 |
Keeping Shania Twain on top |
 |
|
|
|
Her track Forever And For Always was named country song of the year by the US performing rights agency BMI last month. The song was the most-performed country track of the year on US radio and TV. It was Twain's fourth song of the year award from the organisation, which collects licence fees on behalf of its performers and songwriters. |
|||||
|
5/7/01: Shania's "That Don't Impress Me Much" is ranked #77 by VH1 (US) for their new May 2001 special "The 100 Greatest Videos." Comment: Every Shania video has outstanding elements. Realize this Top 100 list is very subjective (debatable), and that VH1 selected from only five Shania videos that aired on VH1: YSTO, FTMO, TDIMM, YGAW, and MIFLAW. VH1 staff have not seen most of Shania's other (CMT/country) videos, many of which were uniquely innovative in the genre for their time. 3/7/01: Shania's "You're Still The One" ranked 293 in a list of 365 "Songs of the Century" compiled by the Recording Industry Association of |
|
|
11/6/01: Though Shania has been musically inactive for nearly two years, she still received another award at the 2001 BMI Country Awards. "You've 5/28/01: Shania received a 2001 World Music Award for "Best Selling Canadian Artist." Based strictly on sales, awards were given out in 18 "geographic" categories, in addition to another 15 genre/male-female/new artist categories. Since she won the Best Selling Country Artist in 1996, some of the WMA categories change from year to year on a whim, so this is very minor news. Several other major Canadian stars are also taking time off from their careers or are between albums. |
|
|
3/13/02: Shania was voted Canadian celeb with the "most beautiful smile" for the second straight year in the Johnson & Johnson REACH(R) Whitening Floss Survey, again winning 40 per cent of the vote (second place had just 15%). |
|
|
SOURCE: LAUNCHCAST, ON YAHOO DATE--10-26-1998 AT 6PM Will Shania Twain Ever Get Respect? Poor Shania Twain. She just refuses to behave. She's been scorned by the critics, who said the hook-driven songs on her landmark second album, The Woman In Me, had the depth of a creek-bed in August. Would she listen? Nah--she instead released Come On Over, whose first single, "Love Gets Me Every Time," contained the irritatingly infectious hook, "I gol' darn gone and done it." She's been slammed for her sex-kitten image, but would she cover up that famous belly-button? Nope: she chose to appear just a wind-shift away from topless on the cover of October's Rolling Stone. And she's thumbed her nose at the Nashville establishment and its time-honored Way Of Doing Things, sticking by husband-producer Robert "Mutt" Lange (of Def Leppard and Bryan Adams fame). Lange garnishes his wife's records with more bells and whistles than a Christmas sleigh, but Shania just doesn't seem to care. Even her label Mercury Nashville is on the defensive, pulling out bar charts and SoundScan stats at a recent reception to prove that no, the 5 million units sold of Come On Over is not a comparative disappointment to the 10-million-selling The Woman In Me. Shania, dear, what are we going to do with you? Truth is, Nashville's Music Row hasn't figured Shania out yet, and they probably never will. "I find that the very things that I get criticized for, which is usually being different and just doing my own thing and just being original, is the very thing that's making me successful," Shania points out--quite accurately, one might add. Nashville's not an ecumenical sort of town, where one artist's success is applauded for its obvious benefits to the entire genre--especially when that artist has stepped outside the clearly-drawn lines of the Nashville Way. So while she may not carry home armloads of CMA Awards, she is blazing a crossover trail, landing on the top of Billboard's pop and country charts. "I love it--I love it for music, and for myself," says the Timmins, Ontario native. "I grew up listening to all the best of all the genres, because I grew up in a town with only one radio station. And that is the way I've always seen music; I never really felt the necessity to differentiate from one genre to the next." Shania defends her music as actually quite traditional. Songs like her current hit, "Honey I'm Home," which rocks more than it twangs, is "not really an ambitious song for country at all, actually. It is, maybe, for where country's at now. But I always use the example of 'Take This Job And Shove It'--you heard a lot of that type of music when I was growing up. It was much more frank, much more in-your-face, much more real." She may be a maverick by Nashville standards, but creatively speaking, Shania says her success comes from "going with the flow," not plotting out a five-year marketing plan. Next year could be huge for her, as country's other mega-stars, Garth Brooks and LeAnn Rimes, have both announced plans to take 1999 off. But rather than trying to capitalize on being country music's global standard-bearer, she says she will instead focus on her music. "This is what dictates the way I look, the way the videos look, the order that the songs come out in--everything comes after that."
