Sarah McLachlan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McLachlan in 2025 | |
| Born | Sarah Ann McLachlan (1968-01-28)January 28, 1968 (age 57) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | |
| Labels | |
Musical artist | |
| Website | sarahmclachlan |
| Signature | |
 | |
Sarah Ann McLachlanOC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide.[4] McLachlan's best-selling album isSurfacing (1997), for which she won twoGrammy Awards (out of four nominations) and fourJuno Awards. She has won three Grammy and twelveJuno Awards in total, and is a member of theCanadian Music Hall of Fame and theCanadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.[5][6] McLachlan founded theLilith Fair tour, which showcased female musicians.
McLachlan was born on January 28, 1968, inHalifax, Nova Scotia,Canada.[7] The daughter of Judy James, McLachlan was raised by heradoptive parents, Jack, anAmerican-bornmarine biologist, and Dorice McLachlan. The family also included two older adopted brothers, Stewart and Ian.[8] As a child, Sarah was a member ofGirl Guides of Canada, participating in Guiding programs.[9]
McLachlan played music from a very young age, beginning with theukulele when she was four. She studied classical guitar, classical piano, and voice[10] at theMaritime Conservatory of Music[11] through the curriculum ofThe Royal Conservatory of Music.[12][13] At 17, while she was still a student atQueen Elizabeth High School, in Halifax, she fronted a short-lived rock band called the October Game, whose members also included drummerCreighton Doane.[14] One of the band's songs, "Grind", credited as a group composition, can be found on the independent Flamingo Records releaseOut of the Fog and the CDOut of the Fog Too.
Following the October Game's first concert atDalhousie University opening forMoev, McLachlan was offered a recording contract with Vancouver-based independent record labelNettwerk by Moev'sMark Jowett. McLachlan's parents insisted that she finish high school and complete one year of studies at theNova Scotia College of Art and Design before moving to Vancouver and embarking on a new life as a recording artist. She finally signed to Nettwerk two years later before having written a single song.
In 1994, McLachlan was sued by Uwe Vandrei, an obsessed fan fromOttawa, who alleged that his letters to her had been the basis of the single "Possession".[15] The lawsuit was challenging for the Canadian legal system since Vandrei was an admittedstalker whose acknowledged goal in filing the lawsuit was to be near McLachlan. Precautions were taken to ensure McLachlan's safety if she had to be in the same location as Vandrei. Before the trial began, Vandrei was found dead in an apparentsuicide.[16]
McLachlan married her drummer,Ashwin Sood, inJamaica in 1997. In December 2001, while McLachlan was pregnant with her first child, her mother died fromcancer. McLachlan gave birth to her daughter, India, in Vancouver on April 6, 2002. Five years later, she gave birth to her second daughter Taja, also in Vancouver, on June 22. McLachlan announced her separation from Sood in September 2008,[17] and they divorced the same year.[18]
In 2014, when asked what religion she practices, she answered, "I don't adhere to any particular religion.I view the concept of God as an energy that we all are part of and share. If I had any spiritual leanings, it would be towardsBuddhism. But again, I follow my own path most of my life."[19]
The signing with Nettwerk prompted McLachlan to move toVancouver,British Columbia. There she recorded her first album,Touch, in 1987. The album received both critical and commercial success; it also includes the song "Vox". During this period she also contributed to an album byMoev, provided vocals onManufacture's "As the End Draws Near", and embarked on her first national concert tour as an opening act forthe Grapes of Wrath.[20][21]
McLachlan's 1991 album,Solace, was her mainstream breakthrough in Canada, spawning the hit singles "The Path of Thorns (Terms)" and "Into the Fire.”Solace also marked the beginning of her partnership withPierre Marchand. Marchand and McLachlan have been collaborators ever since, with Marchand producing many of McLachlan's albums and occasionally co-writing songs.[22]
1993'sFumbling Towards Ecstasy was an immediate hit in Canada.[7] From herNettwerk connection, her piano version of the song "Possession" was included on the firstDue Southsoundtrack in 1996. Over the next two years,Fumbling Towards Ecstasy became McLachlan's international breakthrough as well, scaling the charts in a number of countries.[23]
Following the success fromFumbling Towards Ecstasy, McLachlan returned in 1997 withSurfacing, her best-selling album to date. The album earned her two 1998Grammy Awards, one forBest Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Building a Mystery") and one forGrammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance (for "Last Dance"); the album also won fourJuno Awards, including Album of the Year forSurfacing and Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for "Building a Mystery". Reaching number one on theCanadian Albums Chart and number two on the USBillboard 200, the album has since sold over 16 million copies worldwide and brought her much international success.
