k.d. lang | |
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.jpg) lang in 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kathryn Dawn Lang |
| Born | (1961-11-02)November 2, 1961 (age 63) Edmonton,Alberta, Canada |
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| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | kdlang |
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Kathryn Dawn LangOC AOE (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage namek.d. lang (stylised in all lowercase), is a Canadianpop andcountry singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has wonJuno Awards andGrammy Awards for her musical performances. Her hits include the songs "Constant Craving" and "Miss Chatelaine".
Amezzo-soprano,[1] lang has contributed songs to movie soundtracks and has collaborated with musicians such asRoy Orbison,Tony Bennett,Elton John,the Killers,Anne Murray,Ann Wilson,Karen Carpenter, andJane Siberry.[citation needed] She performed at the closing ceremony of the1988 Winter Olympics inCalgary, Alberta, and at the opening ceremony of the2010 Winter Olympics inVancouver, British Columbia, where she performedLeonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".
Lang has also been active as ananimal rights,gay rights, andTibetan human rights activist. She is atantric practitioner of theold school ofTibetan Buddhism.[2]
Lang was born inEdmonton,Alberta, the youngest child[3] of Audrey Bebee and Adam Frederick Lang.[4] She is of English, Irish, Scottish, German,Russian-Jewish,Icelandic, andSioux ancestry.[5] When lang was nine months old, her family moved toConsort, Alberta, where she grew up with two older sisters and one older brother in theCanadian prairies.[6] Her father, adrugstore owner, left the family when she was twelve.[6]
After secondary school, lang attendedRed Deer College, where she became fascinated with the life and music ofPatsy Cline and decided to pursue a career as a professional singer.[7] She moved toEdmonton, Alberta, after her graduation in 1982.[8]
Lang answered Jim Alexander's classified ad in the Edmonton Journal looking for a singer for his country-swing band. After a show at Devil's Lake Corral which drew over 500 people, lang joined with label owner and manager Larry Wanagas to form a Patsy Clinetribute band, the Reclines, in 1983.[8] They recorded their debut single, "Friday Dance Promenade", at Sundown Recorders. The first band featured Stu Macdougal on keys, Dave Bjarnason on drums, Gary Koligar on guitar and bassist Farley Scott.
The Reclines regularly played Edmonton's popular Sidetrack Cafe, a local venue that featured live bands six nights a week. In 1983, lang presented a performance-art piece, a seven-hour re-enactment of the transplantation of anartificial heart for Barney Clark, a retired American dentist.[9][10]A Truly Western Experience was released in 1984 and received strong reviews and led to national attention in Canada. In August 1984, lang was one of three Canadian artists to be selected to perform at the World Science Fair inTsukuba, Japan (along with other performing and recording contracts throughout Japan).[citation needed]
Singing atcountry and western venues in Canada, lang began to establish an appearance and style referred to as "cowboy punk".[11] She was called a "CanadianCowpunk" in the June 20, 1985, issue ofRolling Stone.[12] She would later recall the inspiration for her defining look in an interview with theCanadian Press: "I used to sew plastic cowboys and Indians on my clothes – just having fun with it on a budget. I was broke at the time, so I'd find things atValue Village or get my mom to make me a skirt from the curtains she was about to throw out. I loved playing with the clothes as much as the music."[11]
Lang made several recordings that received very positive reviews and earned a 1985Juno Award forMost Promising Female Vocalist. She accepted the award wearing a wedding dress borrowed from her male roommate.[11] She also made numeroustongue-in-cheek promises about what she would and would not do in the future, thus fulfilling the title of 'Most Promising'. She has won a total of eight Juno Awards.
In 1986, lang signed a contract with an American record producer inNashville, Tennessee, and received critical acclaim for her 1987 album,Angel with a Lariat, which was produced byDave Edmunds.
In 1989, lang released her last album with the Reclines,Absolute Torch And Twang, which won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Lang chose to use a lower-case name, inspired by the poetE. E. Cummings.[13]
Lang's career received a huge boost whenRoy Orbison chose her to record a duet of his standard,"Crying", a collaboration that won them theGrammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1989. The song was used in theJon Cryer filmHiding Out released in 1987. Due to the success of the song, lang received the Entertainer of the Year award from theCanadian Country Music Association. Lang would win the same award for the next three years, in addition to two Female Vocalist of the Year awards in 1988 and 1989.
