Shania Twain
Encyclopedia
Shania Twain, OC
(icon; born Eilleen Regina Edwards; August 28, 1965) is a Canadian country pop
singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me (1995), brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over
, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and is the 9th best-selling album in the U.S. Her 4th album, titled Up!
was released late 2002. To date it has sold 20 million copies worldwide.
Twain has won five Grammy Award
s and 27 BMI
Songwriter awards. She has had three albums certified Diamond
by the Recording Industry Association of America
and is the second best-selling artist in Canada, behind Céline Dion
, with three of her studio albums certified double diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
. Sometimes referred to as "The First Lady of Country Music", Twain has sold over 75 million albums worldwide and is ranked 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan
era. She was also ranked 72nd on Billboard's "Artists of the decade" (2000–10). Most recently, Twain has her own TV series, Why Not? with Shania Twain, that premiered on the OWN
on May 8, 2011. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on June 2, 2011.
, Ontario, daughter of Sharon (née Morrison) and Clarence Edwards. Her parents divorced when she was two and her mother then moved to Timmins
, Ontario with Eilleen and her sisters Jill and Carrie Ann. Sharon married Jerry Twain, an Ojibwa
, and they had a son together, Mark. Jerry adopted the girls, legally changing their last name to Twain. When Mark was still in diapers, the Twains adopted Jerry's baby nephew, Darryl, after Darryl's mother passed away. Because of her connection to her stepfather, in the past, people had presumed Twain's ancestry was Ojibwa, but she stated in an interview that her biological father was part Cree
. Through her maternal grandfather, she is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier
. Her maternal grandmother, Eileen Pearce, emigrated from Newbridge
, Kildare
, Ireland.
Eilleen Twain had a hard childhood in Timmins. Her parents earned little and there was often a shortage of food in the household. Eilleen did not confide her situation to school authorities, fearing they might break up the family. In the remote, rugged community, she learned to hunt and to chop wood. Sharon and Jerry's marriage was at times stormy, and from a young age, Eilleen witnessed violent fights between them. Sharon struggled with bouts of depression. In the summer of 1979, while Jerry was at work, at Eilleen's insistence, her mother drove the rest of the family 425 miles (684 km) south to a Toronto
homeless shelter for assistance. Sharon returned to Jerry with the children in 1981. In Timmins, Twain started singing at bars at the age of eight to try to make ends meet, often earning twenty dollar
s between midnight and one in the morning performing for remaining customers after the bar had finished serving. Although she expressed a dislike for singing in those bars, Twain believes that this was her own kind of performing arts school on the road. She has said of the ordeal, "My deepest passion was music and it helped. There were moments when I thought 'I hate this'. I hated going into bars and being with drunks. But I loved the music and so I survived". Twain wrote her first songs at the age of ten, Is Love a Rose and Just Like the Storybooks which were fairy tales in rhyme. She states that the art of creating, of actually writing songs, "was very different from performing them and became progressively important".
In the early 1980s, Twain spent some time working with her father's reforestation
business in northern Ontario, a business that employed some 75 Ojibwe and Cree workers. Although the work was demanding and the pay low, Twain said "I loved the feeling of being stranded. I'm not afraid of being in my own environment, being physical, working hard. I was very strong, I walked miles and miles every day and carried heavy loads of trees. You can't shampoo, use soap or deodorant, or makeup, nothing with any scent; you have to bathe and rinse your clothes in the lake. It was a very rugged existence, but I was very creative and I would sit alone in the forest with my dog and a guitar and would just write songs".
television's the Tommy Hunter
Show. While attending Timmins High and Vocational School
in Timmins
, she was also the singer for a local band called "Longshot" which covered Top 40 music.
After graduating from Timmins High in June 1983, Twain was eager to expand her musical horizons. After the demise of the band Longshot, Twain was approached by a cover band led by Diane Chase
called "Flirt" and they toured all over Ontario. Twain also began taking singing lessons from Toronto-based coach Ian Garrett and would often clean his house in payment for her lessons. In the autumn of 1984, Twain's talents were noticed by Toronto DJ Stan Campbell who wrote about her in a Country Music News article: "Eilleen possesses a powerful voice with an impressive range. She has the necessary drive, ambition and positive attitude to achieve her goals". Campbell happened to be making an album by Canadian musician (and present-day CKTB
radio personality) Tim Denis at the time and Twain was featured on the backing vocals of the song Heavy on the Sunshine. Campbell later took Twain to Nashville to record some demos, which Twain found particularly difficult to finance. She became acquainted with regional country singer Mary Bailey who had had some country chart success in 1976. Bailey had seen Twain perform in Sudbury, Ontario, saying "I saw this little girl up on stage with a guitar and it absolutely blew me away. She performed Willie Nelson
's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
" and Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
". Her voice reminded me of Tanya Tucker
, it had strength and character, a lot of feeling. She's a star, she deserves an opportunity". Bailey later said "She sang a few songs that she had written, and I thought to myself, this kid is like nineteen years old, where does she get this? This is from a person who's lived sixty years".
Bailey acquired the contract from Stan Campbell and Twain moved into Bailey's home on Lake Kenogami where she practiced her music every day for hours. In the fall of 1985, Bailey took Twain down to Nashville to stay with a friend, record producer Tony Migliore, who at the time was producing an album for fellow Canadian singer Kelita Haverland and Twain was featured on the backing vocals to the song Too Hot to Handle. She also demo-ed songs with Cyril Rawson but the demos were without success, partly due to Twain's wish to become a rock singer, not a country artist. After five months she returned to Canada and moved in with Bailey in a flat in downtown Kirkland Lake.
There she met rock keyboardist Eric Lambier and drummer Randy Yurko and formed a new band, moving three months later to Bowmanville, near Toronto. In late summer 1986 Mary Bailey arranged for Twain to meet John Kim Bell, a half Mohawk
, half American conductor who had close contacts with the directors of the Canadian Country Music Association
. Bell recognized Twain's ability as well as her looks and the two began secretly dating. In the fall of 1986 Twain continued to express her desire to be a pop or rock singer rather than country, which led to her falling out with Mary Bailey for two years. Twain's first break finally came on February 8, 1987, when Bell staged a fundraiser for the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
at the Roy Thomson Hall
in Toronto where Twain performed with Broadway star Bernadette Peters
, jazz guitarist Don Ross
, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Her performance received little acclaim, but it convinced Bell, who hated pop music, that Twain should stay well away from it and concentrate on country music.
