McLachlan Day by the City of Vancouver.

Awards

Juno Awards

• Best Video (“Into the Fire”) (1992)
• Single of the Year (“Building A Mystery,” shared with Phil Kates) (1998)
• Songwriter of the Year (“Building A Mystery,” shared with Pierre Marchand) (1998)
• Female Vocalist of the Year (1998)
• Album of the Year (Surfacing) (1998)
• International Achievement Award (2000)
• Pop Album of the Year (Afterglow) (2004)
• Songwriter of the Year (“World on Fire,” “Fallen” and “Stupid,” shared with Pierre Marchand) (2004)
• Humanitarian Award (2009)
• Adult Contemporary Album of the Year (Shine On) (2015)
• Adult Contemporary Album of the Year (Wonderland) (2017)
• Inductee, Canadian Music Hall of Fame (2017)

MuchMusic Video Awards

• Favourite Adult Contemporary Video (“Possession”) (1994)
• People's Choice: Favourite Canadian Video (“Building A Mystery”) (1997)
• MuchMoreMusic Award (“Fallen”) (2004)

Grammy Awards

• Best Pop Instrumental Performance (“Last Dance”) (1998)
• Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (“Building A Mystery”) (1998)
• Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (“I Will Remember You”) (2000)

SOCAN Awards

• 1 Song Award (“Building A Mystery”) (1997)
• William Harold Moon Award (1998)
• Pop Music Award (“Building A Mystery”) (1998)
• 1 Song Award (“Adia”) (1998)
• SOCAN Global Inspiration Award (2018)

Others

• Woman of the Year, Chatelaine (1998)
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award, Government of New York (1998)
• Songwriter of the Year, BMI Pop Awards (1999)
• Hot Adult Contemporary Track (“Angel”), Billboard Year-End Magazine Awards (1999)
• Outstanding Pop Recording (“Afterglow Live”), Western Canadian Music Awards (1999)
• Officer, Order of Canada (1999)
• BC Entrepreneur of the Year, BC Business (1999)
• Best Acoustic Guitarist Female, Gibson Guitar Awards (2000)
• Member, Order of British Columbia (2001)
• Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)
• Lifetime Achievement Award, FACTOR (2002)
• International Achievement Award, Breakout West Awards (2010)
• Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award, Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards (2011)
• Inductee, Canada’s Walk of Fame (2012)
• Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)
• Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (2015)
• Inductee, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2024)

Honorary Degrees

• Honorary Doctorate, Emily Carr University of Art and Design (2009)
• Doctor of Fine Arts, Simon Fraser University (2011)
• Doctor of Laws, University of Alberta (2013)
• Doctor of Fine Arts, Capilano University (2019)

Discography

• Touch (1988)
• Solace (1991)
• Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993)
• The Freedom Sessions (1994)
• Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff (1996)
• Surfacing (1997)
• Mirrorball (1999)
• Sarah McLachlan Remixed (2001)
• Afterglow (2003)
• Afterglow Live (2004)
• Bloom: Remix Album (2005)
• Mirrorball: The Complete Concert (2006)
• Wintersong (2006)
• Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff Volume 2 (2008)
• Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan (2008)
• Laws of Illusion (2010)
• The Essential (2013)
• Shine On (2014)
• The Box Set Series (2015)
• The Classic Christmas Album (2015)
• Wonderland (2016)