New stamp honours award-winning singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan

Canada Post is shining a spotlight on singer-songwriter and musician Sarah McLachlan with a new stamp celebrating her career and contributions. The multiple Grammy and JUNO Award-winning Canadian artist’s ethereal vocals and poetic lyrics have captured the hearts of listeners for more than 30 years. She has sold upwards of 40 million albums worldwide and is also known for championing the arts and various other causes.

The stamp design features a photo of McLachlan taken in 2019 for the television talent show, The Launch – on which she was a musical mentor. The bright yellow background features detail from her silk-screened art print, Blue Sunrays. “I am a proud Canadian and deeply honoured,” she says of the issue. “To me, stamps signify communication, the sharing of our stories and the ability to reach out across this great big, beautiful world and connect.”

McLachlan was born in 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was raised by her adoptive parents. Her interest in music was piqued at a young age while receiving classical training in guitar, piano and voice at the Maritime Conservatory of Music. At age 17, she began singing with local band October Game. Two years later, after studying at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design for one year, she was offered a record deal in Vancouver and moved to the west coast to pursue a career in music.

McLachlan’s early influences came from punk and New Wave music, although by the time she released her first album, Touch, in 1988, her style had evolved into a unique fusion of pop and folk. Her second album, Solace (1991), went gold in Canada and set the introspective, deeply personal tone that became her trademark. The album also earned McLachlan her first two JUNO nominations – and her first JUNO Award, which was for Best Video for the single “Into the Fire.”

Her third studio album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993, Canada; 1994, United States) quickly climbed the charts in the U.S. It was followed by Surfacing (1997) – her best-selling album to date, peaking at second place on the Billboard 200 and going on to achieve multi-platinum status. It also garnered two Grammy Awards and four JUNO Awards with unforgettable singles, such as “Building a Mystery” and “Sweet Surrender” and “Angel.”

McLachlan’s first live album, Mirrorball (1999) earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Album and won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the heartfelt ballad, “I Will Remember You.” A year later, McLachlan’s recording of Randy Newman’s Toy Story 2 hit, “When She Loved Me” won a Grammy Award for songwriting and was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Albums that followed included Afterglow (2003), Afterglow Live (2004) and her Christmas album, Wintersong (2006). In 2010, she released Laws of Illusion and performed the song “Ordinary Miracle,” from the movie Charlotte’s Web, at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

McLachlan has described creating music as a cathartic process of self-discovery. “Music is the language in which I’m the most comfortable revealing myself,” she explains. “And it’s also a medicine. Playing, singing and writing have helped me through many tough times.”

McLachlan is also well known for her philanthropic efforts. In 1997, she founded Lilith Fair, a groundbreaking concert tour and travelling music festival that featured prominent female artists. It was not only one of the biggest music events of the late 1990s, but also the most successful all-female music event ever held. Lilith Fair raised more than $7 million for charity and solidified McLachlan’s status as a passionate supporter of the arts.

A long-time animal rights advocate, McLachlan has been a vocal supporter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She has also lent her time and talent to other charitable causes, including in support of HIV/AIDS research and humanitarian relief efforts.

Perhaps the project closest to her heart is the non-profit Sarah McLachlan School of Music, which opened in Vancouver in 2002. McLachlan founded the school to provide free music education and mentorship to children and youth facing various barriers to access – as well as to young adults, seniors and people with special needs. It has since expanded, with Surrey and Edmonton locations added in 2016.

“I wholeheartedly believe that every child should have the same opportunity to discover who they are through music,” McLachlan told Spin magazine in 2022. “I saw a gap with music programs being cut from most public schools and knew I could help, particularly for those facing barriers to access.”

McLachlan’s many accolades include the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award (1998), what is now called the JUNO’s Humanitarian Award (2009) and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Popular Music) (2015). She was also appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada (1999), invested into the Order of British Columbia (2001) and inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (2017). On September 28, she will join other iconic Canadian artists, including Tom Cochrane and Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.