Sarah McLachlan

Turned down her first record deal to continue her music studies, but later accepted the offer, leading to her 1988 debut, Touch, which went gold in Canada. Traveled to Cambodia and Thailand in 1992 to work on a documentary about poverty and child prostitution. The lyrics for her song "Possession" were inspired by experiences with a stalker. The video for the 2004 song "World on Fire" (nominated for the Best Short Form Music Video Grammy) cost $15 to make, and the rest of the $150,000 budget went to 11 charitable organizations. Her Lilith Fair concerts raised more than $7 million for charities and women's shelters. Was appointed to the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor, in 2000. Cofounded the Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach program, which provides free music lessons to inner-city children. ~ Rovi