Apr 27, 2026 1:24pm PT

Sarah McLachlan on the Lasting Impact of Lilith Fair: ‘Kindness and Joy Are Revolutionary Acts’ (EXCLUSIVE)

AWARDS HQ April 27, 2026: Emmy FYC Season Gets Underway -- Here's Everything You Need to Know About This Year's Race

Michael Schneider

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Michael Schneider

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Greetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is April 27, 2026, which means it’s 10 days until the May 7 entry deadline for programs that identify as Primetime programming by virtue of genre and were originally presented June 1, 2025 – May 31, 2026. It’s also 45 days until nominations-round voting begins on June 11; 56 days until nominations-round voting ends on June 22 at 10 p.m.; and 74 days until Emmy nominations are announced on July 10. And looking far ahead, it’s 140 days until the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 on NBC.

And we’re back! As usual, AWARDS HQ will be here every week to dissect the various Emmy races, while also keeping you up to speed with what’s going on in the FYC space and more. Events have been up and running for nearly two months, starting with “Mr. Scorsese” on March 2. And of course, there are plenty of events to go as we head into the depths of FYC season — even though the campaign “houses” that have been so popular in recent years seem to be on hold this year, as budgets are slashed across the biz.

The business remains in a troubled place, and impending consolidation definitely has everyone a bit on edge. At the very least, we’re talking about how to fix Hollywood and bring production back home. But it’s going to take a lot more than just talk to turn things around. As usual, the silver lining to Emmy FYC season is we’re also talking about the best in TV and how great storytelling can still entertain, uplift and thrill. All things we need more than ever. So now, let’s get going!

SHARE YOUR BURNING EMMY OR AWARDS QUESTIONS! Leave a message on the Emmy Emergency Hotline at 323-617-9110 or email mschneider@variety.com and we will answer your question on an upcoming episode of the Awards Circuit Podcast!

EXCLUSIVE: Sarah McLachlan on the Lasting Impact of Lilith Fair: ‘Kindness and Joy Are Revolutionary Acts’Award-winning musician Sarah McLachlan shared this essay with AWARDS HQ on the legacy of Lilith Fair, and why it was important to share that story in the documentary “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story,” now streaming on Hulu:

In 1997 I launched the touring music festival, Lilith Fair, along with my management and agent at the time. Back then, it was commonly accepted in the music industry that bookers wouldn’t put more than one female artist on a concert bill because the tickets wouldn’t sell. Radio DJs were also instructed not to play women artists back-to-back, for fear of losing listeners.

The Lilith Fair tour featured an all-female lineup. It was a direct challenge to that ‘industry wisdom’ – a bet my partners and I took that there was a demand for music made by women.

Nobody thought it would work. My managers, Terry McBride and Dan Fraser, had to go against my label’s wishes to launch the tour. My agent, Marty Diamond, had to face down a steady stream of ‘no’s from fearful artist reps. Potential sponsors shied away. But, in the end, the artists – who’d been out there alone, navigating the same troubled waters – understood the potential. And over the course of three summers, Lilith Fair showcased a powerhouse collection of musicians, including Sheryl Crow, Tracy Chapman, Jewel, Fiona Apple, Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Sinead O’Connor and the Indigo Girls.

Over those three years, something magical happened. Together, we created a space where women artists could connect, commiserate, and lift each other up. Instead of competing for a single performance slot, as we had been conditioned to do, we created platforms for up-and-coming talent and joined in on each other’s songs. That spirit of openness and inclusivity was echoed by the audience, creating a communal space for fans, and a welcome alternative to the male-dominated festivals of the era, like Lollapalooza, Warped Tour, and Woodstock ’99.

Lilith Fair featured a whopping 313 artists across 135 shows. It was the highest grossing tour of the year, all three summers it ran. The festival became a cultural phenomenon, helping la