K.d. lang is a trailblazer — not only because of her award-winning records, but also for her strides to make country music more inclusive as one of the few lesbian artists in the genre.
Even in the height of backlash, lang held onto the identity that felt true to her, refusing to alter her artistry in a way that was consumable for the heterosexual male bigwigs in the music industry. As Vanity Fair offered in lang's 1993 cover story, her presence "signal[ed] a whole new era of possibility for celebrities" — one that didn't force women to become the hyper-feminine country diva.
In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, revisit the night that lang won her first golden gramophone for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Absolute Torch and Twang at the 1990 GRAMMYs. The singer was enthusiastic as she made her way to the podium, bellowing a triumphant "Yeehaw!"
"I would like to thank my friends, family, band, and crew," lang praised before acknowledging Warner Bros. Records, her recording studio team, and her supporters.
"It's like I've just been given this chunk of land," she explained. "K.d., plant yourself here and sow your seeds of hybrid country. The best thing about this is, this soil is very fertile."
Press play on this episode of GRAMMY Rewind to watch k.d. lang's full acceptance speech for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 32nd GRAMMY Awards, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.
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