Still in the spotlight from the album, McLachlan launched the highly popularLilith Fair tour. Her song "Angel"—inspired by the fataloverdose ofSmashing Pumpkins touring keyboardistJonathan Melvoin[24][25]—made sales skyrocket. Fellow adopteeDarryl McDaniels was so touched by "Angel" that it inspired him to reassess his life and career. He credits McLachlan and her albumSurfacing (on which "Angel" appeared) with saving his life.[26] The two have collaborated on many projects in support of the rights of adoptees.[27] In 1998, "Angel" featured in the motion pictureCity of Angels. Itssoundtrack reached number one on theBillboard 200. More than five months after the film disappeared from the theatres, the soundtrack remained firmly entrenched amongBillboard's top 40 albums and earned quadruple-platinum status.[28] Another song fromSurfacing, "Full of Grace", featured in theSeason 2 finale ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer;Season 1 episode 4 ofDawson's Creek; and the filmMoll Flanders.
McLachlan released the live albumMirrorball in June 1999. The album's singles included a new live version of her earlier song, "I Will Remember You", a studio recording of which had previously been released onThe Brothers McMullen soundtrack as well asRarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff. Originally released as a single in 1995, where it peaked No. 65 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and No. 10 in Canada, the 1999 version peaked at No. 14 on the Hot 100, reached No. 10 again in Canada, and garnered McLachlan her thirdGrammy Award forBest Female Pop Vocal Performance at the42nd Grammy Awards.[29] Later that year, McLachlan recorded theRandy Newman song "When She Loved Me" on theToy Story 2 soundtrack as the off-screen singing voice of the characterJessie. It was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song in2000, and McLachlan performed it at the awards ceremony, but did not win.[30]
Following the death of her mother in December 2001, and the birth of her first daughter India, McLachlan took a break from writing music; she shifted her focus to motherhood.[31]
McLachlan released her fifth studio album,Afterglow, in November 2003. The album was preceded by the single "Fallen" in September, while two of its tracks, "Stupid" and "World on Fire", were released as supporting singles the following year. McLachlan had contemplated the prospect of losing career momentum during the album's creation and has described its writing process as similar to "extracting blood from a stone". All songs for the album were written over a two and a half year period and recorded at either Marchand's home studio in Montreal or McLachlan's home studio in Vancouver.[31]Afterglow topped the Canadian Albums Chart, and debuted at No. 2 in the US with over 300,000 copies sold in its opening week.[32] It has since been certified 5× platinum in Canada,[33] and 2× platinum in the US.[34] "Fallen" was later nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the46th Annual Grammy Awards,[35] whileAfterglow received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album at the47th Annual Grammy Awards.[36]
Prior to embarking on the Afterglow Live tour in May 2004, McLachlan released the digitalextended playAcoustic Live, which included renditions of two songs fromAfterglow,[37] and rerecorded "World on Fire" withRobbie Robertson for theTNT seriesInto the West. The tour took place through 2005.Afterglow Live, a CD+DVD recording package of one of the Canada stops was released in November 2004.[38]
In October 2006, McLachlan released a Christmas album,Wintersong. The album included 11 new recordings, featuring covers ofJoni Mitchell's "River",Gordon Lightfoot's "Song for a Winter's Night", andJohn Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", which she recorded with her outreach children and youth choir, and seasonal favourites: "Christmas Time Is Here", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Silent Night", "The First Noel", and "Greensleeves (What Child Is This?)", among others. The title track is an original work of McLachlan's.Wintersong debuted at No. 42 on theBillboard 200 for the week ending November 4, 2006,[39] and peaked at No. 7.[40] It was certified Platinum in the US in December 2007.[41] According toNielsen Music, the album has sold 1.1 million copies in the country as of November 2016.[42] In Canada, it is certified 3× Platinum.[43]Wintersong was nominated for both aGrammy Award, in theBest Traditional Pop Vocal Album category,[44] as well as for aJuno Award, forPop Album of the Year.[45]