On November 1, 1987, Twain's mother and stepfather died in a car accident approximately 50 kilometres north of Wawa, Ontario
. As a result Twain moved back to Timmins to take care of her younger siblings and then took them all to Huntsville, Ontario
. There, she supported them by earning money performing at the nearby Deerhurst Resort
.
During this time, she changed her name to Shania, an Ojibwa
word which means "on my way".
Twain's self-titled debut album
was released in 1993 in North America and garnered her audiences outside of Canada. The album only reached No.67 on the US Country Albums Chart, but it gained positive reviews from critics. The album failed to sell significant copies initially, although Twain's future success generated enough interest for the album to be certified platinum
six years later by the RIAA, denoting sales of over a million. The album yielded two minor hit singles in the United States with "What Made You Say That
" and "Dance with the One That Brought You
". The album was more successful in Europe, where Twain won Country Music Television Europe's "Rising Video Star of the Year" award.
heard Twain's original songs and singing from her debut album, he offered to produce and write songs with her. After many telephone conversations, they met at Nashville's Fan Fair
in June 1993. Twain and Lange became very close within just weeks. Lange and Twain either wrote or co-wrote the songs that would form her second studio album, The Woman in Me. Record executives were stunned when they listened to the album. It was unlike anything else in country music.
The Woman in Me was released in the spring of 1995. The album's first single, "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
" went to No.11 on the Billboard Country Chart
. This was followed by her first Top 10 and No.1 hit single, "Any Man of Mine
". Twain had further hits from the album, including the title track which peaked at No.14 and three additional No.1 hits: "(If You're Not in it for Love) I'm Outta Here!
", "You Win My Love
", and "No One Needs to Know
".
As of 2007, it had sold more than 12 million copies.
The album was a quick breakthrough. Twain performed selected international venues and television shows with Nashville guitarists Randy Thomas (co-writer of the song "Butterfly Kisses
"), Daniel Joseph Schafer
(Dan Schafer) and Stanley T., formerly with the Beach Boys. Mercury Record's promotion of the album was based largely upon a series of music videos.
The Woman in Me won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album
as well as the Academy of Country Music
award for Album of the Year; the latter group also awarded Twain as Best New Female Vocalist.
. This was the album that would establish her as a successful crossover singer. Slowly, the album started racking up sales. It never hit the top spot, but with the multi-chart hit single "You're Still the One
", sales skyrocketed. Other songs like "Don't Be Stupid
", "You've Got A Way
", "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!
", "That Don't Impress Me Much
" and "From This Moment On" joined the 12 songs that eventually saw release as singles. "From This Moment On" is a duet with singer Bryan White
and there was even a pop version as well.
The album stayed on the charts for the next two years, going on to sell 40 million copies worldwide, making it the biggest-selling album of all time by a female musician. It is also the eighth biggest-selling album by any type of artist in the US and the top selling country album in history. Songs from the album won four Grammy Awards during this time, including Best Country Song
and Best Female Country Performance
(for "You're Still the One" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!") for Twain. Lange won Grammys for "You're Still the One" and "Come on Over".
Despite the album's record sales it wasn't able to top the Billboard 200, peaking at #2. In 1999, the Come on Over album was remixed for the European market as a pop album with less country instrumentation and actually gave her the big breakthrough in Europe she and her producer husband (Robert John "Mutt" Lange) were looking for. Come on Over went to number 1 on the UK album charts for 11 weeks. It became the biggest selling album of the year in Great Britain and a bestseller in other big European markets as well, selling more than one million copies in Germany and nearly 4 million in the UK alone. The songs that had finally drawn European attention to the album were the pop remixed singles "That Don't Impress Me Much", a No.3 in the UK and Top 10 hit in Germany in the summer of 1999, and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" which peaked at No.3 in both the UK and France in autumn of that year. Additionally, the album set the record for the longest ever stay in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200, remaining in the Top 20 for 99 weeks.
Twain's mainstream pop acceptance was further helped by her appearance in the 1998 first edition of the VH1 Divas
concert where she sang alongside Mariah Carey
, Celine Dion
, Gloria Estefan
and Aretha Franklin
, and also by VH1
's 1999 heavily aired Behind the Music
, which concentrated on the tragic aspects of her early life as well as her physical attractiveness and Nashville's early resistance to her bare-midriff music videos.
In 1998, Twain launched her first major concert tour, aided by her manager Jon Landau
, a veteran of many large-scale tours with Bruce Springsteen
. The Come on Over Tour
shows were enthusiastically received by audiences around the globe and answered critics who previously speculated that she could not perform live.
In 2000, Twain was initially scheduled to release a Christmas album, but plans to release one were cancelled later in the year.
Following the success of Come On Over, independent label Limelight Records released The Complete Limelight Sessions in October 2001. The album includes 16 tracks recorded in the late 1980s before Twain signed her record deal with Mercury.
After a change in management – QPrime replaced Landau — and a two year break, Twain and Lange returned to the studio. Up!
was released on November 19, 2002. About a year later, Twain kicked off the Up! Tour
in Hamilton
, Ontario, Canada on September 25, 2003.
Up! was released with three different discs – country/acoustic (green CD), pop/rock (red CD), and world/dance (blue CD). Up! was given four out of five stars by Rolling Stone magazine, and debuted at No.1 on the Billboard albums chart, selling 874,000 in the first week alone. It remained at the top of the charts for five weeks. Up! reached No.1 in Germany, No.2 in Australia and the Top Five in the UK and France. In Germany, Up! was certified 4x platinum and stayed in the Top 100 for one and a half years.
The international music disc was remixed with India
n-style orchestral and percussion parts recorded in Mumbai
, India. The new versions were produced by Simon and Diamond Duggal
, brothers from Birmingham
, England. They were originally invited to contribute parts to the pop version of "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" which retained the Indian influence.
Twain's popularity in UK was reflected by numerous appearances on the long-running music show Top of the Pops
, performing singles from Come on Over from 1999. In 2002 an entire special show was dedicated to her on sister show TOTP2
, in which Twain herself introduced some past performances of her greatest hits and new singles from Up!
The first single from the album, "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!
" became a top 10 country hit in the US, after debuting at No. 24 after only five days of airplay; but only made the Top 40 on the pop charts. It was a much bigger hit on the other side of the Atlantic, released in a pop version, the single hit No.4 in the UK. In Australia, Germany and France the song reached the Top 15 in each case. The follow-up single "Up!
" reached the Top 15 in the US country charts but failed to reach the pop Top 40.
The second European single became the mid-tempo song "Ka-Ching!
" (which was never released as a single in North America) with lyrics where Twain was criticizing unchecked consumerism. The song eventually became another smash hit in the important European markets, reaching No.1 in Germany and Austria and other European countries, the UK Top 10 and the Top 15 in France.
