My daughter wouldn’t put her pants on.
This wasn’t anything new. As a mom who works from home with a 4-year-old and 2-year-old, getting my kids dressed and at the table for breakfast has never been a linear process.
Read more Boys are falling behind in school. What would help?
Since my kids aren’t in school yet, this generally hasn’t been a problem. But things were a little different on a Wednesday morning in early June.
With my 2-year-old daughter still in her unicorn-footie pajamas, I rushed my 4-year-old son over to a neighbor’s house for a summer day camp. I rushed back home with idealistic plans to get my daughter, Lucille, dressed and equipped with a bowl of cereal that would keep her occupied while I logged onto Zoom to interview Sarah McLachlan.
Yes, that Sarah McLachlan.
I should’ve known better.
If there’s anything I’ve learned in my nearly five years of motherhood, it’s that very rarely, if at all, do things go according to plan. I had also forgotten to account for my daughter’s newfound desire to put together her own mismatched outfits. Fighting this was essentially an Olympic sport.
“Lucille, we need to put your pants on for Sarah McLachlan!” I exclaimed in a final act of desperation.
When that didn’t work, I accepted my fate. Time was short.
So at 10:20 a.m. on June 3, Sarah McLachlan found me sitting on my living room floor next to my pantless daughter, who was devouring a bowl of Lucky Charms and completely oblivious to the fact that a legendary singer-songwriter was staring at her.
I said hi, introduced McLachlan to my daughter and apologized that she hadn’t put her pants on for the occasion.
The singer smiled and, without skipping a beat, offered up the kind of wisdom that can only come from lived experience.
“She’ll put them on when she’s ready.”
McLachlan has two daughters of her own, and has spent the past decade raising them through their teenage years. Some of that experience has now seeped into the lyrics on “Better Broken,” her first album of original music in 11 years.
Ahead of her July 30 show at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, McLachlan opened up about navigating her career as a mom of two and getting back in the studio to record what she thought would be the last album of her career.
Raising kids on the road: ‘I kind of got to have my cake and eat it too’
Throughout her career, McLachlan has typically equated making a record with leaving.
Whenever she released new music, she’d usually go out to do interviews to promote the album, and then she’d hit the road for a tour.
The three-time Grammy winner was 34 when she had her first daughter, and almost 40 when she had her second. With a slew of hits like “Angel” and “Building a Mystery” already attached to her name, she was established enough in her career that she could comfortably take time off.
That security also allowed her the flexibility to build a touring schedule around her children. On the road, she’d spend the days with her daughters while a nanny helped out during her shows.
“I was incredibly lucky,” McLachlan said. “I kind of got to have my cake and eat it too. I recognized how lucky and blessed I was to be able to do that. My kids didn’t miss anything. I didn’t miss anything with them. I was always around.”
Eventually, though, releasing new music got put on the back burner as “life got busy with kids and school,” McLachlan said.
Raising her daughters and doing the lion’s share of work for her nonprofit music program for underserved youth took up the bulk of her time.
Read more Opinion: Kaitlan Collins, Donald Trump and the politics of smiling
“I think it probably wouldn’t have taken 11 years, except that the longer you’re out of the game, the more trepidation you have about getting back into it,” she said of releasing new music. “I think just because I’ve become such a homebody, that the idea of leaving my kids — my daughter was in grade 12 last year, so … I kind of pushed it (back) as well because I wanted to be home for her for that last year.”
Now, her daughters have ended up becoming an integral part of the new album.
The emotional piano ballad “Gravity,” featuring McLachlan’s signature ethereal tone, explores the singer’s relationship with her oldest daughter. In a video she released about the song, McLachlan shared how she and her daughter worked through their “combative” relationship and found healing together.
You can hide away, hold your heart at bay
I know you wanna be loved
Though life will come apart, break and unbreak your heart
I will be like gravity, always true
I won’t give up on you
And although it was “a bit like pulling teeth,” her daughters’ voices also became a literal part of the new album. In somewhat of a last-minute decision, McLachlan had them provide unison backing vocals on “One in a Long Line,” a song that celebrates female empowerment.
All of their voices possess a tonal similarity, McLachlan said, so the average listener might not be able to hear the distinction. To her, though, it’s loud and clear.
“I should have done harmonies with them, but as I said, it was a big win to get them to agree to do it at all,” she said with a laugh. “But for me to have them on that song, … these are my babies, these fierce young women that I’ve raised up, and I’m so proud of them adding this beautiful energy to this song.”
Initially, McLachlan thought this collection of songs would mark her last album. But in her long-awaited return to the studio, she was in for a big surprise.
‘I’m definitely not done’
In McLachlan’s mind, “Better Broken” was it — the final album of her storied career.
“Mostly because it took 11 years to get here,” she said with a laugh.
When the singer felt like she had enough good material to head to the studio, she had a much dreaded conversation with her longtime producer and creative partner, Pierre Marchand, who had helped to shape her breakthrough sound.
“I thought if this is my last record I owe it to myself to kind of step out of my comfort zone and try to work with someone different,” McLachlan said, noting that Marchand was understanding and freely gave her his blessing.
For “Better Broken,” the singer collaborated with producers Tony Berg and Will Maclellan. As the album started coming together, the daunting nature of it all — especially after a decade away — began to dissipate. She was no longer committed to the idea that “Better Broken” was the end.
“They completely reignited my passion for being in the studio, for the co-creation of music,” McLachlan said. “I was like, ‘What was I thinking? This is amazing. This is so much fun.’
“So I’m definitely not done.”
At this point, the singer doesn’t know what her future song output looks like. The industry has shifted, she said, going from an emphasis on full-length albums to highlighting singles. But to figure out her next move, she said with a laugh, she needs to write more material.
In the meantime, though, she’s embracing live performing. Out on the road, including her upcoming Utah show, she’s sharing her new music that has made her so proud. But she’s also going back almost 40 years to the beginning — and everything in between.
“I’m opening up the vault,” she said.
Early on in our interview, as McLachlan was sharing how she was no longer ready for “Better Broken” to be the end, my daughter stood up and held out a pair of pants. She was ready to put them on.
“Look at you,” McLachlan said to Lucille with a knowing smile.
Later on, as the singer got ready to log off and head to her next interview, she left me with one last piece of mom-to-mom wisdom.
Read more U.S. second-home mortgages are up for the first time since the pandemic
“Enjoy that sweet girl.”