1988 marked the release ofShadowland, an album of torch country produced byOwen Bradley. In late 1988,Shadowland was named Album of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association. That year she also performed "Turn Me Round" at the closing ceremonies of theXV Winter Olympics inCalgary, Alberta, and sang background vocals withJennifer Warnes andBonnie Raitt for Orbison's acclaimed television special,Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night.
Lang first earned international recognition in 1988 when she performed as "The Alberta Rose" at the closing ceremonies of theWinter Olympics.[14] Canadian women's magazineChatelaine selected lang as its "Woman of the Year" in 1988.[15]
In 1990, lang contributed the song "So in Love" to theCole Porter tribute albumRed Hot + Blue produced by theRed Hot Organization. In 1998, she contributed "Fado Hilário" to the AIDS benefit compilation albumOnda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon produced by the same organization.
Lang won theGrammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her 1989 albumAbsolute Torch and Twang. The single "Full Moon Full of Love" that stemmed from that album became a modest hit in the United States in the middle of 1989 and a Number 1 hit on theRPM Country chart in Canada. In 1989, she sang a duet, "Sin City", withDwight Yoakam on his albumJust Lookin' for a Hit.
The 1992 albumIngénue, a set of adult-oriented pop songs that showed comparatively little country influence, contained her most popular song, "Constant Craving". That song brought her multi-million sales and much critical acclaim. Coming out aslesbian the same year saw several US country stations banning her music, and she faced a picket line outside the1993 Grammy Awards ceremony where she would receive theGrammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[16] Another top ten single from the record was "Miss Chatelaine". Thesalsa-inspired track was ironic;Chatelaine, a women's magazine, once chose lang as its "Woman of the Year", and the song's video depicted lang in an exaggeratedly feminine manner, surrounded by bright pastel colours and a profusion of bubbles reminiscent of a performance onThe Lawrence Welk Show.
She received a writing credit forthe Rolling Stones 1997 song, "Anybody Seen My Baby?", whose chorus sounds similar to "Constant Craving". Jagger and Richards claimed to have never heard the song before and when they discovered the similarity prior to the song's release, were flummoxed as to how the songs could be so similar. Jagger discovered his daughter listening to a recording of "Constant Craving" on her stereo and realized he had heard the song before many times but only subliminally. The two gave lang credit, along with her co-writerBen Mink, to avoid any possible lawsuits. Afterwards, lang said she was "completely honoured and flattered" to receive the songwriting credit.
She contributed much of the music towardsGus Van Sant's soundtrack of the filmEven Cowgirls Get the Blues, and also did a cover of "Skylark" for the 1997 film adaptation ofMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. She performed "Surrender" for the closing titles of theJames Bond filmTomorrow Never Dies.
In 1997,Drag, an album of cover tunes dedicated to "smoke" (specifically cigarette smoking), was released. The album cover and booklet photographs show lang in a man's suit, referring tocross-dressing as another possible meaning of the word "drag". The songs onDrag include "Smoke Dreams", from the '40s,Steve Miller Band's "The Joker", "Smoke Rings", the theme from thecult filmValley of the Dolls, and eight other smoke-themed songs.
In 1999, lang ranked No. 33 onVH-1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll, and she ranked No. 26 onCMT's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2002, one of eight women to make both lists.
In 2003, she won her fourth Grammy Award, forBest Traditional Pop Vocal Album for her collaboration withTony Bennett onA Wonderful World.
In 2004,Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times wrote: "Few singers command such perfection of pitch. Her voice, at once beautiful and unadorned and softened with a veil of smoke, invariably hits the middle of a note and remains there. She discreetly flaunted her technique, drawing out notes and shading them from sustained cries into softer, vibrato-laden murmurs. She balanced her commitment to the material with humor, projecting a twinkling merriment behind it all."[17]
In the same year, lang releasedHymns of the 49th Parallel, which featured cover versions of songs by iconic English-speaking Canadian singer-songwriters:Bruce Cockburn,Leonard Cohen,Joni Mitchell,Ron Sexsmith,Jane Siberry, andNeil Young.[18] According to the Canadian Record Industry Association (CRIA), in April 2006, the album went platinum in Canada selling over 100,000 copies. In December 2007, the album reached double platinum status in Australia selling over 140,000 copies.
Also in 2004, she sang the song "Little Patch of Heaven" for theDisney filmHome on the Range.
