The Canadian singer‑songwriter kd lang opened up about her formative years on the prairies, her unexpected fascination with barber shops and the iconic Vanity Fair cover that paired her with Cindy Crawford. In a wide‑ranging interview published in The Guardian on Thursday 3 September 2026, she spoke about spirituality, musical collaborations and the lasting imprint of her Alberta upbringing on her artistry.
Prairie Minimalism Shapes Her Art
Lang described how the vast, open landscapes of western Canada left an indelible mark on her creative sensibility. “I left the Canadian prairies many years ago, but they remain my home,” she said. She explained that the scarcity of visual clutter turned simple details – a field of hay bales, a lone tree, a particular hill – into striking moments of beauty. “All of my artistic preferences were formed by the minimalism of the prairies, by the affordable space and the stillness,” she added. The sky, she noted, held particular significance: “The sky was very important and a feeling of – I wouldn’t say loneliness, but solace, perhaps. That’s my bottom line, my basic instinct. It’s the frame that that informs all of my art, the way I decorate my house, the way I sing, the way I dress.”
This minimalist backdrop, she argued, continues to shape everything from her stage presence to her personal style, providing a quiet counterpoint to the more flamboyant aspects of her career.
The Barber‑Shop Fixation and That Vanity Fair Moment
Lang revealed an enduring obsession with barber shops that traces back to childhood. “I have kind of an obsession with cutting hair and barber shops. I don’t know where that came from – actually, I just realised why, and I’ve never told anyone this! My dad’s drugstore in the really small town I grew up in – the next business over was a barber shop, so I used to watch the barber cutting hair all the time.” She linked this early visual imprint to a later creative decision.
When photographer Herb Ritts approached her for a Vanity Fair cover, she proposed the idea of a barber’s chair. “I suggested to Herb, maybe we can do it in a barber’s chair. He phoned me a few days later and said, ‘I have Cindy Crawford.’ I was like, ‘OK!’ We shot it on the roof of his building in downtown Hollywood, up on the roof at golden hour.”
She recalled the experience vividly: “It was magical. Cindy was super professional, as you can imagine. She’s a model, so it was her realm. I was trying to behave and not be an idiot. It was incredible, and I knew that it had a certain gravity to it. After all these years, I feel like we made a piece of art and a significant social statement, and I really have such pride about it.”
When asked about her expression on the cover, she replied with a laugh: “LS: You have a very cheeky look on your face on the cover. Yeah. I mean, come on!”
Collaborations, Musical Kinship and Stage Memories
Lang spoke warmly about her work with Neko Case and Laura Veirs in the Case/Lang/Veirs project. “I remember how excited I was when I had the idea to collaborate with them. When I texted them, they both answered within half an hour. And then the work began.” She described the challenges of aligning three strong‑willed artists: “I remember it being quite difficult in terms of having three major artists, who had been bosses their whole lives, coming together – we had to navigate and reformulate how we worked, the structure of writing and creativity.” Despite the hurdles, she praised their songwriting: “They’re both incredible songwriters. I’m in awe of their songwriting ability, and I had to stay out of the way because I felt like they were so much more prolific than I was.” The collaboration yielded real friendship and a brief, exhilarating tour.
Reflecting on her early Vancouver gigs, Lang credited the Railway Club and the Savoy Club for launching her career. “The Railway Club and the Savoy Club in Vancouver were extremely important to my career. They were both really great small alternative independent music venues. The person who booked the music, Janet Forsyth, booked me very early, and the buzz started happening.” She called those shows “extremely formative” and noted that Forsyth remains her closest friend.
Her appearance on Pee‑wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special left a lasting impression: “It was amazing – it was magical because it was so unbridled. I just sang a Christmas carol – it was all carols, but he had really contrasting artists like Grace Jones and Doris Day. It was like he had all these different kites and he was flying them all at once. You could do whatever you wanted and it was joyful and wise and sardonic – it contained everything.” She likened the special’s freedom to the abstract expressionist paintings she admires, adding that she became friends with Paul Reubens.
When asked about a possible follow‑up to her 2004 album Hymns of the 49th Parallel, Lang said she remains guided by instinct: “I have been asked that by my record company and my manager, but I really try to honour my muse and my instincts. It hasn’t happened yet, but maybe it will. Certainly the material is there. There’s an embarrassment of riches of great Canadian songwriting.”
Spirituality, Accordion and the Patsy Cline Connection
Lang described her spiritual practice as the core of her existence: “My spiritual practice is inseparable from anything I do, and is of utmost importance. It’s taken precedence over all things in my life. So I don’t even know where to start or how to describe it. It’s given me a different point of reference that has anchored me in motivation and purpose. Just taking my contribution to the universe very seriously – not self‑righteously, but the desire to be authentic and uncontrived.”
She also highlighted the role of accordionist Teddy Borowiecki, whose Polish roots resonated with the prairie’s European immigrant communities: “It was around in my upbringing because in the Canadian prairies there were a lot of German and Polish eastern Europeans who had migrated to Canada, so it was prevalent in dance bands and so forth. And Teddy, who is Polish, was a very good accordion player, so I wanted to utilise his talent.”
Her admiration for Patsy Cline was described as “otherworldly.” “The emotional connection is inexplicable. Emotion is something ethereal and indescribable. Patsy contained an empathy, an earthiness, a vulnerability, a sense of humour – all the essential parts of humanity. She just sang from an open place, and let people feel comfortable immersing themselves in her.”
Finally, she noted that the 10th‑anniversary edition of *Case/Lang/Veirs* is set for release via Anti‑ on 4 September, a milestone that underscores the enduring relevance of that collaboration.
Why it Matters
kd lang’s reflections offer a rare glimpse into how geography, personal quirks and artistic partnerships intertwine to shape a lasting musical legacy. Her insistence that the prairies’ minimalist ethos underpins her work reminds listeners that environment can be as influential as any instrument or genre. Meanwhile, her candid recounting of the Vanity Fair barber‑shop shoot underscores how seemingly whimsical ideas can become cultural touchstones when rooted in authentic personal history. By weaving together spirituality, collaboration and nostalgia, Lang not only honours her past but also maps a forward‑looking path for artists seeking depth amid the noise of contemporary fame.