Kathryn Dawn Lang is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer and actress known by the stage name KD Lang. She is also widely recognized for her activities as an animal, gay and human rights facilitator in Tibet. You can’t just win the prestigious Juno and Grammy awards for your average. KD Lang possesses exceptional vocal prowess which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1989.
His music fuses a mix of genres like country-rock, pop, folk and jazz. With more than 25 years of experience in the music business, she has attracted the interest of many labels such as Warner Bros. Records, Bumstead, Sire, Nonesuch and Elektra Records, to name a few. Read on for more from KD Lang below.
KD Biography Lang
KD Lang is of Canadian descent, of English, Irish, Scottish, German, Russian-Jewish, Icelandic and Sioux ancestry. She was born on November 2, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to Audrey Bebee and Adam Frederick Lang. Her birth name is Kathryn Dawn Lang and she has three better known siblings; two sisters and a brother. Little has been said about where she had her primary and secondary education, except that she attended a secondary school in Consort, Alberta. As for her college education, Lang enrolled in Red Deer College. She began to turn to music while in college due to a certain attraction to the music of Patsy Cline.
In 1983, she formed a band with the help of co-writer and guitarist, Ben Mink, called ‘The Reclines’ in honor of Patsy Cline. Two years later, after the successful recording and release of two albums, ‘Friday Dance Promenade’ and ‘A Truly Western Experience’, she won the Juno Award for ‘Most Promising Female Vocalist’.
It was a major breakthrough for the musician, who began her career in the 1980s as a country singer. Although KD Lang started out as a country singer, she was quick to abandon the genre and take the paths of the contemporary adult singer. She burst onto the American music scene shortly after signing a contract with Sire Records, an American record group based in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1986.
The four-time Grammy Award winner has made Elton John, Anne Murray, Ann Wilson, Jane Siberry, Bonnie Raitt and veteran performer Tony Bennett some of the hottest artists in the world. She has also recorded songs for movie soundtracks and performed at two Winter Olympics. Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta and Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, singing “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.
In 1996, KD Lang was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. Several years later (in 2013), she was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. She has been described as one of the most accomplished Canadian singer-songwriters of all time. KD Lang is also a recipient of the MTV Video Award and the American Music Award.
Interesting facts about the singer
1. In June 1992, KD Lang said in an interview with ‘The Advocate’ just before the release of her fourth album that she was a lesbian. His award-winning hit song ‘Constant Craving’ is widely referred to as a gay anthem. She said she realized she was a lesbian when she was just 5 but bragged about herself when she was 13. She is also a gay rights activist.
2. She is a vegetarian. This caused a lot of controversy in his home province of meat-dominated Alberta. She once had to cancel a show after being threatened by beef farmers for blocking the entrance to the show with farm machinery.
3 The musician admitted to having often been mistaken for a man. Considering her short hair and all, you’d mistake her for a man too. KD Lang has the appearance and physical appearance of men with a menswear style.
4 Did you know that aside from her interest in music, she also had an interest in volleyball as a sport and was once ranked 8th nationally in javelin throw? His love for athletics made him accept two invitations to perform at the 1998 and 2010 Winter Olympics.
5. She discovered a passion for theater even as she went there with the intention of studying music.