Last September, the Nova Scotian songstress Sarah McLachlan was at long last inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. One of the country’s most accomplished singers with over 40 million record sales worldwide, Sarah took to the Hall of Fame stage to perform her hit ballad, “Angel,” the final single from her 1997 album “Surfacing.” Performing with her was the British Columbia-born superstar Nelly Furtado, who inducted Sarah into the Hall of Fame.
This ethereal duet is spectacular to watch, gaining 3K views in the first month of the fan-filmed performance being posted online. At age 56, Sarah’s voice is simply stunning, reaching some impeccable high notes and dancing through liquid melodies, all while voicing her tender chords on a grand piano.
Dressed in a glittered and shaggy faux-fur dress matched with diamante platform heels, Sarah’s first verse echoes in complete tenderness, before Nelly Furtado (aged 45) begins padding the track with her slow chorus harmonies. Then, Nelly takes on the second verse in her chart-topping voice, before handing back to Sarah, whose folksy tones dazzle the audience.
This heartfelt track was written after the tragic death of Jonathan Melvoin from a heroin overdose in 1996, at just 34 years of age. He’d been a member of Prince’s side project, The Family, various punk bands including the Dickies and, at the time of his death, was a touring keyboardist for the Smashing Pumpkins. Prince even wrote his own track about Melvoin’s untimely death, titled “The Love We Make,” featuring on his 1996 album “Emancipation.”
“Surfacing,” the album “Angels” was released on, was Sarah’s first album to hit #1 on the Canadian album charts, despite being her fourth full-length release. It included the Canadian #1 single “Building a Mystery” and the #2 hit “Sweet Surrender,” while the record’s third single “Adia” became Sarah’s first and only song to breach the Top 20 in the UK.
Nelly Furtado, meanwhile, struck gold with her debut record in 2000, “Whoa, Nelly!” which peaked at #2 on the Canadian and UK album charts. But it was her third album, “Loose” from 2006, that hit #1 across a spectrum of countries and remains lodged in the mind of many Music Man readers, produced by Timbaland and featuring the hit singles, “Promiscuous,” “Maneater” and “Say It Right.” Her last entry in the Top 10 singles chart came in 2009, on her collab with James Morrison, “Broken Strings,” yet her legacy following her debut single “I’m Like A Bird” has become eternal to pop fans across the globe.
If you would like to hear more from this talented songstress, you can subscribe to her YouTube Channel for more incredible music. Stay connected with her on Facebook and Instagram , or visit her official website .