The third single from the album would be the most successful in the US. The romantic ballad "Forever and For Always
" was released as a single in April 2003 and peaked at No.4 on the country chart and No.1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and made as well the Billboard Top 20. Again success was even bigger on the other side of the Atlantic with "Forever and For Always" again reaching the Top 10 in both, the UK and Germany. Further singles were "She's Not Just a Pretty Face
" a country Top 10 hit, while the last US single, "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing
", made the Top 20 on both Country and AC.
Due to the enormous European success of Up! and its first three singles, two more singles were released in the second half of 2003 with up-tempo "Thank You Baby" (#11 in the UK, Top 20 in Germany) and just before Christmas the romantic, acoustic ballad "When You Kiss Me", at least a minor hit in both territories. The title track "Up!" also saw a single release in a limited edition of European countries, such as Germany, in early 2004. In January 2008, Up! had sold 5.5 million copies in the U.S. and was certified by the RIAA as 11x platinum (the organization counts double albums as two units).
In 2003, Twain participated in the Dolly Parton
tribute album Just Because I'm a Woman, covering Parton's classic "Coat of Many Colors
", with backing vocals by Alison Krauss
. The cover peaked at No.57 on the Hot Country Songs
charts as an album cut. During the Super Bowl XXXVII halftime show Twain performed two songs, "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!
" and "Up!
"
In 2004, she released the Greatest Hits
album, with three new tracks. As of 2008, it has sold over four million copies in the U.S. The first single, the multi-format duet "Party for Two
", made the country top ten with Billy Currington
, while the pop version with Sugar Ray
lead singer Mark McGrath
made top ten in the United Kingdom and Germany. The follow-up singles, "Don't!" and "I Ain't No Quitter
" did not fare as well. The former made Top 20 on Adult Contemporary, while the latter did not gain enough airplay to crack the Country Top 40.
In August 2005, she released the single "Shoes" from the Desperate Housewives
soundtrack.
Twain joined Canadian singer Anne Murray
on the song "You Needed Me
" on Murray's Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends album released November 13, 2007 in Canada, and on January 15, 2008 in the U.S.
On November 12, 2008 Twain made her first television appearance since her split from ex-husband Robert "Mutt" Lange, where she appeared as a surprise presenter at the 42nd CMA Awards.
In early January 2009, Internet forums were reporting that Twain was planning to make an announcement regarding her new album on January 26, 2009 but on the 22nd a spokesperson from Mercury Nashville told Country Weekly that no new album would be coming "anytime soon".
In June 2009, Twain released a letter to her fans explaining the delays in the release of her next album. In August 2009, at a conference in Timmins, Ontario, a spokesman for Twain's label said a new record from the singer is still "nowhere in sight". On August 17, 2009, EW
announced that Twain would be a guest judge on American Idol
in Chicago, for the show's August 30 and 31 episodes. On January 1, 2010, Twain carried the Olympic Torch
through her hometown as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay.
. The show debuted on May 8, 2011 on OWN
. Twain returned to American Idol as a guest mentor for a week where the top 6 contestants showcased her songs. After the conclusion of the ninth season Twain was very close to becoming a judge but ultimately it was Jennifer Lopez
who got the job.
More recently, in September 2010, it was confirmed that Twain was to release her first biography, From This Moment On, on May 3, 2011, and the cover work for the book was released on March 2, 2011.
On March 27, 2011, Twain was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Following her appearance, she revealed that she is writing music and that new music will be heard soon.
In May 2011, Twain confirmed in an interview with Perez Hilton
that she will release her first new single in six years, "Today Is Your Day
", after the finale of Why Not? with Shania Twain. Twain previewed the song in the first episode of the series. Twain worked with music producers David Foster
and Nathan Chapman
on the new song. In the next few months, Twain plans to return to the studio to finish her fifth studio album. "Today Is Your Day" was officially released to iTunes and country radio on June 12, 2011.
On June 8, 2011, at a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Twain announced that she will headline Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for two years. Her show, titled Still the One, will begin on December 1, 2012.
In July 2011, fellow Canadian superstar Michael Bublé confirmed in a live video chat with fans that he recorded a duet of 'White Christmas' with Twain for his 2011 Christmas album.
" for Revlon
. She also starred in ads for Candie's
shoes and Gitano jeans, who also sponsored her 1998–1999 Come On Over Tour.
In January 2005, Twain joined Scentstories by Febreze
to create a limited edition scent disc with the proceeds going to America's Second Harvest
.
Late in 2005, Twain partnered COTY
to produce her namesake fragrance "Shania" by Stetson. A second fragrance was released in September 2007, called "Shania Starlight".
, Puerto Rico
.
Twain practices Sant Mat
, which calls for daily meditation and vegetarianism.
In addition to her various awards for her singles and albums, Twain has received a number of personal honours:
Compilations
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(icon; born Eilleen Regina Edwards; August 28, 1965) is a Canadian country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me (1995), brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over
Come on Over (Shania Twain album)
Come On Over is the third studio album recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997. It became the world's best-selling country music album and the best-selling studio album ever released by a female artist in any genre...
, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and is the 9th best-selling album in the U.S. Her 4th album, titled Up!
Up! (album)
-Critical reception:Upon its release, the album received very positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72/100 from Metacritic...
was released late 2002. To date it has sold 20 million copies worldwide.
Twain has won five Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s and 27 BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Songwriter awards. She has had three albums certified Diamond
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
and is the second best-selling artist in Canada, behind Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, with three of her studio albums certified double diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
. Sometimes referred to as "The First Lady of Country Music", Twain has sold over 75 million albums worldwide and is ranked 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
era. She was also ranked 72nd on Billboard's "Artists of the decade" (2000–10). Most recently, Twain has her own TV series, Why Not? with Shania Twain, that premiered on the OWN
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network
The Oprah Winfrey Network , named after talk-show presenter Oprah Winfrey, is an American specialty channel produced by Harpo Productions and Discovery Communications...
on May 8, 2011. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on June 2, 2011.
Early years
Shania Twain was born Eilleen Regina Edwards in WindsorWindsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Ontario, daughter of Sharon (née Morrison) and Clarence Edwards. Her parents divorced when she was two and her mother then moved to Timmins
Timmins
Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,997...
