One of the best-selling musicians of all time and the highest-grossing female singer in the history of country music, Shania Twain will live on forever—at least in our hearts.
She was dubbed the “Queen of Country Pop” and ruled the world in the 1990s, becoming well-known all over the world. Although few people are aware of her personal struggles. She was initially a malnourished, poor child before her breakthrough.
Not to mention how, at the age of 22, a terrible incident forced her to take on new responsibilities.
unstable upbringing.
On August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario, Eilleen Regina Edwards, also known as Shania Twain, was born. Later, Sharon, Shania’s mother, would change her last name after remarrying Jerry Twain.
Because he wasn’t present when Shania was growing up, she never publicly referred to him as her father. Shania and her two sisters were instead adopted by Jerry, who raised them all alone.
Jerry, my father, went above and beyond to raise three daughters who weren’t even his. Shania once said, “For me to acknowledge another man as my father, a man who was never there for me as a father, who wasn’t the one who struggled every day to put food on our table, would have hurt him greatly.
All things considered, Shania came from a difficult family. She lived in extreme poverty during her upbringing in the rural Canadian town of Timmins. Her stepfather, Jerry, was a full-blooded Ojibway who struggled to provide for his family and had little money.
As a result, Shania and her sisters didn’t always have food on the table. The rare treat known as “goulash,” consisting of dry bread with boiled milk and brown sugar, was occasionally the only thing available. Due to her parents’ limited budget, Shania was forced to endure the harsh Canadian winters by wearing bread sacks as shoes.
However, she kept her situation to herself when she was a young girl. She was afraid that if the future Queen of Country Pop revealed their struggles, the authorities would break up the family.
The marriage of Jerry and Sharon also had some issues. The three of them eventually escaped to a homeless shelter in Toronto with their mothers and sisters after Shania persuaded her mother to stop being around Jerry. But when Shania was 16, her mother and Jerry decided to get back together, and they decided to give it another shot.
Shania spoke about how she continued to live in “survivor mode” into her adult years as a result of the instability of her childhood home. She didn’t think she could rely on her parents to always look out for her or to keep her safe.
Shania started performing in bars when she was eight years old in order to pay for household expenses. Being a young girl, Shania knew it was risky and didn’t particularly enjoy performing it. She could, however, also earn up to $20 per night, giving her family’s struggling finances a much-needed boost.
“My greatest love, music, was helpful. I have a hate for this thought at times. I detested going to bars and hanging out with inebriated people. But I did survive because I loved the music, she said in Shania Twain: The Biography.
In Canada, Shania’s performances at retirement residences and in small-town pubs aided in the exploration of her talent and stage presence. She soon felt ready for a bigger scene.
Shania had the opportunity to perform when she was 13 on the Tommy Hunter Show, a renowned country music variety show that aired on CBC Television and ran for 27 years. It provided Shania with a fantastic opportunity to market herself as a country singer and was hosted by Tommy Hunter, dubbed “Canada’s Country Gentleman.”.
Midway through the 1980s, Shania was a struggling singer-songwriter attempting to make a name for herself in the music business. She moved to Toronto when she was 21 years old, having joined her first band, Longshot, when she was 16 years old.
As time passed, more and more people became aware of the gifted and attractive songstress. In Sudbury, Ontario, Mary Bailey, a well-known country singer, was astounded by Shania’s performance.
“I was completely amazed when I saw this little girl performing on stage with a guitar. She sang Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.”. Her voice had character, strength, and a lot of feeling; it made me think of Tanya Tucker. Bailey, who would later work as Shania’s manager, recalled saying, “She’s a star, she deserves an opportunity.”.
She performed a few songs that she had written, and I remember thinking, “This kid is like nineteen years old, where does she get this? This is from a person who’s lived sixty years.”.
Shania had an open road and many chances to succeed as a country musician in 1987. She was about to arrive in Nashville and make a lot of money.
Then tragedy struck and everything was altered.
On the afternoon of November 1, 1987, Shania’s parents were traveling to a job site on a secluded logging road.
They unfortunately ran into a truck carrying lumber. Jerry and Sharon both perished in the collision, leaving behind two sons and three daughters.
According to Shania, “I feel like I’ve been this tree with good, strong roots for 30 years, and all of a sudden someone comes along and is trying to cut me down, cut a part of me off.
Shania was shocked when she learned the news. She chose to go back to Timmins, where she was born. Shania had to take care of her younger siblings, who were 13, 14, and 18 at the time, instead of concentrating on her music career.
A very, very difficult time was experienced. But it was also a turning point in my life that, in my opinion, helped me grow up and get to where I should have been at that age in the first place,” she said.
She was solely responsible for raising them and making sure they received all the help they needed. Eventually, Shania decided to move her entire family to Huntsville, Ontario. She was hired there at the Deerhurst Resort as a vocalist and dancer.
In 1995, Shania declared, “I was just going to give up music.”.
“My family should come first, I reasoned. I have to look after them. I didn’t even consider my future.
Because it involved music, I’m glad I was hired by Deerhurst.
I was unsure of my next steps. “.
a path to fame.
She honed her talents as an entertainer while attending Deerhurst, where she was a stunning singer with her trademark brown hair and a lovely voice.
After making a demo recording of her song, she caught the interest of a Mercury Nashville Records executive. After being welcomed to Nashville, Shania Twain issued her self-titled debut album in 1993. Reviewers gave it excellent reviews even though it wasn’t financially successful.
Mutt Lange, a record producer from South Africa, was one person who truly adored what he heard. He was so moved by Shania’s performance, in fact, that he got in touch with her and asked if he could work with her to write and produce some songs.
