K.d. lang

k.d. lang
k.d. lang in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Kathryn Dawn Lang
Born	(1961-11-02) November 2, 1961 (age 55) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Genres	Country, pop, folk, jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Bumstead, Sire, Warner Bros. Records, Nonesuch, Elektra Records
Website	www.kdlang.com

Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress.

Lang has won both Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances; hits include "Constant Craving" and "Miss Chatelaine". She has contributed songs to movie soundtracks and has collaborated with musicians such as Roy Orbison, Tony Bennett, Elton John, Anne Murray, Ann Wilson, and Jane Siberry. Lang is also known for being an animal rights, gay rights, and Tibetan human rights activist. She is a tantric practitioner of the old school of Tibetan Buddhism. She performed Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" live at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Previously, she had performed at the closing ceremony of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Lang possesses the vocal range of a mezzo-soprano.

Lang was born in Edmonton, Alberta, the daughter of Audrey and Adam Frederick Lang. She is of English, Irish, Scottish, German, Russian Jewish, Icelandic, and Sioux ancestry. When Lang was nine months old, her family moved to Consort, Alberta, where she grew up with two sisters and one brother on the Canadian prairie. Her father, a drugstore owner, left the family when she was twelve.