September, 2005
Publication title: She Magazine, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: Unknown
Writer: Christina Radish
Sarah McLachlan
To bridge the gap between her last record and her next release of new material, Arista Records artist Sarah McLachlan has completed her second album of remixes, entitled Bloom, set to arrive in stores on September 6th. An eclectic collection of previously unreleased remix versions of her past recordings, Bloom contains six tracks from the 4-million selling Afterglow (2003) album, mixed in with tracks from such earlier releases as her debut Touch (1989) and 1993’s Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.
On a break from both touring and recording, Sarah took time out to talk to She Magazine from her home in Canada about her ever-loyal fans, motherhood, staying focused on the future and what it’s like to hear other people’s takes on your music.
“There were songs that, in a lot of people’s opinions, were screaming out to be remixed,” says the 37-year-old Canadian from Halifax, Nova Scotia. “I think it’s nice to give the fans something different, while they’re waiting for new material. My part in the process is almost nil. I simply hand the songs over. But, I really enjoyed doing it.”
With such a varied array of remixers, McLachlan wasn’t sure what to expect from the final outcome, but admits to loving everything on the record. “Talvin Singh’s mix of ‘Answer’ was probably the one I was waiting for the most because I’m a fan of his work, and it’s also a song that’s really close to my heart. It really surprised me and freaked me out. He actually changed some of the melody. At first, I was kind of pissed off about it, but when you open yourself up to the universe to do these things, you have to just trust in it. That’s what he wanted to do, and he’s an artist, so that’s cool. It’s a pretty wild mix, but it ended up one of my favourites.”
Even though she had to look back on the span of her career for Bloom, McLachlan says that she usually prefers to look ahead. “I honestly don’t think much about the past, as far as my career goes. I’m thankful for what I’ve had. It’s just blown my mind, every step of the way, that I’ve managed to achieve all this success because I never set out to be this huge artist. I thought, ‘Holy crap! I’ve got the golden ticket here because someone gave me a record contract and i get to make music.’ And, I got to make a living at it, which was fantastic.”
“But, I’ve really always wanted to move forward and not spend a whole lot of time thinking about what’s already happened. I do a lot of that in my lyric writing, but as far as my professional life, I don’t question it too much. I question enough shit in my personal life. Personally, I am lazy in so many ways, and I’m so not that way in my professional life. I think we’re lucky if we have something like that, that really drives and propels us, and that we have a passion for.”
Because she has been focused on her career since signing her record deal at the early age of 19, McLachlan’s growth as an artist has become to intertwined with her personal growth that the two go hand in hand. “I was incredibly green and naive, and I’ve grown up, to a certain degree, in the public eye,” she declares. I sometimes think, ‘What would I have been doing, if I hadn’t become a recording artist? Would I still be in Nova Scotia making jewelry?”
“I just feel I got so lucky, when I was offered a record contract at 19. I didn’t pursue it myself. It just sort of got handed to me. There’s the real corny sentiment that, if you just open yourself up to the universe and you just allow things to happen, they will. Everything’s meant to be. I’ve ssen it work so many times, where I get wound up about something, and then I just figure out a way to let it go, and then things just fall into place, naturally. The right things happen when you go, ‘Okay, I’m not going to worry about this. All will be fine.’ And, it usually is.”
McLachlan’s life changed almost four years ago, when she and Husband Ashwin Sood had their daughter, India. Admitting she had no idea how profound of an affect motherhood would have on her, she says that it has given her a new perspective.
“Probably on of the biggest affects is has had on me was just the incredible depth of love and, therefore, terror of the possibility of losing that love, or losing that child. You love your husband, you love your parents. There’s so many different kinds of love. But, the love of a child is something wholly unique and terrifying. If you screw it up, you’re completely responsible. I like to pride myself on not having that much fear, but that changed when I had a kid. I became a lot more neurotic. Basically, everything I do, I think, ‘Okay, how is this going to affect my child?’”