On October 3, 2006, the live albumMirrorball was re-released asMirrorball: The Complete Concert. This release contains two discs that were compiled from two concerts performed on consecutive nights in April 1998 at the Rose Garden arena inPortland, Oregon.[46]
.jpg)
In late January 2014, McLachlan announced the release of her next studio album,Shine On, which was inspired by the death of her father. It was her first release onVerve Records, after leaving Nettwerk/Arista after over twenty years.[47] Released on May 6, the album debuted at No. 4 on theBillboard 200 with 42,000 copies sold during the week ending May 11.[48] She embarked on the Shine On tour across the United States in support of the album. Its opening show took place in Seattle on June 20.[49] The tour visited 30 cities all together. The Canadian leg included 25 shows in 21 cities.[50]
McLachlan wonAdult Contemporary Album of the Year forShine On at theJuno Awards in March 2015[51] and was additionally nominated forArtist of the Year, but did not win.[52]
After this release, McLachlan mostly stepped back from public life to focus on motherhood and philanthropic work.[53]
On October 21, 2016, McLachlan releasedWonderland, her ninth studio and second Christmas album;[42] it contains interpretations of 13 traditional and contemporary holiday classics. She promoted the album with various televised performances, including at theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24;ABC'sCMA Country Christmas special on November 28;[54] andNBC's annualChristmas in Rockefeller Center special on November 30.[55] That December, McLachlan released the single "The Long Goodbye".[56]
In January 2019, McLachlan was announced as the host of theJuno Awards of 2019.[57] In an interview the following month, McLachlan stated that she was set to debut a new song titled "Wilderness" during her then-current tour.[58]
McLachlan participated in an all-star recording ofSerena Ryder's 2012 song "What I Wouldn't Do" in 2023. It was released as a charity single on March 2 to benefit the Feel Out Loud campaign byKids Help Phone in support of youth mental health.[59] At the end of the year, she announced a 30-city tour (her first major tour since her tour with Josh Groban in 2016) to be held in 2024 for the 30th anniversary ofFumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993), with the setlist comprising the album's entire tracklist in addition to other songs from her repertoire;[60][61] in November 2024, she cancelled the tour due toacute laryngitis, having postponed the tour earlier.[62] In April 2025, she reannounced the previously cancelled Canadian dates.
In April 2024, McLachlan stated she was working on new music with producerTony Berg.[63] Her tenth studio album,Better Broken, was released on September 19, 2025.[64] McLachlan announced the Better Broken Tour in support of the album in September 2025 commencing in November the same year.[65]
In 1996, McLachlan became frustrated with concert promoters and radio stations that refused to feature two female musicians in a row.[66] Bucking conventional industry wisdom, she booked a successful tour for herself andPaula Cole. At least one of their appearances together – in McLachlan's home town, on September 14, 1996 – went by the name "Lilith Fair" and included performances by McLachlan, Cole,Lisa Loeb, andMichelle McAdorey, formerly ofCrash Vegas.[67][68][69]
The next year, McLachlan founded the Lilith Fair tour, takingLilith from the medieval Jewish legend thatLilith wasAdam's first wife.[70]
In 1997, Lilith Fair, featuring McLachlan as one of the headlining acts, garnered a $16 million gross, making it the top-grossing of any touring festival.[66] Among all concert tours for that year, it was the 16th highest grossing.[66]Lilith Fair tour brought together two million people over its three-year history and raised more than $7 million for charities. It was the most successful all-femalemusic festival in history, one of the biggest music festivals of the 1990s, and helped launch the careers of several well-known female artists.[71][72] Subsequent Lilith Fairs followed in 1998 and 1999 before the tour was discontinued.[73]
Nettwerk CEO and Lilith Fair co-founder Terry McBride announced that the all-female festival would make its return in mid-2010 in Canada, the United States, and Europe. A list of 36 North American shows was released,[74] but poor ticket sales, financial problems, and headliners' withdrawing out of fear of not being paid, caused 13 of the shows to be cancelled.[75] The two-week European tour never materialized.
