The Official First Day Cover pays tribute to singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan (b. 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia). It is cancelled in Vancouver, British Columbia – her longtime place of residence.

Good to know

• This Official First Day cover was issued on September 17, 2024.
• There were 7,000 covers printed for this issue.

About the Sarah McLachlan stamp issue

• Canada Post has a long history of honouring Canadian musicians for their contributions to the nation’s arts and culture, as well as for their philanthropic pursuits.
• Sarah McLachlan joins such past honourees as Bryan Adams, Stompin’ Tom Connors, Robert Charlebois, k.d. lang, Renée Martel and Salome Bey, among many others.

About Sarah McLachlan

Known for her emotional ballads and hauntingly soulful vocals, singer-songwriter and musician Sarah McLachlan (b. 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.

The JUNO and Grammy award-winning artist – who is classically trained in guitar, piano and voice – has described creating music as a cathartic process of self-discovery.

McLachlan released her first studio album at age 20, after moving to Vancouver, British Columbia. She has since issued eight more, including Surfacing, which reached number one in Canada and achieved multi-platinum status. McLachlan’s unique fusion of pop and folk has spawned such hits as “Building a Mystery,” “Sweet Surrender” and “Angel.”

In 1997, she launched the exclusively female-fronted Lilith Fair concert tour, which helped bolster careers and raised more than $7 million for women’s charities. McLachlan has been an advocate for animal rights and is the founder of the non-profit Sarah McLachlan School of Music, which provides free music education and mentorship to children and youth facing various barriers to access. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada and inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

About the design

• The front and back of the OFDC feature photographs by David Bergman of McLachlan performing at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in July 2014.
• In the background of both is part of an illustration by McLachlan.
• The front also includes the Sarah McLachlan stamp, cancelled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where McLachlan has been a longtime resident.
• The stamp features a photo of Sarah McLachlan that was used to promote the CTV television show The Launch in 2019. A stylized version of McLachlan’s signature appears in the foreground, while the background features a detail from her hand silk-screened art print Blue Sunrays
• The stamp was cancelled on September 17. The cancel mark is from the logo of the Sarah McLachlan School of Music.