, Ontario with Eilleen and her sisters Jill and Carrie Ann. Sharon married Jerry Twain, an Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
, and they had a son together, Mark. Jerry adopted the girls, legally changing their last name to Twain. When Mark was still in diapers, the Twains adopted Jerry's baby nephew, Darryl, after Darryl's mother passed away. Because of her connection to her stepfather, in the past, people had presumed Twain's ancestry was Ojibwa, but she stated in an interview that her biological father was part Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
. Through her maternal grandfather, she is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier
Zacharie Cloutier
Zacharie Cloutier was a French carpenter who emigrated to New France in the first wave of the Percheron Immigration from the former province of Perche, in Normandy, to an area that today is part of Canada...
. Her maternal grandmother, Eileen Pearce, emigrated from Newbridge
Newbridge, County Kildare
The earliest known mention of Newbridge was by traveller and bookseller John Dunton in 1698, though he does not refer to any settlement other than at Ballymany....
, Kildare
Kildare
-External links:*******...
, Ireland.
Eilleen Twain had a hard childhood in Timmins. Her parents earned little and there was often a shortage of food in the household. Eilleen did not confide her situation to school authorities, fearing they might break up the family. In the remote, rugged community, she learned to hunt and to chop wood. Sharon and Jerry's marriage was at times stormy, and from a young age, Eilleen witnessed violent fights between them. Sharon struggled with bouts of depression. In the summer of 1979, while Jerry was at work, at Eilleen's insistence, her mother drove the rest of the family 425 miles (684 km) south to a Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
homeless shelter for assistance. Sharon returned to Jerry with the children in 1981. In Timmins, Twain started singing at bars at the age of eight to try to make ends meet, often earning twenty dollar
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
s between midnight and one in the morning performing for remaining customers after the bar had finished serving. Although she expressed a dislike for singing in those bars, Twain believes that this was her own kind of performing arts school on the road. She has said of the ordeal, "My deepest passion was music and it helped. There were moments when I thought 'I hate this'. I hated going into bars and being with drunks. But I loved the music and so I survived". Twain wrote her first songs at the age of ten, Is Love a Rose and Just Like the Storybooks which were fairy tales in rhyme. She states that the art of creating, of actually writing songs, "was very different from performing them and became progressively important".
In the early 1980s, Twain spent some time working with her father's reforestation
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
business in northern Ontario, a business that employed some 75 Ojibwe and Cree workers. Although the work was demanding and the pay low, Twain said "I loved the feeling of being stranded. I'm not afraid of being in my own environment, being physical, working hard. I was very strong, I walked miles and miles every day and carried heavy loads of trees. You can't shampoo, use soap or deodorant, or makeup, nothing with any scent; you have to bathe and rinse your clothes in the lake. It was a very rugged existence, but I was very creative and I would sit alone in the forest with my dog and a guitar and would just write songs".
Career as Eilleen Twain
At 13, Eilleen was invited to perform on CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
television's the Tommy Hunter
Tommy Hunter
Thomas James "Tommy" Hunter, CM, O.Ont is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman".-Career:...
Show. While attending Timmins High and Vocational School
Timmins High and Vocational School
Timmins High and Vocational School is a public English-language high school in Timmins, Ontario. Timmins High and Vocational School includes Grades 9 - 12. It also features a special enriched academic stream; it is the only high school in the City of Timmins to offer Advanced Placement classes. The...
in Timmins
Timmins
Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,997...
, she was also the singer for a local band called "Longshot" which covered Top 40 music.
After graduating from Timmins High in June 1983, Twain was eager to expand her musical horizons. After the demise of the band Longshot, Twain was approached by a cover band led by Diane Chase
Diane Chase
Diane Chase is a Canadian country music artist. Chase has released three studio albums, 2000's In the Middle of Something, 2004's The Ride and 2009's Gettin' There. Her debut album produced two charting singles on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada, of which the highest was the #11-peaking...
called "Flirt" and they toured all over Ontario. Twain also began taking singing lessons from Toronto-based coach Ian Garrett and would often clean his house in payment for her lessons. In the autumn of 1984, Twain's talents were noticed by Toronto DJ Stan Campbell who wrote about her in a Country Music News article: "Eilleen possesses a powerful voice with an impressive range. She has the necessary drive, ambition and positive attitude to achieve her goals". Campbell happened to be making an album by Canadian musician (and present-day CKTB
CKTB (AM)
CKTB is a radio station in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Broadcasting at 610 AM, the station airs a news/talk format. CKTB is housed in the former mansion of William Hamilton Merritt, the main promoter of the first Welland Canal....
radio personality) Tim Denis at the time and Twain was featured on the backing vocals of the song Heavy on the Sunshine. Campbell later took Twain to Nashville to record some demos, which Twain found particularly difficult to finance. She became acquainted with regional country singer Mary Bailey who had had some country chart success in 1976. Bailey had seen Twain perform in Sudbury, Ontario, saying "I saw this little girl up on stage with a guitar and it absolutely blew me away. She performed Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" is a song written by songwriter Fred Rose. Originally performed by Roy Acuff, the song was later recorded by Willie Nelson as part of his 1975 album Red Headed Stranger. Both the song and album would become iconic in country music history, and jump start Nelson's...
" and Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. The song about loneliness was largely inspired by his troubled relationship with wife Audrey Sheppard...
". Her voice reminded me of Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
, it had strength and character, a lot of feeling. She's a star, she deserves an opportunity". Bailey later said "She sang a few songs that she had written, and I thought to myself, this kid is like nineteen years old, where does she get this? This is from a person who's lived sixty years".
There she met rock keyboardist Eric Lambier and drummer Randy Yurko and formed a new band, moving three months later to Bowmanville, near Toronto. In late summer 1986 Mary Bailey arranged for Twain to meet John Kim Bell, a half Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
, half American conductor who had close contacts with the directors of the Canadian Country Music Association
Canadian Country Music Association
The Canadian Country Music Association was founded in 1976 as the Academy of Country Music Entertainment to organize, promote and develop a Canadian country music industry. The association changed its name to the Canadian Country Music Association in 1987.-Awards:The CCMA held the first Canadian...
. Bell recognized Twain's ability as well as her looks and the two began secretly dating. In the fall of 1986 Twain continued to express her desire to be a pop or rock singer rather than country, which led to her falling out with Mary Bailey for two years. Twain's first break finally came on February 8, 1987, when Bell staged a fundraiser for the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation is a nationally registered non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the tools necessary for Aboriginal peoples in Canada, especially youth to achieve their potential.-About:To date the Foundation through its...
at the Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall located at 60 Simcoe Street in Toronto, Ontario. It is the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Opened in 1982, its circular architectural design exhibits a sloping and curvilinear glass exterior. It was designed by Canadian...
in Toronto where Twain performed with Broadway star Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
, jazz guitarist Don Ross
Don Ross (guitarist)
Donald James Ross , commonly known as Don Ross, is a Canadian fingerstyle guitarist noted for the emotion and intensity of his playing as well as his use of extended technique....
, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Her performance received little acclaim, but it convinced Bell, who hated pop music, that Twain should stay well away from it and concentrate on country music.
On November 1, 1987, Twain's mother and stepfather died in a car accident approximately 50 kilometres north of Wawa, Ontario
Wawa, Ontario
Wawa is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Algoma District. Formerly known as the township of Michipicoten, the township was officially renamed for its largest and best-known community in 2009....
. As a result Twain moved back to Timmins to take care of her younger siblings and then took them all to Huntsville, Ontario
Huntsville, Ontario
Huntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
. There, she supported them by earning money performing at the nearby Deerhurst Resort
Deerhurst Resort
The Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario is two hours north of Toronto in Ontario's Muskoka region, bordering the Algonquin Provincial Park. The resort dates from 1896 when it was first opened by English entrepreneur Charles Waterhouse...
.
1993–1994: Shania Twain
A couple of years passed and Twain's siblings got older and moved out on their own. Twain assembled a demo tape of her songs and her Huntsville manager set up a showcase for Twain to present her material to record executives. She caught the attention of a few labels, including Mercury Nashville Records, who signed her within a few months.During this time, she changed her name to Shania, an Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
word which means "on my way".
Twain's self-titled debut album
Shania Twain (album)
-Production:*Produced By Norro Wilson & Harold Shedd*Engineered & Mixed By Jim Cotton, Todd Culross, Graeme Smith & Joe Scaife*Mastered By Marty Williams-Personnel:*Drums, Percussion: Paul Leim, Larrie Londin, Terry McMillan*Bass: Mike Brignardello, Glenn Worf...
was released in 1993 in North America and garnered her audiences outside of Canada. The album only reached No.67 on the US Country Albums Chart, but it gained positive reviews from critics. The album failed to sell significant copies initially, although Twain's future success generated enough interest for the album to be certified platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
six years later by the RIAA, denoting sales of over a million. The album yielded two minor hit singles in the United States with "What Made You Say That
What Made You Say That
"What Made You Say That" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the first single ever released by Twain, as it came off her 1993 album Shania Twain. The song was written by Tony Haselden and Stan Munsey, Jr.. The single was released to radio in February of 1993. The song wasn't much of a...
" and "Dance with the One That Brought You
Dance with the One That Brought You
"Dance with the One That Brought You" is a song by Shania Twain, released as the second single from her album Shania Twain. The song was written by Sam Hogin and Gretchen Peters. The single was released to radio in May 1993. The song proved to have the same success as its predecessor at country...
". The album was more successful in Europe, where Twain won Country Music Television Europe's "Rising Video Star of the Year" award.
1995–1996: The Woman in Me and her breakthrough
When rock producer Robert John "Mutt" LangeRobert Lange
Robert John "Mutt" Lange is a Zambian-born British record producer and songwriter, usually known by his nickname "Mutt". Lange is one of the most successful producers in rock history. He has produced albums for artists such as AC/DC, Nickelback, Def Leppard, Outlaws, Foreigner, The Cars, Bryan...
heard Twain's original songs and singing from her debut album, he offered to produce and write songs with her. After many telephone conversations, they met at Nashville's Fan Fair
CMA Music Festival
The CMA Music Festival is a four-day music festival centered around country music hosted each June by the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee...
in June 1993. Twain and Lange became very close within just weeks. Lange and Twain either wrote or co-wrote the songs that would form her second studio album, The Woman in Me. Record executives were stunned when they listened to the album. It was unlike anything else in country music.
The Woman in Me was released in the spring of 1995. The album's first single, "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
"Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" is the title of a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released in January 1995 as the first single released from her album The Woman in Me. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. The song became Twain's first hit at country radio, peaking at...
" went to No.11 on the Billboard Country Chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
. This was followed by her first Top 10 and No.1 hit single, "Any Man of Mine
Any Man of Mine
"Any Man of Mine" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music artist Shania Twain. It was released in April 1995 as the second single from her 1995 album The Woman in Me. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Twain...
". Twain had further hits from the album, including the title track which peaked at No.14 and three additional No.1 hits: "(If You're Not in it for Love) I'm Outta Here!
(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!
" I'm Outta Here!" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released in November 1995 as the fourth single from her 1995 album The Woman in Me. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. The song became Twain's second number-one hit at...
", "You Win My Love
You Win My Love
"You Win My Love" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the fifth single released from her 1995 album The Woman in Me. The song was written solely by Mutt Lange, making it one of the very few Shania songs which she did not co-write. The song became Twain's third number-one hit at...
", and "No One Needs to Know
No One Needs to Know
"No One Needs to Know" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music artist Shania Twain. It was released in May 1996 as the sixth single from her 1995 album The Woman in Me. The song was written by Twain and Mutt Lange. The song became Twain's third consecutive...
".
As of 2007, it had sold more than 12 million copies.
The album was a quick breakthrough. Twain performed selected international venues and television shows with Nashville guitarists Randy Thomas (co-writer of the song "Butterfly Kisses
Butterfly Kisses (song)
"Butterfly Kisses" is the title of a song written by Bob Carlisle and Randy Thomas from Carlisle's third studio album Butterfly Kisses . The song was written for his daughter Brooke's 16th birthday. Carlisle also wrote a journal entitled Butterfly Kisses for fathers and their daughters...
"), Daniel Joseph Schafer
Daniel Joseph Schafer
Daniel Joseph Schafer , known professionally as Dan Schafer, is an American country music and Christian singer, lead guitarist, songwriter, and actor, who has toured with Shania Twain, Barbara Mandrell, George Jones, Lorrie Morgan, T. Graham Brown, and played bass on the Grand Ole Opry for six years...
(Dan Schafer) and Stanley T., formerly with the Beach Boys. Mercury Record's promotion of the album was based largely upon a series of music videos.
The Woman in Me won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album
Grammy Award for Best Country Album
The Grammy Award for Best Country Album has been awarded since 1994. The equivalent award, the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Album was presented in 1965 and 1966...
as well as the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
award for Album of the Year; the latter group also awarded Twain as Best New Female Vocalist.
1997–2001: Come On Over
In 1997, Twain released her follow-up album, Come On OverCome on Over (Shania Twain album)
Come On Over is the third studio album recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997. It became the world's best-selling country music album and the best-selling studio album ever released by a female artist in any genre...
. This was the album that would establish her as a successful crossover singer. Slowly, the album started racking up sales. It never hit the top spot, but with the multi-chart hit single "You're Still the One
You're Still the One
"You're Still the One" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the third country single from Shania Twain's 1997 album, Come on Over, while it was the first to be released to pop and international markets. Released in 1998, the single peaked at number two becoming Twain's first top ten...