In 2025, McLachlan appeared in the feature documentaryLilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story, which reflects on the legacy and cultural impact of the festival.[76]
In 1997, McLachlan co-wrote and provided guest vocals on theDelerium song "Silence" for their albumKarma. The song achieved significant US top 40 airplay when released as a single in late 2000, and also featured on the soundtrack for the movieBrokedown Palace. It has been hailed as one of the greatesttrance songs of all time, over a decade after its initial release.[77] TheTiësto remix of the song was voted byMixmag readers as the 12th greatest dance record of all time.[78]
In 2001, McLachlan provided background vocals, guitar, and piano on the closing track "Love Is" fromStevie Nicks' eighth solo album,Trouble in Shangri-La, in addition to drawing the dragon used for the "S" in Stevie's name on the album cover.[79][80] In May 2002, herduet withBryan Adams, "Don't Let Go", was released on theSpirit: Stallion of the Cimarron soundtrack.[81] She sang harmonies and played the piano on the song while Sood did the drum work.[82]
In 2003, she appeared as a celebrityNPC inThe Sims Superstar.[83]
In November 2006, McLachlan contributed "Ordinary Miracle" to the soundtrack ofCharlotte's Web.[84] There were rumors of a potentialOscar nomination for the song, but it was not nominated. She performed the song onThe Oprah Winfrey Show;[85] during theMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade;[85] and at theopening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics.[84]
McLachlan participated inDave Stewart's 2007 single "Go Green", alongsideNadirah X,Imogen Heap,Natalie Imbruglia, and others. The song was released in April of that year in honour ofEarth Day.[86]
.jpg)
In 2009, McLachlan provided backing vocals and piano onSusan Enan's song "Bring on the Wonder", which was featured in thetelevision showBones. Enan and McLachlan included the song on theirPlainsong andLaws of Illusion (2010) albums respectively.[87][88]
On September 10, 2011, McLachlan performed "I Will Remember You" and "Angel" at a ceremony inStonycreek, Pennsylvania, commemorating the passengers and crew of hijackedUnited Airlines Flight 93 who fought the hijackers and brought down their airplane on September 11, 2001. The event marked the dedication of theFlight 93 National Memorial and was attended by former presidentGeorge W. Bush, former first ladyLaura Bush, former presidentBill Clinton, Vice PresidentJoe Biden and SpeakerJohn Boehner.[89]
On June 13, 2019, McLachlan sang "O Canada" before Game 6 of the2019 NBA Finals.[90]
In 2025, McLachlan made a guest appearance onThe Simpsons episode "Estranger Things", where she performed a parody of her song, "When She Loved Me".[91]
McLachlan has citedJoan Baez,Cat Stevens,Simon & Garfunkel,Mary O'Hara,Peter Gabriel,Kate Bush,Genesis,Daniel Lanois,Talk Talk,Brian Eno and theBulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir as her musical influences.[92]
McLachlan has been nominated for 26Juno Awards and has won twelve. In 1992, her video for "Into the Fire" was selected as best music video. In 1998, she won Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (along withPierre Marchand), Single of the Year for "Building a Mystery", and Album of the Year forSurfacing. In 2000, she won an International Achievement award and in 2004, won Pop Album of the Year forAfterglow and again shared the Songwriter of the Year award with Pierre Marchand for the singles "Fallen", "World on Fire", and "Stupid". In 2009, she was presented with the Humanitarian Award and she won the Adult Contemporary Album of the year award in 2015 for "Shine On" and again in 2017 for "Wonderland".[93]
McLachlan has also won threeGrammy Awards. She was awardedBest Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1997 for "Building a Mystery" and again in 1999 for the live version of "I Will Remember You". She also wonBest Pop Instrumental Performance in 1997 for "Last Dance".
McLachlan's song "Building a Mystery" came in at 91 onVH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1990s.[94]
McLachlan was awarded the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award in 1998 for advancing the careers of women in music. In 1999, she was appointed as an Officer of theOrder of Canada in recognition of her successful recording career, her role in Lilith Fair, and the charitable donations she made to women's shelters across Canada. In 2001, she was inducted to theOrder of British Columbia.