On July 29, 2006, lang performed her hit "Constant Craving" at the opening ceremonies of theOutgames held inMontreal,Quebec, Canada.
In 2006, she paired with singerMadeleine Peyroux on a cover of the Joni Mitchell song "River", for Peyroux's album,Half the Perfect World. That same year lang was featured inNellie McKay's second album,Pretty Little Head, singing with McKay in "We Had it Right". As well, lang sang a version ofThe Beatles' "Golden Slumbers" for theHappy Feet film soundtrack. She also sang a duet withAnn Wilson on theHeart singer's solo albumHope & Glory covering theLucinda Williams song "Jackson".
In 2007, she teamed up with one of her childhood idols,Anne Murray, on a remake of Anne's hit, "A Love Song", that was featured on Anne's albumAnne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends.
On February 5, 2008, she released an album of new material entitledWatershed.[19] It was her first collection of original material since the release of her 2000 albumInvincible Summer.
Lang's first complete greatest-hits collection was released on February 2, 2010, on the Nonesuch label asRecollection.
In 2010, she was in Nashville, working on a new album, titledSing it Loud. The Nonesuch album was released by lang and the Siss Boom Bang in a spring 2011 release. The band toured North America in summer 2011.[20]
In 2012, she moved from Los Angeles toPortland, Oregon.[21]
In 2016, lang collaborated withNeko Case andLaura Veirs on the album projectcase/lang/veirs.
She participated in the Leonard Cohen memorial celebration "Tower Of Song" in Quebec in November 2017, performing "Hallelujah".
She is featured in the song "Lightning Fields" byThe Killers from their 2020 albumImploding the Mirage. In the song, her verse begins with the line: "Don't beat yourself up, you laid good ground" and continues for several more lines.
Makeover, a collection of classic dance remixes made from 1992 to 2000, was released on May 28, 2021.[22] 2021 also saw a number of lang's earlier recordings reissued on vinyl.
In 2019, lang said in an interview that she considers herself semi-retired and may not be writing and recording new songs in the future. "I'm not feeling any particular urge to make music right now. The muse is eluding me. I am completely at peace with the fact that I may be done."[23]
Lang performed several times onThe Super Dave Osborne Show starting in 1987.
In 1988 k.d. lang and The Reclines appeared onAustin City Limits.
Lang played the lead in the 1991 drama filmSalmonberries, and also co-starred withEwan McGregor andAshley Judd inEye of the Beholder (1999). She appeared as Dita Tommey in the 1997 miniseries,The Last Don. She had an uncredited role as alounge singer, performing the song "Love for Sale", in 2006'sThe Black Dahlia. She has also made guest appearances on the sitcomsThe Larry Sanders Show,Dharma & Greg, and the famouscoming out episode ofEllen. She appeared on the Christmas special ofPee Wee's Playhouse, where she performed the song "Jingle Bell Rock". She also made a guest appearance on the "Garbage" episode ofThe Jim Henson Hour, and in 2008 appeared onRove McManus' live hour showRove.
Lang performed with theBBC Concert Orchestra for an intimate crowd at 18th-century church LSO St Luke's in London on February 3, 2008.[24] First aired as part of the BBC Four Sessions, the concert was released as a DVD entitledLive in London in 2009.
On February 12, 2010, she performedLeonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at theOlympics Opening Ceremony in Vancouver, British Columbia. In early May 2010, lang filled in at the last minute forSusan Boyle at the Australian TV Logie Awards to reprise her Winter Olympics performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", receiving an extended standing ovation. In 2010, she sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" withMatthew Morrison in a Christmas episode ofGlee, and is featured onGlee: The Music, The Christmas Album. In February 2013, she appeared inSeason 8 of theCBS sitcom,How I Met Your Mother, as herself.
In 2014, she appeared in the Season 4 finale ofPortlandia as an exaggerated version of herself.
Lang made her Broadway debut as the "Special Guest Star" in Broadway'sAfter Midnight, replacingFantasia Barrino and to be succeeded byToni Braxton andBabyface. She appeared from February 11 to March 9, 2014.[25]
On February 16, 2020, she performed atFire Fight Australia atANZ Stadium inSydney, Australia. This was a concert organised to raise money for those affected by the2019 bushfires in Australia. One of her performances included a rendition ofLeonard Cohen's classic song, "Hallelujah".