", sales skyrocketed. Other songs like "Don't Be Stupid
Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)
"Don't Be Stupid " is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the second country single from Shania Twain's 1997 album, Come on Over, but was the seventh to be released to international markets. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Shania Twain...
", "You've Got A Way
You've Got a Way
"You've Got a Way" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the eighth single released to country radio from her 1997 album Come on Over. It was also the fourth single released to AC radio and fifth to Oceania. It was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. The song was originally released to...
", "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!
Man! I Feel like a Woman!
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is the seventh single released from Shania Twain's 1997 album Come on Over. It was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," originally released to North American country radio stations in early 1999, was the opening song on both Twain's Come on Over...
", "That Don't Impress Me Much
That Don't Impress Me Much
That Don't Impress Me Much is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the sixth country single released from her 1997 album Come on Over. It was third to pop and fourth to international markets. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain, and was originally released to...
" and "From This Moment On" joined the 12 songs that eventually saw release as singles. "From This Moment On" is a duet with singer Bryan White
Bryan White
Bryan White is an American country music artist. Signed to Asylum Records in 1994 at age 20, White released his self-titled debut album that year. Both it and its follow-up, 1996's Between Now and Forever, were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and 1997's The...
and there was even a pop version as well.
The album stayed on the charts for the next two years, going on to sell 40 million copies worldwide, making it the biggest-selling album of all time by a female musician. It is also the eighth biggest-selling album by any type of artist in the US and the top selling country album in history. Songs from the album won four Grammy Awards during this time, including Best Country Song
Grammy Award for Best Country Song
The Grammy Award for Best Country Song has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the writer of the song.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
and Best Female Country Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female...
(for "You're Still the One" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!") for Twain. Lange won Grammys for "You're Still the One" and "Come on Over".
Despite the album's record sales it wasn't able to top the Billboard 200, peaking at #2. In 1999, the Come on Over album was remixed for the European market as a pop album with less country instrumentation and actually gave her the big breakthrough in Europe she and her producer husband (Robert John "Mutt" Lange) were looking for. Come on Over went to number 1 on the UK album charts for 11 weeks. It became the biggest selling album of the year in Great Britain and a bestseller in other big European markets as well, selling more than one million copies in Germany and nearly 4 million in the UK alone. The songs that had finally drawn European attention to the album were the pop remixed singles "That Don't Impress Me Much", a No.3 in the UK and Top 10 hit in Germany in the summer of 1999, and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" which peaked at No.3 in both the UK and France in autumn of that year. Additionally, the album set the record for the longest ever stay in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200, remaining in the Top 20 for 99 weeks.
Twain's mainstream pop acceptance was further helped by her appearance in the 1998 first edition of the VH1 Divas
VH1 Divas
In 1998, VH1 debuted the first annual VH1 Divas concert. VH1 Divas Live was created to support the channel's Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The VH1 Divas concerts aired annually from 1998 to 2004. After a five year hiatus, the...
concert where she sang alongside Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, and also by VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 1999 heavily aired Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
, which concentrated on the tragic aspects of her early life as well as her physical attractiveness and Nashville's early resistance to her bare-midriff music videos.
In 1998, Twain launched her first major concert tour, aided by her manager Jon Landau
Jon Landau
Jon Landau is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
, a veteran of many large-scale tours with Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. The Come on Over Tour
Come on Over Tour
The Come On Over Tour is the first concert tour by Canadian recording artist, Shania Twain. Visiting North America, Australia and Europe, the tour supported Twain's third studio album Come On Over...
shows were enthusiastically received by audiences around the globe and answered critics who previously speculated that she could not perform live.
In 2000, Twain was initially scheduled to release a Christmas album, but plans to release one were cancelled later in the year.
Following the success of Come On Over, independent label Limelight Records released The Complete Limelight Sessions in October 2001. The album includes 16 tracks recorded in the late 1980s before Twain signed her record deal with Mercury.
2002–2004: Up!
Up! (album)
-Critical reception:Upon its release, the album received very positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72/100 from Metacritic...
was released on November 19, 2002. About a year later, Twain kicked off the Up! Tour
Up! Tour
The Up! Tour is the second concert tour by Canadian singer–songwriter Shania Twain in support of her fourth studio album, Up!. The show reached North America and Europe...
in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario, Canada on September 25, 2003.
Up! was released with three different discs – country/acoustic (green CD), pop/rock (red CD), and world/dance (blue CD). Up! was given four out of five stars by Rolling Stone magazine, and debuted at No.1 on the Billboard albums chart, selling 874,000 in the first week alone. It remained at the top of the charts for five weeks. Up! reached No.1 in Germany, No.2 in Australia and the Top Five in the UK and France. In Germany, Up! was certified 4x platinum and stayed in the Top 100 for one and a half years.
The international music disc was remixed with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n-style orchestral and percussion parts recorded in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India. The new versions were produced by Simon and Diamond Duggal
Diamond Duggal
Diamond Duggal aka DJ Swami is a music producer, songwriter, DJ and guitarist. He is also the leader of UK pop/ electronic/ bhangra band Swami. He is Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize nominated and produced and played alongside Mutt Lange on the Shania Twain double Grammy nominated 2004 album Up!. He...
, brothers from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England. They were originally invited to contribute parts to the pop version of "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" which retained the Indian influence.
Twain's popularity in UK was reflected by numerous appearances on the long-running music show Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, performing singles from Come on Over from 1999. In 2002 an entire special show was dedicated to her on sister show TOTP2
TOTP2
Top of the Pops 2 is a British television music show broadcast on BBC Two, showing archive footage from the long-running Top of the Pops show, some dating back to the 1960s when the programme first aired on British television....
, in which Twain herself introduced some past performances of her greatest hits and new singles from Up!
The first single from the album, "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!
I'm Gonna Getcha Good!
"I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the first single released from her 2002 album Up!. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Shania Twain. "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" was originally released to American radio on September 23, 2002...
" became a top 10 country hit in the US, after debuting at No. 24 after only five days of airplay; but only made the Top 40 on the pop charts. It was a much bigger hit on the other side of the Atlantic, released in a pop version, the single hit No.4 in the UK. In Australia, Germany and France the song reached the Top 15 in each case. The follow-up single "Up!
Up! (song)
"Up!" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It is the title track and second country single from her 2002 album Up!. The song was written by Twain and her then-husband, Mutt Lange. "Up!" was originally released to North American country radio on January 6, 2003. "I'm Not in the Mood !" was to...