McLachlan has received honours from three colleges or universities. She was recognized with an honorary degree fromSimon Fraser University in 2011,[95] received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from theUniversity of Alberta in 2013,[96][97] and was named Honorary Fellow atDouglas College in 2025.[98]
Kiwanis International presented McLachlan with the 2013 Kiwanis International World Service Medal to recognize her for founding the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, a free music school for at-risk youth inVancouver, British Columbia.[99]
In 2012, McLachlan was inducted intoCanada's Walk of Fame. In May 2015, she received aGovernor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.[100][101]
On April 2, 2017, at the Juno Awards ceremony, McLachlan was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
In June 2018, McLachlan was awarded the Global Inspiration award at the 2018SOCAN Awards "for her contributions to the music industry, for her profound impact on music education for Canadian youth through her School of Music, as well as for her acclaim as a songwriter in a career that's spanned 30 years".[102]
In 2024, McLachlan was inducted into theCanadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.[103]
On September 17, 2024,Canada Post released a stamp honouring McLachlan.[104]
McLachlan funds an outreach program providingmusic education forinner city children. Having noticed that music programs were being cut from the school curriculum, McLachlan started a free music school in 2002 using money that she had earned from the Lilith Fair tour to give children access to music instruction.[105] In 2007, the provincial government granted $500,000 in funding for the outreach program.[106] Originating as the "Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach", this program evolved into the Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SoM).[107] SoM providesat-risk children who have limited opportunities for music education with free instruction in guitar, piano, percussion and choir composing, songwriting, stage production, voice, choir, music theory and new media.[105][108][109]
The school is housed in a converted bowling alley, donated in 2011 by the Wolverton Foundation.[110][108] In 2016, the school expanded toEdmonton, Alberta, operating fromMacEwan University.[111][112] In 2024, SoM opened a program space inDouglas College in New Westminster.[113] These music schools have the same initiatives as the Vancouver school.[111]
In the 2024/2025 school year, SoM provided group and private lessons to 1,754 students.[114] Most students stay in SoM for 8 years, until they graduate from high school.[110]
McLachlan supported theAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by appearing in advertisements. She filmed a two-minute advertisement for the organization which featured her song "Angel".[115] The advertisement's imagery of shelter animals mixed with the soundtrack and McLachlan's simple appeal for donations has raised $30 million for the ASPCA since it began to air in 2006, which allowed the organization to air appeals in higher profile prime-time cable ad slots; subsequently the organization produced a new ad for the 2008 holiday season featuring McLachlan appealing for the ASPCA over herWintersong performance of "Silent Night", and a new ad with her was released in January 2009 featuring the song "Answer".[115] In 2012, McLachlan wrote a letter on behalf ofPETA to then-Canadian Prime MinisterStephen Harper, protesting that country's annualseal hunt.[116] DuringSuper Bowl XLVIII on February 3, 2014, McLachlan parodied her ASPCA appeals in anAudi commercial featuring a "Doberhuahua" dog gnawing on the neck of her guitar.[117] She would also do another parody of these appeals onSuper Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023, this time for a commercial forBusch Light.[118]
McLachlan contributed the track "Hold On" to the 1993 AIDS-benefit albumNo Alternative, produced by theRed Hot Organization. She also performed at theLeonard Peltier Defense Fund Benefit Concert on February 12, 1997, and went on to release a cover version of "Unchained Melody" created as part of her support for Peltier. It was later included on the albumRarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff Volume 2.[119]
In early 2005, McLachlan took part in a star-studdedtsunami disaster relieftelethon onNBC. On January 29, McLachlan was a headliner for abenefit concert in Vancouver along with other Canadian superstars, such asAvril Lavigne andBryan Adams. The show also featured a performance by the Sarah McLachlan Musical Outreach Choir & Percussion Ensemble, a children's choir and percussion band. EntitledOne World: The Concert for Tsunami Relief, the concert raised approximately $3.6 million for several Canadian aid agencies working in south and southeast Asia.
On July 2, 2005, McLachlan participated in thePhiladelphia installment of theLive 8 concerts, where she performed her hit "Angel" withJosh Groban.[120] These concerts were intended to coincide with theG8 summit to put pressure on the leaders of the world's richest nations to fight poverty in Africa by cancelling debt.
In 2008, she donated a song toAid Still Required's CD to assist with the restoration of the devastation done to Southeast Asia from the2004 tsunami.[121]
On November 30, 2012, McLachlan lent her support toKate Winslet's Golden Hat Foundation together withTim Janis,Loreena McKennitt,Andrea Corr,Hayley Westenra,Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, Dawn Kenney,Jana Mashonee, Amy Petty and a choir etc. performing on "The American Christmas Carol" concert inCarnegie Hall.[122][123][better source needed]
McLachlan is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.[124]
Their Canadian tour to support this album was also notable for its opening act, a then-emerging singer-songwriter named Sarah McLachlan. she was so cool.
...and Sarah McLachlan's holiday set "Wintersong," at No. 42 (Arista, 20,000).
Sarah McLachlan ascends 22-7 on The Billboard 200 with her holiday effort "Wintersong" (up 38%)...
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata