July, 1998

Publication title: US, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: Unknown
Writer: Unknown

On tour with Sarah McLachlan

Until last summer, Sarah McLachlan was a moderately successful pop singer from Halifax, Nova Scotia. But when Lilith Fair – her all-female music tour – became the year’s most heralded concert festival (grossing nearly $16.5 million, beating out both Lollapalooza and H.O.R.D.E.), she emerged a superstar. This month, Lilith kicks off in Portland, Ore. While returning acts include Grammy winners Paula Cole, Shawn Colvin and Sheryl Crow, it’s the newcomers that McLachlan, 30, is proudest of. “Part of Lilith’s desire is to help young, developing arists and give them a platform,” says McLachlan, whose current album, Surfacing, has gone multiplatinum (as did her previous record, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy). “It’s really fun to have the power to say, ‘I can help you and give you a foot up.’” The freshman class includes Swedish folk singer Ebba Forsberg, raspy popstar Billie Myers and the trip-hop unit Morcheeba. These lesser-known artists, some of whom haven’t even met McLachlan face to face, are thrilled with the career break. “Since I am new to the music scene in America, Lilith gives me a privileged chance to meet and audience at an early stage in my career,” says Forsberg. “It’s a generous thing she’s done.” And while McLachlan is the only member of Lilith Fair’s roster who will play all 57 dates, she doesn’t need to worry about getting homesick. Backing her up the whole way will be her husband, Ashwin Sood, who is also her drummer. The couple, who began dating right before McLachlan started working on Surfacing, have been married for a little more than a year. “It’s like you have these dreams of Prince Charming, and you think, oh, that’s not reality,” McLachlan rold a reporter. “And then he’s right there in front of you.”