“Taking her with me everywhere was definitly a challenge, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise. I can’t even stand being away from her for two days, much less months at a time. It’s been great, but it’s a hell of a ride. I strongly recommend it, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world. My little girl says things to me, and acts out in certain ways, where I’m just like, ‘Okay, I really can’t stand that.’ And then, I think about it and go, ‘That’s just putting her up in a mirror to me.’ They’re such sponges. I’ll say, ‘Don’t take that tone of voice with me,’ but I’m taking that tone of voice with her. She’s the best teacher I’ve ever had, and it’s the hardest stuff to learn.”
With all of her success, Sarah also feels that it’s important to give back to the world. She donates much of her time to charitable causes, including performing as part of the North American line-up at Live 8: The Long Walk to Justice in Philadelphia.
“I was brought up with the belief that, if you have extra, you share it,” she reveals. “There’s just been so many opportunities for me, as a musician, to be part of something else that is going to bring awareness or money to certain things that I believe in. It’s selfish, really. I get to feel good because I’m part of something, and I’m helping people that I don’t know. I just think that is such an amazing gift that you can give to people.”
Throughout her 18-year career, McLachlan has been one of the lucky few entertainers to maintain her fan base, which is something she is grateful for. “I have the most amazing fans,” she exclaims. “So many of them have been with me since day one. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I’ve always toured so much. Maybe I’m totally overstepping my boundaries, but I really think that I’ve been allowed, by my fans, to be the kind of artist where they’ll wait five years before I put out the next record, and a lot of them will go and buy it, without having heard the single on the radio.”
Sarah is aware that she had also developed a large, and very loyal, fan base in the gay community, which she feels is a direct result of writing lyrics from a very emotional, genderless point of view. She believes that anyone, gay or straight, can identify with the relationship situations that she often adresses. Because of this, as well as more personal reasons, she is a huge supporter of gay right.
“I’m such a big advocate for gay marriage. People fall in love with who they fall in love with. It’s appalling to me that there’s even an issue about it, in this day and age. I come from a really conservative background, but I grew up in a community of artists, where it was just never an issue. I’m a huge supporter of live and let live. I just don’t understand people who are so caught up in their own way of thinking that they can’t see anybody else’s. It’s a horrible way to live your life.”
“I’m straight and married, but my husband’s cousin is gay. She’s been in an incredible relationship now for 7 or 8 years, and she’s so happy and they’re talking about having a commitment ceremony. She is a 43-year-old woman, and it took her until she was 40 to tell her parents that she was gay. To her credit, they have really come around. She was just terrified of telling them because she thought she might be disowned, but she finally did it, and her mother totally came around, and got her husband to come around, and now it’s all good. Even old dogs can learn new tricks. It took them awhile to come around, but they’re doing really well with it now, so there’s a happy ending.”
For the first time in her career, Sarah is accepting of the fact that she is often viewed as a sex symbol, for both men and women. “In the past, anytime anyone mentioned ’sex symbol’ to me, for any reason, I was kind of embarrassed. Now, I feel more comfortable in my own skin, as a woman, than I have ever been, since having my daughter, and I suppose that, in itself, is sexy. I’ve discovered a whole new level of, ‘Here I am. This is who I am. I’m really happy with this. I’m just totally comfortable in it all.’ There was always a bit of insecurity about it before. I can’t put my finger on what it was, it’s just that I’ve finally come up to a place where, at 37, I feel like I’ve had success on a lot of personal levels, as well as professional, and it’s just brought me to a place where I just really feel good. And, as far as being on stage, that’s one of the most fun things I get to do in my life. So, it’s great to feel that sense of ease and confidence up there, and I do hope that that comes across.”
Altough she will release a record of new material at some point, Sarah is currently just enjoying her family and her time off. “I promised myself that I’d have the summer to not have to get too wound up about making plans,” she reveals. “I just wanted to float for a little while. I’m in no rush to put out another record. I certainly plan to, but I write slowly, and I know that it takes me a long time to come down off the road and just get into a place where my head and my heart are just open enough that I cann really have something to say.”
