Congratulations to k.d. lang, who was officially inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame last night during the 42nd Annual Juno Awards, hosted by Michael Bublé and broadcast on CTV from the Brandt Centre in Regina, SK. Fellow Canadian icon Anne Murray inducted lang into the Hall of Fame. lang and her band the Siss Boom Bang also performed at the event.

"I think the fact that I'm standing here receiving this award says more about Canada than it does about me, because only in Canada could there be such a freak as k.d. lang receiving this award," lang said in her acceptance speech. "So I am here to tell you, my friends and my countrymen, that it is OK to be you. It is OK to let your freak flags fly ... And I'm not even just talking artists, every single person in this nation has the right to be themselves, live life go team go. I love you Canada, thank you so much."

You can read the full text of lang's speech at huffingtonpost.ca and find the Canadian Press coverage of the event at thestar.com.

"In a career spanning over 25 years, the Edmonton native has re-written the rules of country and pop music, garnering eight Juno Awards and four Grammy Awards in the process," says the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) in announcing lang's induction. "Refusing to be categorized, lang has established herself as one of the most innovative, groundbreaking artists in Canadian music history."

In addition to the four Grammy awards and eight Juno Awards lang has previously won, she has also won a BRIT, an AMA, a VMA, and four awards from GLAAD. In 1996, she received Canada’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Canada. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) recently named lang the greatest Canadian singer ever.