New stamp shines spotlight on Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan

Published
10/16/2024 by

Canada Post issued a new stamp today honouring singer-songwriter and musician, Sarah McLachlan. Known for her emotional ballads and hauntingly soulful vocals, the award-winning Canadian artist has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1968, McLachlan was adopted as an infant and received classical training in guitar, piano and voice at an early age. After studying at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design for one year, she moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, and released her first studio album, Touch (1988), at age 20.

Her second album, Solace (1991), went gold in Canada and earned McLachlan her first two JUNO nominations and first win for Best Video for the single "Into the Fire." Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a North American tour – was a hit on its release in Canada and the United States in 1994.

McLachlan has since launched six more studio albums, including the multi-platinum Surfacing (1997), her best-selling album to date. Showcasing her unique fusion of pop and folk with such hits as, "Building a Mystery," "Sweet Surrender" and "Angel," the album was a critical and commercial success and won two Grammy Awards and four JUNO Awards.

In 1997, McLachlan founded the exclusively female-fronted Lilith Fair concert tour, which helped bolster careers and raised more than $7 million for local and national charities. She has been a longtime advocate for animal rights and is the founder of the non-profit Sarah McLachlan School of Music, which provides free music education and mentorship to children and youth, among others, facing barriers to access.

McLachlan was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada (1999), invested into the Order of British Columbia (2001) and received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Popular Music) (2015). A member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (2017), she will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on September 28 of this year.