In September 2024, lang will reunite with her old band The Reclines to perform together for the first time in 35 years at the2024 Canadian Country Music Awards inEdmonton, Alberta.[26]
Lang, whocame out as alesbian in a June 1992 article of theLGBT news magazineThe Advocate,[27] has championedgay rights causes.
She has supported many causes over the years, including HIV/AIDS care and research. Her cover ofCole Porter's "So in Love" (from the Broadway musical,Kiss Me, Kate), appears on theRed Hot + Blue compilation album and video from 1990 (a tribute to Cole Porter to benefit AIDS research and relief). Her 2010 greatest hits album,Recollection, also includes this cover of "So in Love". Lang also recorded the song "Fado Hilário", singing in Portuguese, for the 1999 Red Hot AIDS benefit albumOnda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon, a traditionalfado from Portugal.
She is avegetarian.[28] Her "Meat Stinks" campaign in the 1990s created much controversy, particularly in her hometown, in the middle ofAlberta's cattle ranching industry—she was banned from more than 30 Alberta radio stations. A sign in Consort, Alberta, stating "Home of k.d. lang" was burned to the ground. Alberta's agriculture minister at the time said it was "extremely unfortunate that she has decided to side with the animal rightists. There's a certain feeling of betrayal – we have supported k.d. fairly well in Alberta". More than a dozen radio stations in the U.S. throughoutKansas,Oklahoma,Missouri,Montana, andNebraska also boycotted playing her records due to her "Meat Stinks" campaign.[29]
Lang appeared on the cover of the August 1993 issue ofVanity Fair photographed byHerb Ritts. The cover featured lang in abarber chair while modelCindy Crawford appeared to shave her face with a straight razor, which lang would later say was inspired by the French filmLe mari de la coiffeuse.[11][30] The issue contained a detailed article about lang which observed that she had thought that she would be ostracized by the country music industry when she came out as alesbian. "I presented myself as myself. I didn't try to dispel lesbian rumors. I sang songs like 'Bopalina,' which was about my girlfriend. I didn't take boyfriends to the Grammys. I didn't do anything to cover it up; I just lived my life. There was a part of me that really didn’t think it was important to make an announcement. But to the gay community, saying 'I'm a lesbian' is dispelling any doubt."[31] However, they were accepting, and her records continued to sell, but when she appeared in an ad forPETA, they were less impressed, owing to the relationship between country music andcattle ranching.[32]
In April 2008, lang spent time inMelbourne, Australia, as a guest editor forThe Age. This was in connection with her support for theTibethuman rights issues. On April 24, 2008, she joined pro-Tibet protesters inCanberra as the Beijing2008 Summer Olympics torch relay made its way through the Australian capital.[33]
In 2011, lang was inducted toQ Hall of Fame Canada in recognition of the work she has done to further equality for all peoples around the world.[34]
Lang reflected oncoming out in a 2016 interview with The Canadian Press, saying it "felt like it was the most responsible thing for society and myself" at the time. She also noted that dealing with the fallout was something she struggled with in the years that followed. "It's a very hard thing to unravel for me and decipher", she said. "In a way you can't. It's all just a big ball of wax of who I am and what my role in popular culture was – and what pop culture's role was in me."[11]
Lang is a member of Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.[35]
In 1996, she was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada.
