Sunday Diva / Three From The Hip: Sarah McLachlan

Sunday Diva / Three From The Hip: 

Sarah McLachlan

In my own, personal, big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to Those of the Heart. These are the singers, songwriters and muses who have spent a lifetime capturing various aspects of the human condition. Frequently, due to the whims of the music industry, their lives were not always their own... but they persevered... ultimately remaining true to their roles as seers of the heart. One such soul?

Sarah McLachlan

Say what you want. Sarah is one of the nicest people in all the world.

Smart. Evolved. And not ashamed of going deep. 

By revealing parts of herself, she's touched many a soul. Her music is at times both evocative and healing, a soothing, cooling balm to be plied during troubled times.

And don't get caught up in the packaging the media once tried to wrap her in; she's always been her own person.

Her musical journey is rather intoxicating. Rarely has an artist evolved so organically while growing and retaining an audience. 

That she's remained centered and balanced throughout? Truly inspiring. 

True to herself. True to her many gifts. 

And then there's that voice. Like a siren to sailors lost at sea. 

Perhaps that's why water is her element.

To live such a well-defined life and give so generously? 

Now that's what being a true diva is all about!

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic: When Life Meets Music

"When I say music saved me, I don't say that lightly. I was a pretty insecure kid, didn't have a lot of friends, and was picked on a lot, and music gave me confidence. I was very awkward as a kid. I was a square trying to fit into a circle and it never worked for me. The harder I tried, the harder I fell. For some reason I was a real target and I got beat up and called names. Music gave me a sense that I was worthwhile and that I had something of value to offer the world even though everybody was telling me that I didn't."

"Music is very nebulous, and you can conjure up a lot of moods with music. But lyrics - they're a lot more tangible. They're much more specific. And you want to say something meaningful and creative and artistic and that tells a story and that takes people someplace else. 

In a sense, I'm always hearing music of some sort, whether it's people talking or surface noise or whatever, because there is no privacy. So when I'm by myself, I just kind of like to be and reflect, and I can't do that when I'm listening to music. Because it's someone else's reflections, not mine. 

When you're making music or playing a song, I find the moments when there are no instruments being played even stronger than when they are being played. Because they add tension. It's also an ego-less thing - a place where you have no ego - when you're with a bunch of musicians who stop and listen instead."
 

"I think often sadness is a great place to get songs from. The darker and the sadder the song, the happier it makes me feel. It's just this, ah. I'm in the moment. I'm part of this beautiful world, and it's fantastic, and I don't really know how else to describe it. If you love large, you've got to hurt large. If you've got a lot of light, you've probably got an equal amount of darkness. "
 

Possession - Sarah McLachlan

Adia - Sarah McLachlan

In Your Shoes - Sarah McLachlan

And one last parting shot...

"I think sometimes all you need is to hear someone else say the same thing that you're going through to realize that you're not alone. I try to put some sense of hope into the songs, into whatever the situation is so that it's not just dirt, drudgery and a life of misery. For me, that's one of the best validations as an artist. To have a stranger come up to you and say that something you've created and put out there in the world has had some sort of impact on other people's lives."