Sarah McLachlan - Music, Biography and Discography. Download Sarah McLachlan Albums. Sarah McLachlan Music.

Sarah McLachlan

“If you love large, you've got to hurt large. If you've got a lot of light, you've probably got an equal amount of darkness.” Sarah McLachlan Her music is inspirational and cathartic. Sarah McLachlan is one of the most gifted and talented artist of the last two decades. Her ethereal music and the simplicity in production and yet her soul bearing songwriting has moved an entire generation. Sarah has also been the voice of the unheard by the many charities which she actively supports. In her poetic songwriting Sarah has challenged the very convention of female songwriters being commercially viable.

Her albums sales have crossed the 40 million mark. And her Lilith Fair festival has ushered in many new talents who have gone to achieve success such as Dido, Sheryl Crow and Liz Phair.

Sarah McLachlan has won three Grammies with 12 nominations and nine Juno awards; but one of her greatest accolade comes from an unlikely source; Rock Hall of Fame inductee DMC (Darryl McDaniels) of rap supergroup Run DMC has publicly acknowledged that it was McLachlan’s album “Surfacing” which saw him through his toughest times and turned his life around. The same can be said of millions more! Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, Novas Scotia. As a child she took up guitar and piano lessons. While in college she even fronted a rock band which culminated into her signing a Canadian music label. Relocating to Vancouver after finishing her graduation and immediately started recorded her debut album “Touch”, releasing it in 1988. The single “Vox” from the album was a surprise commercial and critical hit. She toured Canada extensively to promote her album.

She signed Arista Records and the first album was released worldwide. The second album “Solace” was released worldwide. After her mainstream success both these albums have been certified Gold in the US. Her second album was her commercial breakthrough in Canada. The simple production did not hide the mystery behind Sarah’s songwriting. She spent most of 1992 to write and record for her next album. Working with producer Pierre Marchand, who was at the helm on the first two albums would in fact go on to be her long time producer. “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” made a slow progress on the charts and has thus far sold almost 9 million copies worldwide.

The seductive songwriting of which glimpses were shown on the sophomore was now in fact in full flow. The first single “Possession” with its beautiful poetic lyrics and a solid rhythm section (listen to the bass) was received world wide attention. A piano version was the hidden track on the album. In 1996, she was disappointed by the way the tours were arranged especially for women artists. Several times her request had been turned down on having several women artists together on a bill. She started the first version of the festival when she booked singer Paula Cole and herself together. And since then the festival has become one of the most successful ever. Raking in $16 million in 1997 and was it launched many careers.

It was during this time that she released the soulful ballad album “Surfacing” in 1997. The single “Angels” featured on the City of Angels soundtrack was a smash hit. Alt pop ballad “Building a Mystery” peaked at No. 13 and won her a Grammy. The album was helped by the popularity if the Lilith Fair festival where she performed the song. The album received wide spread critical acclaim and was a commercial blockbuster. The album received wide spread critical acclaim and was a commercial blockbuster – selling nearly 19 million copies world wide. After extensive touring she took a break to get married and start a family. Her comeback was the release of “Afterglow” in 2003 nearly 6 years after her last album. Debut in at No.2 in the US; it was another double platinum effort. The highly anticipated album received mixed reviews. The music was her signature sound of atmospheric alt pop with thought provoking songwriting. The song “Fallen” received a Grammy Nomination and was a soulful ballad about admitting ones own mistakes.

In 2006 she released “Wintersong” a holiday album for the Christmas shopping collection of 2006 is another platinum effort. “Mirrorball” released in 2006 is a live album which recorded during the Surfacing concerts is well received. In fact the 1999 Mirrorball live album sold 3 million copies as it was the perfect collector’s item for Lilith Fair.

A truly ground breaking artist, Sarah McLachlan has challenged many conventions, created a canvas for up coming artists and has the introspective song writing ability that makes her one of the respected talents in Pop. After a lot of speculation a new album and resurrection of Lilith Fair is scheduled for 2010.

Did you know that...

• ...Sarah McLachlan’s video "World On Fire cost only $15 to make. She gave away the rest of the $150,000 budget to several charities.
• ...Sarah McLachlan was married to her Drummer Ashwin Sood of Indian origin. They have two daughters.
• ...Sarah McLachlan high school year book said “Destined to be a Rock Star”