“I love going where I’m not supposed to go. I love being the underdog, I’ve always loved being the underdog. I love feeling like I’m starting at square zero again. I thrive on it,” says k.d. lang. She’s talking about touring with her new band, the Siss Boom Bang, and the prospect of playing in some fresh settings, but the sentiment could just as well describe the making of Sing it Loud, her first record made entirely with a band of her own since the pair of albums with the Reclines that launched her career.

Last year, as she celebrated the 25th anniversary of her recording debut, lang found herself being pulled back to square zero, yearning to hear country music at sound checks and longing for the richly collaborative experience that comes from being part of a band.

“I always felt like there was a part of me that wanted to continue the cow punk thing,” says lang, who has won four GRAMMY® awards in the States and eight Juno awards in her native Canada. “But I didn’t want to push it. It’s something that has to arise naturally. And this was just the year."

lang and the Siss Boom Bang—comprising Joe Pisapia (a multi-instrumentalist who co-produced the album with lang and serves as musical director), Daniel Clarke (keyboards), Fred Eltringham (drums/percussion), Joshua Grange (baritone guitar, dobro), and Lex Price (bass)—will be on tour again this summer, performing material from Sing it Loud and songs from throughout lang’s career.

Says lang. “I would have to say that Sing it Loud is actually probably the pinnacle of my creative life because it happened so fast, so naturally, and with so much joy.”