So listen up, Nashville: maybe it ain't so complicated after all. |
|
|
|
|
|
December 10, 2003: Shania performed her new hit "She's Not Just A Pretty Face" accompanied by 100 children at the 2003 Billboard Awards. Shania won four awards (three announced): Country Artist of the Year, Female Country Artist, Country Albums Artist of the Year, and Country Album of the Year for UP!... Shania Billboard Pics Shania's "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" earned Shania another BMI Country Award, for one of the (50) most played songs of the year. This is Shania's 23rd BMI Songwriting Award, including both pop and country songwriter of the year. (Nov 4) September 30: Shania Twain set new attendance records as she launched off her UP! World Tour, setting an all-time record at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario with an attendance of 18,573 and a record-setting gross of $1,282,984 (USD). Shania followed with a sell-out crowd in Ottawa, Ontario, and another record, grossing $1,195,587 (USD)... See Shania World Tour. August 19: Shania was ranked #8 in the Askmen.com "Top 99 Most Desirable Women" list for 2003, the highest ranked music artist and only country artist included. She should honestly be #1-2 on any of these lists (Maxim #2 this year), but all these polls tend to be silly and quite subjective. Based on combined votes of staff and readers. August 15: Shania won the "Best International Artist" award and performed her new single "Thank You Baby" at the Comet Awards, presented by Viva and RTL ( July: Shania's UP! album was IFPI certified 2X Platinum, for 2 million unit sales across June 25: Shania was inducted into June 10: Shania's "You're Still the One" has been ranked #47 of the "100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years," as chosen by VH1. May 16: In addition to being MAXIM Magazine's June cover girl, Shania is #2 on their "Hot 100" Women of 2003 list. April, 2003: Shania's new UP! 2-CD album has officially been certified for worldwide sales of over 8 million in under 5 months... on "1 1/2" singles (only one in some markets, two in others). She's at about 4.5 million actual US sales (SoundScan plus one club, full-price sales) and a 5M certification. Considering minimal Shania's SUPERLATIVE "Come On Over" album has now been certified for sales of 19 million in the |
|
| Sponsors | ||
|
||
|
December 28, 2003: Shania's "Come On Over" album has sold 14.9 million units at SoundScan retail since it's November 1997 release (and over 4 million more at music clubs) for its 19 million RIAA certification, and continues to rank as the best-selling album of the SoundScan era (1991-12/28/03) and best-selling female album of all time. December 15, 2003: Shania Twain's brilliant UP! album has been certified by the RIAA for |
|
|
Interview with Shania TwainShania Twain was in Vancouver to promote her new Mercury Records CD, "The Woman In Me", in early February, 1995.
Shania (Shu-Nye-uh) is an Ojibway name for "I'm On My Way". She is a Canadian country singer/songwriter signed to Mercury, Nashville. Shania has been singing country music publicly since the age of eight, when her father (an Objiway Indian) and mother began showcasing her at community events.
Despite the tragic death of both of her parents when Shania was only 21, she has survived that loss, and after a few years devoted to caring for and raising her kid sisters and brothers, has launched a successful international career as a recording artist.
"The Woman In Me" is her second Mercury release.
This new CD captures the fairy tale quality of her meeting and falling in love with Mutt Lange, renowned producer of albums for bands like Def Leopard and major artists like Brian Adams and Michael Bolton. Now married, Twain and Lange, co-wrote most of these tunes and the intense communication of their relationship is evident in the music. WCMR: Your story reads like the ultimate Cinderella story, the ultimate country music scenario, now that you've met the love of your life, your dream producer and co-writer, and gotten married... Especially, since your new CD seems to be one of the best releases to come out in a while...
SHANIA: It is a Cinderella story. Not rags to riches, I'm not rich, yet. But certainly rags to something...
WCMR: The unfortunate death of your parents is a visible focus to the story, a tragedy which you have survived, and one which fans can see as an event which forced you to grow up quickly and assume responsibility at a very young age.
SHANIA: If you put it that way, it sort of makes sense, how I was able to cope with it at that time. The reason was, I think, was because my parents, in developing a career for me when I was so young, that actually made me grow up very quickly as well. My childhood career matured me and, in a sense prepared me in a way for what was coming. WCMR: When you were only eight years old you were singing... Did they have to stand you up on a chair so the audience could see you? SHANIA: The guitar was bigger than me. I wish they would have made those half-width size guitars when I was eight... nine... ten... eleven and twelve. I was so small that they couldn't lie flat on me. They were sticking out (like that) because I couldn't get my arm around them. I've been doing it for a very, very long time. I'm twenty-nine years old now, and it has been twenty-one years that I've been singing professionally.
