An album title that alludes to the sense of 'rising' is most fitting for Sarah
McLachlan. The Vancouver singer /songwriter's ten-year career has indeed been
a decade ascending: in popularity, in profile and, most importantly, in her sense
of self.
 

McLachlan has made a career out of putting
herself on the line emotionally; fans are repeatedly
drawn in to her candor and forthrightness. Sarah's
new album, Surfacing, is no different. As she herself
explains it, "Surfacing is about me finally growing up
and facing ugly things about myself. We all have a
dark side; it's bullshit to say that we don't. At some
point we're going to have to face that."

The album was recorded in producer/engineer Pierre Marchand's Ciel
Sauvage Studios in Montreal, home to McLachlan's much-acclaimed previous
effort, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Although Surfacing's recording process
spanned an eight month period, Sarah admits that the project took considerably
longer than that. "I had a huge writer's block when I first came off tour; I had just
been on the road for so long. I needed a break. I needed to live. So I took eight
months to myself and then felt like enjoying it again. It's a lie to do it if you can't
enjoy it and I just can't fake it. That's the worst travesty in the world."
 

Fans of McLachlan will be thrilled to know that Surfacing contains certain
familiar qualities consistent with McLachlan's other works; most notably, her
talented players. Returning band members include drummer (and also Sarah's
new husband) Ashwin Sood on drums, Brian Minato on bass and guitar and
producer Marchand on keyboards and bass. Jim Creeggan (of Barenaked
Ladies fame) contributes "a beautiful bowed bass" according to McLachlan.
Sarah herself, as always, leaves her musical mark not just on vocals, but also on
piano and principal guitar.
 

                                                                                                                              
Life is about living and learning; Sarah
McLachlan admits that the process of making
Surfacing served to teach her many things about
herself. Not all of the experiences were easy, but
each and every one was necessary. "I've learned to
trust myself, to listen to truth, to not be afraid of it
and to not try and hide it."

Sarah McLachlan was born in Halifax, Nova
Scotia in 1968 and has been on a musical path ever
since. Following years spent studying classical
piano, guitar and voice, the singer was discovered
fronting a New Wave band in 1985 by the
then-fledgling Vancouver-based company
Nettwerk Records. In spite of the fact that
McLachlan had not yet written a song of her own,
the label signed the 19 year old singer to a
recording contact.
 
 

McLachlan's first album, Touch (released in 1988), went Gold in Canada
thanks to underground hits like "Vox" and "Steaming". A dedicated fan base
took flight.

Solace followed in 1991. Reaction to that album was even stronger; tracks like
"Drawn To The Rhythm" and "Into The Fire" took Sarah's music out from the
underground and into an enraptured mainstream.
 
 

1994's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was
immediately embraced by legions of now
long-devoted Canadian audiences, but it was the
eventual (some say inevitable) breakthrough in
America that brought McLachlan success on a
whole other level, aided by the quiet strength of
songs including "Hold On", "Possession" and "Good
Enough". Five million album sales later, Sarah
continues to grow. Thankfully, her fan base does as
well.
 
 

The summer of '97 will not only bring with it Surfacing's release, but also a 35
date traveling concert caravan known as Lilith Fair. Conceived by McLachlan,
the show is a two-stage, multi-artist bill featuring a host of female-fronted acts.
"It doesn't exclude men," she explains, "it simply celebrates women." Lilith will
not only be Sarah's first opportunity to tour her brand new work, it will also
provide the singer a chance to play on a rotating bill alongside some of her
favorite artists, Suzanne Vega, Indigo Girls, Paula Cole and Tracy Chapman
among them.
 

                                                                                                         
What now lies ahead for McLachlan? Songwriting,
touring and plenty of surfacing. "I've now given myself this
freedom to play whatever I want without the self-inflicted
burden of always having to be serious. There doesn't have
to be ten layers to the song. It can just be a simple
statement. And that's a big freedom for me."