In 1998, she was inducted intoThe ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives' National Portrait Collection.[36]
In November 2005, lang received theNational Arts Centre Award, a companion award of theGovernor General's Performing Arts Awards.[37] On June 3, 2008, it was announced that she would receive a star onCanada's Walk of Fame.[38] In 2018 lang was appointed to theAlberta Order of Excellence.[39]
On April 21, 2013, during the2013 Juno Awards, lang was formally inducted into theCanadian Music Hall of Fame.[40] She is notable for praising Canadians and "letting your freak flags fly" during her acceptance speech.[41] Also in 2013, theAlberta Ballet Company stagedBalletlujah! set to the songs of lang's music and inspired by lang.[42] The ballet was later made into a film broadcast on CBC.[43]
In June 2024, lang was announced to be the 2024Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Artist inductee.[44]
A 2008 article in which lang is interviewed states that "when she isn't working, Lang is mostly a homebody, living quietly with a girlfriend she refers to as 'my wife' — they are not legally married — and her two dogs."[45] On November 11, 2009, she entered into adomestic partnership with Jamie Price, whom she had met in 2003. After separating on September 6, 2011, lang filed for a dissolution of the partnership inLos Angeles County Superior Court in Los Angeles, California, on December 30, 2011.[46]
Early in life, lang was listening to and was influenced by female artists, such asJoni Mitchell,Rickie Lee Jones,Kate Bush,Emmylou Harris, andLinda Ronstadt.[47][48] Lang pursuedcountry music in the 1980s, but viewed it as a brief obsession.[47] "I fell in love with the emotion of country music, and the kitschness of it. I sang country music for mentors like Patsy [Cline] andLoretta [Lynn], people I loved who were telling their stories. I loved the direct human emotion they had through country. It’s just when you pull out into a bigger demographic, it gets a little scary for me. I never fell in love with thepolitics of country and western. I enjoyed a liaison with the musical genre but in no way did I ever think that’s who I was. I still cringe when people call me a country and western singer because I do not align with the politics of it whatsoever."[49]
Lang's voice is described as amezzo soprano.[1] She has a powerful, husky tone in her lower range, and has a beautiful higher range. Her voice lies between thesoprano and thecontraltovoice types.[50]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Salmonberries | Kotzebue |
| 1994 | Teresa's Tattoo | Michelle |
| 1999 | Eye of the Beholder | Hilary |
| 2006 | The Black Dahlia | Lesbian Bar Singer (uncredited) |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Hee Haw | Herself |
| 1988 | Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special | Herself |
| 1989 | The Jim Henson Hour | Herself |
| 1995 | The Larry Sanders Show | Herself |
| 1997 | Ellen | Janine |
| 1997 | The Last Don | Dita Tommey |
| 2000 | Dharma & Greg | Herself |
| 2013 | How I Met Your Mother | Herself |
| 2014 | Portlandia | Herself |
| 2020 | Jann | Herself |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | After Midnight | Special Guest Star |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | case/lang/veirs | Best Country/Americana/Folk Album | Nominated | [51] |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Constant Craving" | Most Performed Song | Won | [52] |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Herself | Top New Female Vocalist | Nominated |
| 1989 | Top Female Vocalist | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | case/lang/veirs | International Folk Album of the Year | Won | [53] |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Herself | Trailblazer Award | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Constant Craving" | Best Pop/Rock Female Video | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Herself | International Female Solo Artist | Won |
| 1996 | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Invincible Summer | Outstanding Music Album | Won |
| 2003 | A Wonderful World | Won | |
| 2009 | Watershed | Outstanding Music Artist | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Crying" (shared with Roy Orbison) | Best Country Vocal Collaboration | Won |
| 1990 | "Absolute Torch and Twang" | Best Female Country Vocal Performance | Won |
| 1993 | Ingénue | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| "Constant Craving" | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| Record of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Won | ||
| 1994 | "Miss Chatelaine" | Nominated | |
| 1995 | "Moonglow" (withTony Bennett) | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | Nominated |
| 2003 | "What A Wonderful World" (withTony Bennett) | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | Nominated |
| 2004 | "La Vie En Rose" (withTony Bennett) | Nominated | |
| A Wonderful World (shared withTony Bennett) | Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Wonderful World Tour (withTony Bennett) | Best Contemporary Concert Presentation Theatre | Nominated |
| 2005 | Concert with theSydney Symphony | Best International Contemporary Music Concert | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Herself | Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year | Won |
| 1987 | Country Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Female Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1989 | Nominated | ||
| Canadian Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Country Female Vocalist of the Year | Won | ||
| 1990 | Won | ||
| Canadian Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 1993 | Best Female Vocalist | Nominated | |
| Songwriter of the Year | Won | ||
| Best Producer | Won | ||
| Ingénue | Best Album | Won | |
| 1994 | Herself | Best Producer | Nominated |
| Best Recording Engineer | Nominated | ||
| 1995 | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Ingénue | Heritage Award | Nominated | [54] |
| 2018 | Nominated | [55] | ||
| 2019 | Nominated | [56] |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Tour | Club Tour of the Year | Nominated |
| Best Debut Tour | Nominated | ||
| 1993 | Tour | Small Hall Tour of the Year | Nominated |
| 2002 | Tour (w/Tony Bennett) | Major Tour of the Year | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | case/lang/veirs | Best Songwriter | Nominated | [57] |
Lang grew up the youngest of four children in the small town of Consort, Alberta.
