Sarah McLachlan's Pets

Sarah McLachlan is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. She has released a number of albums and singles throughout her career, including her breakthrough album Surfacing, which won her two Grammy Awards. She is also well-known for her work with the Lilith Fair music festival and her involvement in numerous charitable causes. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1968, McLachlan began playing music at an early age. She studied classical piano and voice at the Nova Scotia Conservatory of Music, and her first album, Touch, was released in 1988. She achieved global success with her album Surfacing, which spawned several hit singles such as “Building a Mystery” and “Angel”. During the Lilith Fair music festival, she became an advocate for female musicians, and her song “Angel” was a major hit. She has since released several other albums, including Afterglow, Laws of Illusion, and Shine On. In addition to her musical career, McLachlan is also a philanthropist, having founded the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, an organization offering free music lessons to at-risk and underserved children.

She is also known for supporting the SPCA and appearing in their iconic commercial which featured her song “Angel”, which raised $30 million in two years. She parodied the commercial for a 2023 Super Bowl commercial you can watch here.

Sarah McLachlan’s creative journey is studded with dynamic partnerships that have shaped her musical legacy. A notable collaboration was in 1995 with Canadian music producer Pierre Marchand, crafting the emotive album ‘Fumbling Towards Ecstasy’, which proved to be a turning point in her career. Her 1997 collaboration with fellow Lilith Fair co-founders, Paula Cole and Emmylou Harris, solidified her status as a pioneer for female musicians. The following year, McLachlan worked with DMC on a memorable remix of her hit ‘Silence’, introducing her soulful melodies to the electronic music scene. The singer-songwriter also shared creative spaces with Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies in 2004 for the holiday album ‘Acoustic Christmas’. Lastly, the significant collaboration in 2010 with rapper Nas on a reimagining of her song ‘Angel’ for the documentary ‘Life is Good’, showcased the breadth of her musical influence.

Sarah McLachlan’s extraordinary career boasts a remarkable range of achievements, shedding light on her immense talent and influence in the music industry. In 1997, her groundbreaking album ‘Surfacing’ fetched her two Grammy Awards, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the haunting ‘Building a Mystery’. This album also won her four Juno Awards in 1998, confirming her status as one of Canada’s premier artists. Her impressive philanthropy was recognized in 2005, when she received the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award for her work with Lilith Fair. In 2012, her legacy was further cemented when she was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.