I remember Gary Buck and Dallas Harms. I used to be on shows as the opener for Anita Perras when I was just a kid and she was a teenager. I opened for people like Carrol Baker. Ronnie Prophet was one. Mary Bailey, my manager, was an entertainer when I was a child.
WCMR: Who were the radio people that got you excited in those days? SHANIA: I listened to all kinds of music, we had a multi-format station happening in our home town. I heard 'everything' through radio, but at home it was always country. And I only sang country music as a child. I had other influences. I was really enamoured with the Carpenters, their harmonies... were so beautiful... I learned so much, at a very young age from groups like that. Her voice is just like silk, it is so gorgeous!
There were many influences along the way. I think Dolly Parton is the one from the beginning right up until now, that has been the 'one'. Dolly has done everything. She's an exceptional writer. She's an actor. She's a great personality. She's everything.
WCMR: I like Dolly too. And one of the reasons I like her is her versatility. She's equally effective doing a simple acoustic bluegrass tune (like on the Trio album) as she is in the larger country pop productions like Islands In The Stream. There's some splendid acoustic stuff on your new CD.
SHANIA: I'm very comfortable with that. I'm not a great guitar player. I never spent very much time perfecting my skills on guitar... I'm a singer/songwriter. I use my guitar as an instrument to write. But I never performed without my guitar until I was at least sixteen. And when I first put it down, it was so awkward without it.
I think any singer/songwriter is comfortable doing an acoustic- type thing. They are used to just sitting and singing with the guitar. It is one of my favourite things to do.
WCMR: Let's talk about the album itself. Your husband, and co- writer, and producer, has not come up with basically a pop album here. It is very country!
SHANIA: Yes! A lot of people are pleasantly surprised. Maybe were even expecting it to be 'over-produced'... or too rock... I think what he has done, through this CD, is created a new standard for country music. What people don't realize is, of course--yes, as far as Def Leopard is concerned he is a major contributor to that success, of course, yes! But to go from Def Leopard to Billy Ocean (he did the Caribbean Queen album and that was a huge success) ...to go from Def Leopard to Billy Ocean to Michael Bolton... they are worlds apart...
WCMR: You are saying that he brings out the best in everyone he deals with?
SHANIA: He enhances the artist's music. A lot of the success of this album has to do with the writing and what he has done with the sound of it. Right from the beginning he said, "We need to go into your catalogue. I want to know what write, what you've been writing, then we'll go from there. You be the basis to the creativity of this album, because it needs to be you not me..." And, so that's what we did.
Ten out of the twelve songs on this album are songs that I was writing before I even met Mutt. It feels very good. Like Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?
WCMR: The sounds on the album are pretty darn tasty. I like the bursts of cajun fiddle.
SHANIA: I lot of the album has a bit of cajun flavour, cajun fiddle. I think the whole idea behind the fiddle on this CD is we wanted fiddle that really 'dug in', and was really aggressive, not just the fiddle as a background instrument.
WCMR: My favourite song is the second to last cut, No One Needs To Know.
SHANIA: (snapping her fingers and singing) ..."Am I dreamin' or stupid / I think I've been hit by Cupid / But no one needs to know right now"...
WCMR: Many country albums only have ten cuts, you've given us twelve. (thanks for the extra music) The eleventh track is an up tempo acoustic gem and then the twelfth is the show-stopper, the a cappella rendition of the song which came to you in the months when you were healing from the loss of your parents... God Bless The Child.
SHANIA: That was more of a... Mutt didn't want to do anything to that one. It is good the way it is, it is not really a complete song. What it is, is a musical thought, an expression. At the time, when my parents died, what that lullaby did for me was to comfort me. It soothed me. It was like a bellows of sorrow... I would go for long walks and just sing this.
WCMR: ...the healing process.
SHANIA: Yes. I think he really captured that on the CD without adding anything.
WCMR: Working with a producer who can get the right vocal out of you makes the difference between an average album and a killer one...
