Photos by Shannon Guest – Sarah McLachlan is one of the most celebrated Canadian singer-songwriters in modern music history, renowned for her intimate, serene vocals and deeply introspective songwriting. Over a career spanning more than three decades, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, spearheaded by her 1997 multi-platinum breakthrough Surfacing, which earned her two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards. Beyond her solo success, McLachlan cemented her legacy as a champion for women in the industry by founding and headlining Lilith Fair, the wildly successful all-female touring festival that raised millions for women’s charities and revolutionized mainstream pop curation in the late 1990s. She is also a dedicated philanthropist, having established the non-profit Sarah McLachlan School of Music to provide free music education and mentorship to at-risk and underserved youth.
Entering 2026, McLachlan experienced a major creative renaissance driven by two major concurrent projects: the release of Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, a feature documentary detailing the untold story of her groundbreaking festival, and the launch of Better Broken, her critically acclaimed tenth studio album. The album, celebrated as a soul-searching reflection on resilience and the human condition, returned her to the forefront of the awards circuit. In March 2026, McLachlan took home the award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the 55th Annual Juno Awards in Hamilton, Ontario, reinforcing her status as an enduring pillar of Canadian musical excellence.
ALLISON RUSSELL
Allison Russell is a Grammy, Juno, and Americana Award-winning singer-songwriter, producer, activist, and multi-instrumentalist renowned for her deeply collaborative and narrative-driven folk-pop artistry. Born in Montreal, Quebec, and later based in Nashville, Tennessee, Russell initially built her reputation touring with acclaimed roots ensembles like Po’Girl, Birds of Chicago, and the superstar collective Our Native Daughters. She pivoted to a monumental solo career with her critically acclaimed debut Outside Child in 2021 and its follow-up The Returner in 2023. Celebrated for her mesmerizing vocals and stories of resilience and chosen family, she has also expanded her artistic reach into theatre and literature, notably making her Broadway debut as Persephone in the musical Hadestown.
The year 2026 marked a highly prolific and community-focused chapter for Russell, anchored by the July release of her third studio album, In the Hour of Chaos. Co-produced alongside Dim Star, the project was envisioned as a direct response to isolation, prioritizing deep artistic communion with a massive roster of guest collaborators including Norah Jones, Joy Oladokun, and Sara Watkins, introduced by the lead single “Cold April”. Beyond the studio, Russell’s 2026 was defined by massive live performances; following a poignant, televised medley tribute to Joni Mitchell alongside Sarah McLachlan at the 55th Annual Juno Awards in March, she spent the summer opening for McLachlan’s national Better Broken amphitheater tour. She subsequently carried this creative momentum into the autumn, launching her own extensive North American headlining tour across major theaters in both Canada and the United States.