" reached the Top 15 in the US country charts but failed to reach the pop Top 40.
The second European single became the mid-tempo song "Ka-Ching!
Ka-Ching!
"Ka-Ching!" is a 2003 song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the second international single released from her 2002 album Up!. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain. "Ka-Ching!" was the second release to Europe and Central American markets following "I'm Gonna...
" (which was never released as a single in North America) with lyrics where Twain was criticizing unchecked consumerism. The song eventually became another smash hit in the important European markets, reaching No.1 in Germany and Austria and other European countries, the UK Top 10 and the Top 15 in France.
The third single from the album would be the most successful in the US. The romantic ballad "Forever and For Always
Forever and for Always
"Forever and For Always" is a song released by Canadian singer Shania Twain from her 2002 album Up!. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. It was the third single on her album Up!. The single was released in the United States radio on April 7, 2003. The video debuted on Country Music...
" was released as a single in April 2003 and peaked at No.4 on the country chart and No.1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and made as well the Billboard Top 20. Again success was even bigger on the other side of the Atlantic with "Forever and For Always" again reaching the Top 10 in both, the UK and Germany. Further singles were "She's Not Just a Pretty Face
She's Not Just a Pretty Face
"She's Not Just a Pretty Face" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the fourth country single released from her 2002 album Up!. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Twain. Twain had announced that "Nah!" would be the next single after "Forever and for Always", but...
" a country Top 10 hit, while the last US single, "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing
It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" is a song performed by Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain. The track was composed by Twain and her then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and produced by Lange. It was released on February 9, 2004 by Mercury Nashville Records, as the eighth and final single...
", made the Top 20 on both Country and AC.
Due to the enormous European success of Up! and its first three singles, two more singles were released in the second half of 2003 with up-tempo "Thank You Baby" (#11 in the UK, Top 20 in Germany) and just before Christmas the romantic, acoustic ballad "When You Kiss Me", at least a minor hit in both territories. The title track "Up!" also saw a single release in a limited edition of European countries, such as Germany, in early 2004. In January 2008, Up! had sold 5.5 million copies in the U.S. and was certified by the RIAA as 11x platinum (the organization counts double albums as two units).
In 2003, Twain participated in the Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
tribute album Just Because I'm a Woman, covering Parton's classic "Coat of Many Colors
Coat of Many Colors (song)
"Coat of Many Colors" is a song by Dolly Parton, which she has described on numerous occasions as her favorite of the songs she has written. She composed the song in 1969, while traveling with Porter Wagoner on a tour bus...
", with backing vocals by Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
. The cover peaked at No.57 on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts as an album cut. During the Super Bowl XXXVII halftime show Twain performed two songs, "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!
Man! I Feel like a Woman!
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is the seventh single released from Shania Twain's 1997 album Come on Over. It was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," originally released to North American country radio stations in early 1999, was the opening song on both Twain's Come on Over...
" and "Up!
Up! (song)
"Up!" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It is the title track and second country single from her 2002 album Up!. The song was written by Twain and her then-husband, Mutt Lange. "Up!" was originally released to North American country radio on January 6, 2003. "I'm Not in the Mood !" was to...
"
2004–2005: Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Shania Twain album)
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by Shania Twain, released in 2004 . The album contains 21 tracks from her three Diamond albums The Woman in Me, Come on Over and Up!. Also included are three new songs: "Party for Two" which hit the top ten at country in the U.S...
album, with three new tracks. As of 2008, it has sold over four million copies in the U.S. The first single, the multi-format duet "Party for Two
Party for Two
"Party for Two" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the first single from her 2004 Greatest Hits album. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. Two versions of "Party for Two" were recorded: a pop mix with Mark McGrath and a country version with Billy Currington. The song was...
", made the country top ten with Billy Currington
Billy Currington
William Matthew "Billy" Currington is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 2003, he has released four studio albums for the label: 2003's Billy Currington, 2005's Doin' Somethin' Right, 2008's Little Bit of Everything, and 2010's Enjoy Yourself...
, while the pop version with Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
lead singer Mark McGrath
Mark McGrath
Mark Sayers McGrath is an American singer of the rock band Sugar Ray. McGrath is also known for his work as a co-host of Extra, and he was the host of Don't Forget the Lyrics! in 2010...
made top ten in the United Kingdom and Germany. The follow-up singles, "Don't!" and "I Ain't No Quitter
I Ain't No Quitter
"I Ain't No Quitter" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the third and final single released from her 2004 Greatest Hits album. The song was written by Twain and then-husband, Robert John "Mutt" Lange. "I Ain't No Quitter" was originally released to country radio on May 2, 2005...
" did not fare as well. The former made Top 20 on Adult Contemporary, while the latter did not gain enough airplay to crack the Country Top 40.
In August 2005, she released the single "Shoes" from the Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
soundtrack.
2006- present
At the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 16, 2007, Twain said she was currently writing songs for a new album, and was doing a "lot of soul searching" and "indulging in the writing."Twain joined Canadian singer Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
on the song "You Needed Me
You Needed Me
"You Needed Me" became the second single for Irish Boyband Boyzone from their album By Request. The single became number #1 on the UK Singles Chart, beating the debut solo single of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, outselling her by just 700 copies...
" on Murray's Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends album released November 13, 2007 in Canada, and on January 15, 2008 in the U.S.
On November 12, 2008 Twain made her first television appearance since her split from ex-husband Robert "Mutt" Lange, where she appeared as a surprise presenter at the 42nd CMA Awards.
In early January 2009, Internet forums were reporting that Twain was planning to make an announcement regarding her new album on January 26, 2009 but on the 22nd a spokesperson from Mercury Nashville told Country Weekly that no new album would be coming "anytime soon".
In June 2009, Twain released a letter to her fans explaining the delays in the release of her next album. In August 2009, at a conference in Timmins, Ontario, a spokesman for Twain's label said a new record from the singer is still "nowhere in sight". On August 17, 2009, EW
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
announced that Twain would be a guest judge on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
in Chicago, for the show's August 30 and 31 episodes. On January 1, 2010, Twain carried the Olympic Torch
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
through her hometown as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay.
Why Not? with Shania Twain; new album
In April 2010, Twain announced plans for her own TV show, entitled Why Not? with Shania TwainWhy Not? with Shania Twain
Why Not? with Shania Twain is a reality show that is hosted by Canadian country music singer/songwriter Shania Twain. It premiered on the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network on May 8, 2011 as the network's highest rated premiere to date. It documents the journey of the superstar who, by the age of 22, had...