SHANIA: Yes. Mutt's always been great at that with everyone he's worked with. I think that the advantage that we have together is that we love each other. |
|
|
3/13/02: Shania was voted Canadian celeb with the "most beautiful smile" for the second straight year in the Johnson & Johnson REACH(R) Whitening Floss Survey, again winning 40 per cent of the vote (second place had just 15%). |
|
|
3/13/02: Shania was voted Canadian celeb with the "most beautiful smile" for the second straight year in the Johnson & Johnson REACH(R) Whitening Floss Survey, again winning 40 per cent of the vote (second place had just 15%). |
|
|
|
|
| Sponsors | ||
|
||
|
|
|
|
9-9-2003 Shania won in the Female Artist category, CMT Video of the Year, Top Selling Album and Album of the Year. Although preparing for the tour supporting her album UP!, Shania made time to appear at the ceremony for the induction of Sylvia Tyson into the CCMA Hall of Fame. Other winners at the CCMAs include Terri Clark, who received her fourth Fans' Choice award, as well as the Single of the Year Award for "I Just Wanna Be Mad," Emerson Drive took home the New Group Duo of the Year Award and newcomer Aaron Lines was honored with the Chevy Truck Rising Star Award and also won in the Male Artist category. Performances included Terri Clark singing "I Wanna Do It All," Wynonna singing "What the World Needs Now Is Love," and Keith Urban with "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me."
6-30-2003 The event was held in Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall, with about 1000 fans behind barricades cheering the inductees. Shania said she was honored to receive this recognition and was happy to once again be among the Canadian people. "It's really incredible when I travel around the world and people actually don't realize how many talented and famous people come out of Canada," said Shania. "And I'm always reminding them!" Also inducted to the Walk of Fame were Mike Myers, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels, musician Robbie Robertson and model Linda Evangelista.
Shania Twain is getting ready for a tour in the fall â but she has to iron out a few details first. 5-27-2003 For instance, she still needs an opening act. "There will be an opening act," says Shania. "I just don't know who that will be yet." The tour kicks off during the last week of September, although not all of the dates have been decided. So far, there are shows scheduled on July 5 in Ireland and July 12 at Hyde Park in London. "It's going to be a very international tour," Shania says. "I plan on going all the way around the world this time, which is going to be great fun. Of course, I'll spend most of my tour in the U.S." Speaking of touring, Shania says that regardless of what she's doing in 20 years, music will always be a part of her life. "I will always do music with the same enthusiasm because it's my passion, I love it," she says. "Whether I'll do it with an audience or not, that I don't know. And whether I'll be making records 20 years from now, that I don't know. But music is such a part of me, it would be like losing a limb if I didn't have music."
8-21-2001 Shania Twain and husband Mutt Lange are the parents of a baby boy! The baby, named Eja, was born on Sunday, August 12 and everyone is reported to be doing well.
In case you hadn't heard, A few of Shania Twain's fans have gone the star registry and had a real celestial body named after her. Meanwhile, those close to Shania guestimate that she is due to deliver at anytime. That should put a twinkle in everyone's eye!
7-2-2001 Recently NASA used Shania Twain's "Honey, I'm Home" tune as a wake-up call for Space Shuttle Atlantis' crew. Wake-up calls are apparently a NASA tradition, and the space boys got a taste of Shania on day 13 of their mission to Space Station Alpha according to a tip-off on BMAC's Shania Twain City website.
Shania Twain has recently donated a host of items to the Shania Twain Centre in her hometown of Timmins. Recently a reporter of Timmins' MCTV station released a partial list of the items. It has not been decided how many of the myriad items ranging from various gowns and outfits to awards the artist has won will be on display for the public.
Shania Twain sends out word from Switzerland that she and her husband Mutt Lange are very happy about the upcoming birth of their child. However, this is the only update Shania fans will get, as the couple are keeping quiet about all other details, including a due date, or the child's gender -- which they do not even know. Expect to see a new Shania album sometime in 2002. And if we know Shania like we think we do, expect a tour to go along with it.  SHANIA PREGNANCY CONFIRMED 3-23-2001
After over a year of rumors, it has finally been confirmed -- Shania Twain is pregnant. The news was confirmed by Shania's publicist at Universal Music Canada, Samantha Johnson, on Thursday, March 22.
Shania is currently at her home near Geneva, Switzerland, where she and her husband, producer Mutt Lange, moved at the end of 1999 to escape publicity and relax.