They first met in June 1993 at the Fan Fair in Nashville, where they started working closely together and became close. The couple wed a year after that. Although Shania was more than ten years Mutt’s junior, it was clear that the two would get along just fine.
On Shania’s ensuing albums, The Woman in Me (1995) and Come On Over (1997), which propelled her to fame, they collaborated on a number of well-known songs.
The Woman in Me had more than 12 million sales in the US by 2007. When it was released, it was a huge success and Shania Twain became well-known right away.
“We just went for it blindly and went with what felt right. I believe that album had something for everyone, Shania said in 1997, according to The News Tribune.
Usually, Shania wrote the lyrics and Mutt made the music. Come On Over was produced by Mutt, who had previously worked with AC/DC and Def Leppard and tried to incorporate rock and roll riffs.
A combination of country and rock was the outcome, and it became a global musical breakthrough that sold 40 million copies worldwide. Her 1997 album featured several of Shania’s most well-known songs, including “You’re Still The One” and “Man! I Feel Like A Woman.”.
To be able to just be oneself and let one’s personality shine through in the music, Shania told The Associated Press, was the greatest thing of all.
It is reasonable to assume that “Shaniamania” broke out in America in the late 1990s. The best-selling country album ever is currently Come On Over, which is currently the ninth most popular album of all time in the US.
The union of Shania Twain.
Shania and Mutt Lange welcomed a son on August 12, 2001. They gave him the name Eja, which is pronounced “Asia,” and, according to the media, Shania gave birth to her son in a hospital in Switzerland without any “media fanfare.”.
Her pregnancy bore witness to the genuine charm that won her admiration from all corners of the globe. Eja’s birth was kept a secret by Shania, who kept everything under wraps.
unceasingly sobbed.
But a few years later, she would have to go through a public divorce, where less favorable information was leaked to the media.
For many years, there had been persistent rumors about Mark Twain and his wife having serious issues. In 1997, Shania addressed the rumors and refuted the notion that the couple would separate.
She declared, “Mutt and I make an odd couple.
“We are very happy, despite reports in the tabloids to the contrary. In every way, we care for one another. Great personal and creative chemistry exists between us. Still the One is kind of my own personal song about marriage, and we feel as strong as ever. “.
However, Shania and her husband divorced in 2008. Lange had an affair with Marie-Anne Thiébaud, Shania’s best friend, which was the cause.
Naturally, Shania was in the depths of despair. She claimed to cry all the time and take five baths per day. She was “ready to die,” the country singer alleged.
She admitted, “I’ll be honest, when your husband leaves you and walks into the arms of your close friend, your self-esteem can really suffer.
Marie-Anne and Shania became fast friends after the latter was employed by Mutt Lange as his assistant and interpreter. Shania confronted her ‘friend’ after learning of the relationship.
I was only able to say, “I just told her she was a bad person!”.
“You’re such a wimp, you coward!” was how I felt when I left her, the author claims.
husband of Shania Twain.
The situation would soon change dramatically again. In an effort to move past her heartbreak, Shania fell in love once more.
Frédéric Thiébaud, a businessman who had previously been married to Marie-Anne, and Shania were married in 2011. In Puerto Rico, in front of 40 guests, mostly close friends and family, the two exchanged vows after becoming close friends over their heartbreak.
“I no longer consider any day to be a given. Shania said, “Fred has given me a fresh perspective on love.
Her husband of more than ten years, according to Shania, is a true gift to her and someone she has found “a true friend and a dear gentleman.”. During their courtship, Fred surprised her with romantic getaways. Once, he flew her to a Swiss glacier, and another time, he reserved an entire movie theater for her.
This is twisted. So beautifully twisted,” she exclaimed.
“Words cannot fully express my love. Every day, I fall more and more in love with her,” Thiebaud added.
Shania Twain at the moment.
Shania Twain and her husband have lived in Corseaux, Switzerland, for a very long time. The Queen of Country Pop is notoriously private and only occasionally grants interviews.
She has recently put out a number of albums to varying degrees of success. She is currently performing a show in Las Vegas where she “takes fans on a journey through her award-winning career with the best elements from her iconic videos and visual spectacles of her sold out global tours.”. “.
She has also given the film industry a try, appearing in a number of movies over the years. She co-starred with John Travolta in the 2019 movie Trading Paint, and she played the mother of musician Jeremy Camp in the 2020 autobiographical movie I Still Believe.
Even though Shania doesn’t currently show up on the top rankings as frequently, she has had a significant impact on pop culture. As the reigning queen of country music, she was a major inspiration for artists like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood.
“Even if we don’t realize it, I believe Shania has had a significant influence on all of us. At the time, (her music) was incredibly unique and even somewhat revolutionary. For a lot of us, she undoubtedly paved the way, Carrie Underwood told AP in 2016.
Shania Twain discusses getting older.
In terms of how she presented herself and dressed, Shania was also very fashionable. The readers of Hello! magazine selected her as the most attractive Canadian of 2009. The country singer has been quite open about the methods she uses to stay young over the years. She reportedly meditates every day, follows a vegetarian diet, and eats a lot of raw foods.
She said, “A happy face comes after a happy heart.”.
Shania, who is currently 57 years old, also discussed how she is coping with aging.
I’m letting ‘the girls’ hang loose underneath my sweatshirts around the house, and when someone comes to the door, I cross my arms under them for support, she said, adding that she was insecure about her changing body.
“I just started with time. I’m sure it’s very different for everyone else. leaving fights I couldn’t win. She stated in the LadyGang podcast in 2020, “I mean, you know, aging is a battle you can’t win.
“In my life, my emotional state, and my mental state, that battle and the focus and energy it requires are taking up too much space. I have songs I need to write. I’m not going to do nothing, Twain declared.
