Today, Sarah McLachlan has released “Gravity,” which is the second single from her highly anticipated album, Better Broken, due out on September 19, through Concord Records. The first song recorded for Better Broken was “Gravity” and the tune delves deeper into McLachlan’s emotional life and explores the complexities of her relationship with her older daughter.

With its graceful string arrangement (courtesy of Patrick Warren), the tender piano ballad channels both quiet heartache and tremendous compassion in its words of loving benediction. “For a long time my daughter and I had a very combative and fraught relationship and what I came to realize is that so much of what I perceived as obstinance or rage was actually masking a ton of anxiety on her part.” said McLachlan.

The artist adds: “We went to counseling together and I learned that she felt so alone and unvalidated by me, which was devastating to hear but it led us both to change the way we communicate with each other. I wrote ‘Gravity’ as a way of saying to her, ‘I’ve always loved you and want the best for you, and you’re perfect the way you are.”

On another note, McLachlan is also a philanthropist and the founder of Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SoM), a not-for-profit that offers music instruction and mentorship at no cost to children and youth facing barriers to access. SoM was founded in Vancouver in 2002 and it currently serves over 1,200 students a year with locations in Vancouver, New Westminster and Edmonton. McLachlan personally covers the administrative costs so that every dollar raised goes directly to support the students.