k.d. lang (born November 2, 1961, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for her androgynous “cowpunk” style and for her pure, plaintive, mezzo-soprano voice and award-winning country-pop music.
Lang grew up in the village of Consort, Alberta, Canada. She became interested in music at a young age and began performing locally as a teenager; she eventually adopted the stage name “k.d. lang.” While attending Red Deer College, she appeared in a stage production based on the life of American country music legend Patsy Cline. Lang developed a deep interest in the singer, and, after graduating, she helped form the Reclines, a Cline tribute band, in 1983. Their debut album, A Truly Western Experience (1984), garnered attention and resulted in lang signing with an American label.
In 1987 lang recorded Angel with a Lariat with the Reclines. That year she also had her first U.S. hit, “Crying,” a duet with country singer Roy Orbison; the song won the Grammy Award for best country vocal collaboration. For Shadowland (1988), she reinterpreted classic country-and-western music. The album, which included such songs as “I’m Down to My Last Cigarette,” was a hit. Success continued with the edgier Absolute Torch and Twang (1989). Notable songs included “Full Moon Full of Love,” and the album received the Grammy for best country female vocal performance. In 1992 lang released the pop-infused Ingénue, her first album without the Reclines. It proved to be her breakthrough, thanks in part to the hugely popular “Constant Craving.” The single introduced her to a wider audience, and it won the Grammy for best pop vocal performance.
In 1993 lang recorded Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, the soundtrack for the motion picture of the same name. On All You Can Eat (1995) she continued to explore pop music, while Drag (1997) was a more humorous endeavour featuring song covers that were related to smoking. She returned to pop with the upbeat Invincible Summer (2000). In 2002 she collaborated with crooner Tony Bennett on A Wonderful World, and it garnered the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album. Over the next several years lang released the solo albums Hymns of the 49th Parallel (2004), on which she performed songs by Canadian artists, and Watershed (2008), a collection of original material. The latter was her first album to appear on Billboard’s Top Ten list.
In 2010 lang performed during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Vancouver, singing “Hallelujah.” With the backing band Siss Boom Bang, she then recorded Sing It Loud (2011), which marked a return to her country roots. She next collaborated with Neko Case and Laura Veirs on case/lang/veirs (2016). Makeover (2021) was a collection of remixes that lang had recorded earlier in her career.
In addition to her singing, lang occasionally acted. Her notable credits included the films Salmonberries (1991) and Eye of the Beholder (1999). She also made guest appearances on the TV shows Ellen and Portlandia in 1997 and 2014, respectively.
A noted activist, lang was especially involved in the gay rights movement; in the early 1990s she publicly came out as a lesbian. Her other causes included animal rights, and in 1990 she made headlines with her participation in PETA’s “Meat Stinks” campaign. It caused a backlash, and several radio stations in the United States banned her music.