. The show debuted on May 8, 2011 on OWN
OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network
The Oprah Winfrey Network , named after talk-show presenter Oprah Winfrey, is an American specialty channel produced by Harpo Productions and Discovery Communications...
. Twain returned to American Idol as a guest mentor for a week where the top 6 contestants showcased her songs. After the conclusion of the ninth season Twain was very close to becoming a judge but ultimately it was Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
who got the job.
More recently, in September 2010, it was confirmed that Twain was to release her first biography, From This Moment On, on May 3, 2011, and the cover work for the book was released on March 2, 2011.
On March 27, 2011, Twain was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Following her appearance, she revealed that she is writing music and that new music will be heard soon.
In May 2011, Twain confirmed in an interview with Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
that she will release her first new single in six years, "Today Is Your Day
Today Is Your Day
"Today Is Your Day" is a song performed by Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain. It was self-penned by Twain and co-produced by the singer alongside David Foster and Nathan Chapman. The song was released on June 12, 2011 by Mercury Nashville Records, as a promotional single to accompany the...
", after the finale of Why Not? with Shania Twain. Twain previewed the song in the first episode of the series. Twain worked with music producers David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
and Nathan Chapman
Nathan Chapman (record producer)
Nathan Chapman is an American record producer who works in the field of country music. He is known primarily for working with Taylor Swift, having produced her albums Taylor Swift, Fearless and Speak Now. The former was also the first album that he produced...
on the new song. In the next few months, Twain plans to return to the studio to finish her fifth studio album. "Today Is Your Day" was officially released to iTunes and country radio on June 12, 2011.
On June 8, 2011, at a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Twain announced that she will headline Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for two years. Her show, titled Still the One, will begin on December 1, 2012.
In July 2011, fellow Canadian superstar Michael Bublé confirmed in a live video chat with fans that he recorded a duet of 'White Christmas' with Twain for his 2011 Christmas album.
Endorsements and other ventures
Twain's commercial ventures outside the music industry included a series of cosmetic ads in 1999 based on "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!Man! I Feel like a Woman!
"Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is the seventh single released from Shania Twain's 1997 album Come on Over. It was written by Mutt Lange and Twain. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," originally released to North American country radio stations in early 1999, was the opening song on both Twain's Come on Over...
" for Revlon
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
. She also starred in ads for Candie's
Candie's
Candie's is a clothing brand started in 1981. Originally a Charles Cole "El Greco" line of shoes, the brand was purchased by Iconix Brand Group in 1993. Since 2005, Kohl's Department Stores has had exclusive rights to the Candie's brand in all departments except shoes.Candie's sells juniors'...
shoes and Gitano jeans, who also sponsored her 1998–1999 Come On Over Tour.
In January 2005, Twain joined Scentstories by Febreze
Febreze
Febreze is a brand of household odor eliminator manufactured by Procter & Gamble, sold in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand...
to create a limited edition scent disc with the proceeds going to America's Second Harvest
America's Second Harvest
Feeding America is a United States-based non-profit organization. It consists of a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks and food rescue organizations that serve virtually every county in the United States as well as Puerto Rico. It is the nation's leading hunger-relief charity,...
.
Late in 2005, Twain partnered COTY
Coty, Inc.
Coty, Inc. is the world's largest fragrance company, founded in 1904. It is also a beauty products manufacturer whose main businesses are fragrances , followed by color cosmetics , toiletries and skin care...
to produce her namesake fragrance "Shania" by Stetson. A second fragrance was released in September 2007, called "Shania Starlight".
Personal life
Twain married music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange on December 28, 1993, and they have a son, Eja D'Angelo who was born on August 12, 2001. On May 15, 2008, a spokesperson for Mercury Nashville announced that Twain and Lange were separating after Lange had an affair with Twain's best friend, Marie-Anne Thiebaud. Their divorce was finalized on June 9, 2010. On December 20, 2010, Twain's manager confirmed that Twain was engaged to Swiss business executive Frederic Thiebaud, the ex-husband of Marie-Anne Thiebaud. They married on January 1, 2011 in RincónRincón, Puerto Rico
Rincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco . It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Twain practices Sant Mat
Sant Mat
Sant Mat was a loosely associated group of teachers that became prominent in the northern part of the Indian sub-continent from about the 13th century...
, which calls for daily meditation and vegetarianism.
Awards and honours
- She was named the 1999 Entertainer of the Year by both the Academy of Country MusicAcademy of Country MusicThe Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
and the Country Music AssociationCountry Music AssociationThe Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
; Twain was the first non-US citizen to win the CMA award. - Twain was ranked No.7 in Country Music TelevisionCountry Music TelevisionCountry Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music in 2002. - In 2003, Twain was inducted into Canada's Walk of FameCanada's Walk of FameCanada's Walk of Fame , located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians...
. - The city of Timmins (located in OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada) renamed a street for her, gave her the key to the city, and built the Shania Twain CentreShania Twain CentreOpened on June 30, 2001, the Shania Twain Centre is a tourist attraction located in Timmins, Ontario. Since its opening, the Centre has received memorabilia, awards and many other personal items from Shania Twain, the most prominent person to have come from Timmins.-Timeline:September...
in her honour. - On November 18, 2005, Twain was invested as an Officer in the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. - Twain was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of FameCanadian Music Hall of FameThe Canadian Music Hall of Fame honors Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The ceremony is held each year as part of the Juno Award ceremonies. Members of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame represent many of the world's great talents...
at the Juno Awards on March 27, 2011. - On June 2, 2011, Twain received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her star is the 2,442nd Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Category of Recording.
Discography
Albums- 1993: Shania TwainShania Twain (album)-Production:*Produced By Norro Wilson & Harold Shedd*Engineered & Mixed By Jim Cotton, Todd Culross, Graeme Smith & Joe Scaife*Mastered By Marty Williams-Personnel:*Drums, Percussion: Paul Leim, Larrie Londin, Terry McMillan*Bass: Mike Brignardello, Glenn Worf...
- 1995: The Woman in Me
- 1997: Come On OverCome on Over (Shania Twain album)Come On Over is the third studio album recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997. It became the world's best-selling country music album and the best-selling studio album ever released by a female artist in any genre...
- 2002: Up!Up! (album)-Critical reception:Upon its release, the album received very positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72/100 from Metacritic...
Compilations
- 2001: The Complete Limelight SessionsThe Complete Limelight Sessions-Charts:...
- 2004: Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Shania Twain album)Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by Shania Twain, released in 2004 . The album contains 21 tracks from her three Diamond albums The Woman in Me, Come on Over and Up!. Also included are three new songs: "Party for Two" which hit the top ten at country in the U.S...
See also
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- List of best-selling music artists