Vocal Performance in 1989, and lang performed
a duet, “Sin City,” with Dwight Yoakam
on his 1992 album Just Lookin’ for a Hit.
Then, just when it appeared that the
emerging alt-country scene would have
a female counterpart for Lyle Lovett, lang
threw everyone a curveball with the sleek
and seductive Ingénue.
It turned out that there was a huge, un-
-
sion of k.d. lang. And, although lang never
much considered commercial implications,
48 artsLife | FALL 2018
copies — and the attention were gratifying.
She used her expanded platform to announce
that she was gay — to the surprise
of virtually no one — in an interview with The
Advocate. The decision was greeted with
trepidation from her record company at
the time.
“I had been out to my mother,” lang says.
right thing to do. The record company was
just felt right to be honest.”
She also harnessed her increased visibility
1989’s Absolute Torch and Twang (below left) seemed to point lang toward the alt-country genre. Then
she threw everyone a curveball with the sleek and seductive Ingénue (below right) in 1992. It turned
out that there was a huge, untapped market for a less-countrified version of the singer.