kd lang

emailed pics Flicky Harrison Legendary folk rock star kd lang is a versatile artist turning her hand to acting in a film alongside Ewan McGregor and in various TV sitcoms.

She played the lead in the 1991 drama Salmonberries and co-stared with Ewan and Ashley Judd in Eye Of The Beholder in 1999.

"Me and Ewan,'' she laughed. "We hit a lot of the vodka.'' The singer admits that if you live in Hollywood you inevitably end up acting, but says music is her first and real love.

"Acting is a sidebar when you live in Hollywood,'' she said.

It was the country star Roy Orbison who gave her the first break in showbiz by asking her to duet on his hit single Crying. It scooped them a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with vocals.

"Roy asked me to sing on a movie soundtrack. It is good to collaborate with people who have a passion for music,'' said kd.

She loves singing with others and invited Brenda Lee to sing on her Shadow Lands album. She has also sung with Annie Lennox, Elton John, Madeleine Peyroux, Roseanne Cash and Tony Bennett.

The singer was born in Edmonton in Canada but when I spoke to her she was at home in Los Angeles, preparing for the UK leg of her world tour promoting her latest album Watershed.

She is heading for Oxford on July 23 with her all new band.

"Life throws change at you and we are told to embrace it. My original band musicians are older and really in demand in the studio for lots of other artists.

So this is a watershed moment and my new band are a dream come true, young good looking and great eye candy,'' she said.

Watershed is the first album that kd has produced herself, and she said she loved having time to record and no producers breathing down her neck because of studio time.

kd sang on the recent hit animation movie Happy Feet.

"It was fun to do. I did a Beatles song.'' There are three things the singer wanted to do in life apart from singing and that was to paint more, cook more and become a cinematographer.

"I have been a vegetarian for 27 years and would love to be a chef,'' she said. "I am currently exploring cooking with raw foods.'' kd is passionate about many causes including animal rights and despite coming from a cattle ranching area stood firm with her beliefs.

She came out as a lesbian in 1992 and championed gay rights, she has supported HIV/Aids care and research and her Meat Stinks campaign caused plenty of controversy.

"Things turn round. What ever goes around comes around,'' she said.

Trivia: kd Lang : kd lang appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in a barber chair with model Cindy Crawford appearing to shave her face with a straight razor factfile: kd lang Born: Canada in 1961 Full name: Kathryn Dawn Lang Education: Red Deer College Partner: Jamie for seven years Other jobs: drove a grain tuck Pets: two dogs TV; Appeared in The Larry Sanders Show, Dharma and Greg, and Ellen. kd performed Turn Me Round at the closing ceremony of the XV Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta in 1988 New Theatre, Oxford July 23

11:18am Friday 18th July 2008

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