Sarah McLachlan hits the road behind 'Afterglow'

Sarah McLachlan has kicked off her world tour behind last year's "Afterglow" in Australia, and will make her way to North America in July.

The 44-city North American trek--which runs through early September and visits a mix of arenas and amphitheaters--will be the Canadian singer/songwriter's first since 1999.

Last November, McLachlan emerged from a six-year recording hiatus with the release of "Afterglow," which spawned the hit single "Fallen."

The album, which peaked at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 album chart, is certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping more than 2 million copies in the U.S.

In a press release, McLachlan described "Afterglow" as a "transitional" album that came in the wake of her mother's death from cancer in 1997 and the birth of her daughter India five months later. The set was written over two-and-a-half years, and recorded at the home studios of McLachlan and producer Pierre Marchand.

"['Afterglow' is about] love and loss," McLachlan said. "That's my truth. It's honest, and it brought me to a much happier place. I'm loving music again."

McLachlan has won three Grammy awards over the course of her career, and has sold more than 25 million records worldwide, according to Arista. In April, McLachlan picked up Juno Awards--the Canadian equivalent to a Grammy--in the Songwriter of the Year and Pop Album of the Year categories.

She spearheaded the Lilith Fair festival tours of the '90s, which spotlighted female artists and raised more than $7 million for charities.