It’s not always easy to see the cowpunk renegade who came charging out of Consort, Alberta, almost 25 years ago in today’s more even-tempered k.d. lang. But even when she’s interpreting the songs of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell (as she did on her 2004 Canuck tribute disc, Hymns of the 49th Parallel), collaborating on Grammy-winning duets with Tony Bennett, or performing her own sumptuous tracks on her new album, Watershed, lang retains the same legendary willingness to go her own way—even if that means crooning on a cruise ship.

You recently took a look back at your early career for the 2006 compilation Reintarnation. Does it all seem like several lifetimes ago?
Yes, but in another way it feels like yesterday. I fell in love with the retro-ness of the project— I even managed to get my hair looking exactly like it did then! I’m not one of those artists who squish up when they have to listen to something they did. I like my history. I was just so excited to be making music and so ready to take the world on.

Have your reasons for making music changed very much since then?
That’s where Watershed’s title comes from. It’s about changing directions but still maintaining a sense of self, while the water passes on either side. I used to make a major distinction between the artist and the public performer. As I get older, it becomes less of an issue—there’s less of a shtick—and it actually makes things a lot easier. To “reinvent yourself” has become such a huge catchphrase, and it drives me crazy. I’ve spent my whole life trying to get to know myself, so the idea of reinvention seems rather illegitimate.

Watershed is your first album of original material in more than seven years, though you’ve had great success performing other writers’ songs lately. Are both kinds equally important to you?
They really are. As a singer, it’s important for me to interpret, and as an artist it’s important for me to write. And because I have such a deliberately classic-sounding voice that’s not as alternative as my mind, it’s necessary that I write my own material so I don’t get trapped into becoming a crooner. Writing gives me a vehicle into the other realm of music that I like.

Speaking of vehicles, your new tour includes a show on a lesbian cruise line. What’s the deal with that?
I only go on the boat for the show, but it’s a great opportunity. It’s nice that after so many years of having people focus on my sexuality, the attention is back on my music. That allows me to be involved with the community that’s been so supportive of me. I did a cruise show three years ago and I sang a version of “The Love Boat” in which I changed it to “The Lez Boat.” The audience didn’t think it was as funny as I did, but that’s the chance you take.

k.d. lang performs at the Courthouse Feb. 21. $50. 57 Adelaide St. E., 416-870-8000, www.liveatcourthouse.com.