Sarah McLachlan Biography

Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. She founded Lilith Fair, a tour which showcased female musicians in the late 1990s.

Known for the emotional sound of her ballads, some of her popular songs include "Angel", "Building a Mystery", "Adia", "Possession", "I Will Remember You", "World on Fire", and "Into the Fire". Her best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards.

Sarah McLachlan has been nominated for nineteen Juno Awards and awarded eight. 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 with Pierre Marchand), Single of the Year for "Building A Mystery," and Album of the Year for Surfacing. In 2000, she won an International Achievement award and in 2004, won Pop Album of the Year for Afterglow and again shared the Songwriter of the Year award with Pierre Marchand for the singles "Fallen," "World on Fire," and "Stupid."

She has also won three Grammy Awards. She was awarded Best 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 scored Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1997 for "Last Dance."

McLachlan has been extensively profiled by media including cover stories for Rolling Stone, Time magazine and Entertainment Weekly.

Through her career, she has also received many awards, primarily in recognition of her efforts in launching Lilith Fair. She 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 the Order of Canada by then-Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in recognition of her successful recording career, her role in Lilith Fair, and the charitable donations she made to women's shelters across Canada. McLachlan also funds an outreach program in Vancouver that provides music education for inner city children. In 2001, she was awarded the Order of British Columbia.

On a number of occasions, McLachlan has also found herself in the news for other reasons: