Juno Awards host Sarah McLachlan on the music industry's 'unspoken rule' she battled to succeed

Her sound might be ethereal on instantly-recognizable tracks like Angel, I Will Remember You and Building AMystery,but Sarah McLachlan'svoice is boomingwhen it comes to feminism and equality.

The multiple Grammy and Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter who will host this year's Juno Awards on March17 said"we cannot be complacent" when it comes to women's rights and shifting societal attitudes.

She saidshe learned early in her career that she'd have to battle an"old-school male attitude" if she wanted to achieve success.

"You couldn't put two women back-to-back on the radio," she toldThe National's Andrew Chang during a sit-down interview in Toronto. "You certainly couldn't have two women on the same bill if you were touring. Itwasn't even an unspoken rule. Itwas just kind of there."

The double standard led her to co-create what would become a game-changer when it came to female musicians andthe top-grossing touring festival of 1997: Lilith Fair.

The travelling musical showcasefeatured a slate of all-women artistsincluding Sheryl Crow, Jewel and Tracy Chapman. In its first three years, itraised more than $10 million US for charity and drew sell-out crowds. It was resurrected in the summer of2010.

Even as the face of the Junos, McLachlansaid it was "surprising" and "sad" when she heard women make upabout a third of this year'snominees. At at a news conference in January, she said she "thought it would be a little more equal."

She told The Nationalwhen it comes to gender parity across all industries, it can take"centuries to change, to truly change a societalmindset."

"What we've grown up with, and what our history in the deepest sense of our bones tells us, is that men are in charge. They've always been. So we get to fight against that. Now we have the power to fight against it. Thank God for #MeTooand thank God for women finally being able to stand up for themselves and start to feel that power that they intrinsically have."

Watch as Junoshost SarahMcLachlanaddresses the gender gap in award nominations:

Sarah Mclachlan addresses the gender gap in Junos nominations

6 years ago

Duration 0:27

Sarah Mclachlan addresses the gender gap in Junos nominations

At 51, the Halifax-born musician saidshe's also learning to harness that power.McLachlansaida few years ago, she probably wouldn't have agreed to take on the daunting task of hosting theCanadian music awards show she said she isn't the biggestfan of public speaking. But these days, she feels more up for thechallenge and will also perform on stage.

The Possessionsinger jokedthat the emotional music for which she's so well-known might lead some people to believe she's "living in the dark with candles, writing poetry and reading Sylvia Plath all the time," so hosting the Junoswill showcase a side of her personality the public doesn't often get to see.

"I know that people take me or assume that I take myselfseriously," McLachlan said. "I'm actually really light-hearted, and I love to laugh. I love to poke fun at myself. So I think this is going to be a good opportunity to show Canadians who I am in a different light."

Watch The National's interview with SarahMcLachlantonight on CBC Television andstreamed online.