Kudos to k.d. lang, who was just awarded Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts – the 2023 Governor-General’s Performing Arts Awards, one of seven Canadians to receive the honour. The lifetime achievement award “recognizes artists for their outstanding body of work and enduring contribution to the performing arts in Canada.”
For Edmonton-born (Kathryn Dawn) lang, now 61, the award recognizes an “impressive discography (that) spans over three decades and comprises 13 studio albums, one soundtrack, two live albums, four compilation albums and 41 singles,” according to the Awards Foundation, which adds, “(She) is known for her wide-ranging musical talent, distinctive and androgynous style, and hauntingly pure mezzo-soprano voice.
It continues: “She has played an important role in the recognition and development of country and popular music in Canada, and her unique creative contribution has added a new dimension to contemporary music. A noted activist, she publicly came out as a lesbian in the early 1990s and is a strong advocate for the gay rights movement, as well as for animal rights and HIV/AIDS care and research.”
Known as “the Alberta Rose,” the singer evolved from her early cow-punk days with band The Reclines, breaking out as a breathtaking crooner, and solo artist, on the album “Ingénue,” which featured the hit single, which she co-wrote, “Constant Craving” (video below).
She also collaborated with such prominent artists as Roy Orbison (on the Grammy-winning duet “Crying”), Tony Bennett, and Elton John, as well as country greats Loretta Lynn (best friend of her idol, Patsy Cline), Brenda Lee, and Kitty Wells.
Another career highpoint came when she mesmerized the world with one of the most definitive renditions of fellow Canadian Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah” at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
The GGPAA adds to lang’s long list of accolades, which includes being an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence, and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. Other awards and honours include the GGPAA National Arts Centre Award, four Grammys, eight Junos, and three GLAAD Media Awards (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).
She has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame and holds honorary doctorates from two Canadian universities.
The GGPAA will be awarded at a ceremony in May.
Lyrics
Even through the darkest phase
Be it thick or thin
Always someone marches brave
Here beneath my skin
Constant craving
Has always been
Maybe a great magnet pulls
All souls towards truth
Or maybe it is life itself
That feeds wisdom
To its youth
Constant craving
Has always been
Craving
Ah ha
Constant craving
Has always been
Has always been
Constant craving
Has always been
Constant craving
Has always been
Craving
Ah ha
Constant craving
Has always been