Sarah McLachlan is a Canadian music icon. The voice of a generation, McLachlan is back with her first new album in over a decade, Better Broken, just as Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery makes its world premiere at TIFF in Toronto next week.
Herewith, a feature interview with McLachlan.
How does it feel to have Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery premiere at TIFF?
I’m thrilled. I think the documentary is absolutely beautiful.
What do you think was the most transformative impact of Lilith Fair?
It forced old school attitudes to shift. The industry believed you couldn’t put two women back-to-back on the radio or on the same bill. Lilith’s success proved otherwise. It created a community of artists who didn’t feel the need to compete. It was transformative for everyone who experienced it.
And what do you hope kind of younger audiences take away from the documentary and the legacy of Lilith Fair?
I think the support of women, lifting each other up. If we have a platform, it’s like the sharing of the pie. We have the ability to bring other women alongside us, other people alongside us, and we can support this idea that we all have. We all can find a place where we can shine. And, you know, it doesn’t have to be exclusionary. And I think, I think that’s a really important legacy. There’s so many artists now, you look at someone like Taylor Swift, who’s always having women open up for her. Brandi Carlisle is a huge champion. There’s so many things that have shifted, at least with us as musicians and especially the women in power.
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There was and continues to be a huge charitable legacy as well, right?
Yeah. So I think legacy for me, one of the side bars about Lilith that was so beautiful, was the lasting impact beyond the music, which was the charitable element. We donated over $7 million to local and national women’s charities over the three years. It was incredible, and for me, I wanted to continue that, that giving. So I put the money into a foundation, and started music schools, free music schools offering completely barrier free access to music and mentorship in Vancouver. And then we opened up about seven or eight years ago in Edmonton, and now also in New Westminster. So we have almost 1200 kids in the program now, and it’s completely free.
Will you be at the Toronto premiere?
I sure will be. With bells on.
Better Broken is your first album in over a decade. Why now?
I had enough material. It took me a while to write these songs. I actually wrote about two thirds of another record six or seven years ago, but after some time, I realized I didn’t need to tell that story — it no longer meant anything to me. That meant I had to go write a bunch more songs. I had maybe five or six strong ones and a few ideas. Then I went into the studio with [producers] Tony Berg and Will Maclellan, and the energy was so creative it got the juices flowing, and it became easy.
How did writing the title track, “Better Broken,” help your relationship with your daughter?
I wrote that song sort of during and after and finishing the therapy process. After I wrote it, I sent it to her and said, “Hey, what do you think of this song?” She said, “Oh, I love it. It’s beautiful.” I asked, “Are you OK? You know what it’s about?” She said, “Oh yeah.” Then I asked if she was OK with me putting it out and talking about it — because it’s one thing to share my experiences, but it’s another to bring someone else’s intimate, vulnerable things into a public conversation. She said, “No, Mom, I’m totally happy with it. I want you to talk about it.”
How did writing it help you process the experience?
It helped me personally, for sure. Music and the process of writing is incredibly cathartic for me because I’m usually writing about personal experiences. It’s how I process my emotions and find a place to put stuff.
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You’re about to tour for the 30th anniversary of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Is it interesting to look back on that album?
Some of the songs I still feel very connected to, and others a little less, but as a whole, the album is really strong. I’ve never done a show where I play a whole album from start to finish like this with Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. What excites me most is the fan reaction. That energy I get from the audience is tangible, beautiful and amazing. It’s a big part of why I love playing live.
What can fans expect from the tour — will you be playing new songs?
The show’s broken into two halves. The first half is not Fumbling, so I ease into it. I saved Fumbling for the end because, otherwise, it felt anticlimactic. I’ll include a couple of songs from the new record, too, but I know people want to hear the older, loved material.