With the Holiday season approaching, Shania Twain has donated items from her tour and television wardrobes for use in on-line auctions. Funds raised from the auctions will benefit Kid's Caf', a program that provides meals for children throughout the United States. Vh1.com will soon have items on their site, while other sites are expected to participate later. As a child, Shania Twain often went to school without eating breakfast, and frequently had no food to pack for lunch. Throughout Shania's career, she has shown unwavering support for the over 13 million children in America alone who suffer the physical and emotional effects of waking up and going to sleep hungry. |
||
SHANIA'S GONE TRUCKIN' 
SHANIA GIVES THUMBS UP TO EMERSON DRIVE 
on her Canadian tour, fellow Canadians Emerson Drive - she's asked them to continue on with her for the tour's American leg throughout late fall and early winter 2003. "We have been having such a fantastic time on the road with Shania that 
when we received the news that we picked up more shows touring with her in the United States, we were thrilled!" shares lead vocalist Brad Mates. "This tour was a huge dream for us and it doesn't get better than this."
SHANIA GOES SOUTH 
Saddledome, with Shania Twain taking home four awards.
Shania Twain, along with other famous Canadians, was honored in her native Canada recently at the Canadian Walk of Fame ceremony.
SHANIA TWAIN TOUR TO BE "VERY INTERNATIONAL" 
SHANIA SAYS NO TO ALBUM PROMOTION IN SWITZERLAND 
SHANIA OPENS UP ON PRIMETIME SPECIAL 
"Katie At Night" airs Tuesday night at 10 p.m. on NBC. 
SHANIA CHATS WITH FANS ONLINE 
really her focus. "Being famous isn't all that great or anything to aspire to, personally," she said. "I always pursued music and was lucky enough to become successful. If I could do what I do without being famous, that would be my choice. Ideally, I would have become a back-up singer and have other stars sing my songs... It's changed my life in a big way because I don't get a lot of privacy and I'm naturally a fairly withdrawn person, so it's challenging for me to get out there and be a star." 
SHANIA ON NEW ALBUM: I WANTED IT TO BE BIGGER & BETTER 
Record sales, however, are not at the forefront of her mind. Shania says that her and record producer husband Mutt Lange "just wanted to put something together that would be bigger and better. As a team, Mutt and I put more into this than ever before." 
NEXT UP -- SHANIA 
SHANIA GIVES BIRTH - IT'S A BOY! 
No details about the family's new arrival were released -- not surprising, given the veil of secrecy that surrounded the original reports and rumors of Twain's pregnancy, which was confirmed in March.
According to the website 
person who "has sensitivity and appreciation for the finer and deeper things of life, the beauties of nature, music, art and literature."
In other Shania news, the Shania Twain Centre in Timmins is holding an event to celebrate Shania's 36th birthday. Fans who attend can sign a birthday card, sing Happy Birthday, and even eat free birthday cake. Although 
Shania will not be at the event, the card and a video of the festivities will be sent to her at her home in Switzerland. 
SHANIA'S STARS 
SHANIA WAKES UP ASTRONAUTS 
SHANIA WAKES UP ASTRONAUTS 
SHANIA TWAIN: FRENCH LESSONS AND DIAPER CHANGES 
Shania's donations include: 
clippings of Shania 
-gold sleevelss gown worn in Revlon ad 
SHANIA PREGNANCY UPDATE 
|
SHANIA -- THE EARLY YEARS
(Above you will see a picture of the lobby in the Shania Twain Centre. I think it looks so awesome and hopefully one day I can plan a trip to it to be able to see it in person.) Source: CountryWeekly.com May 31, 2002 Before Shania Twain skyrocketed to stardom, she was a poor, struggling, big-hair resort act whose idea of a real treat was hot tea with lemon.
(Up above you will see the Shania Twain Centre and you are seeing the lobby of the Centre. I think its awesome and hope I can get up there to see it sometime.)
Shania and Harry cut an album in 1989, which was released only in Canada. Those original recordings are now available on the CD Eilleen Shania Twain: The Complete Limelight Sessions, which features 17 tracks. (The picture above is of Shania in concert and putting on a great performance.")
"What I immediately noticed was her commitment to music," says Harry, who first spotted her at the rural Deerhurst resort in Huntsville, Ontario, where she performed as a low-paid club singer. "She would take a four-hour bus ride from Deerhurst to the studio in Toronto at least once a week. But I never heard her complain about it."
As Shania Twain gears up for a massive global comeback, she relishes everyday life - and motherhood - at her breathtaking castle in Switzerland
(This is Shania's tour bus and she jas it there for fans to roam around it. It's now a permanent fixture there since she has retired that bus.) After an exhausting, nonstop day, Shania Twain finally calls it a night. She changes into her favorite pair of camouflage pants - just right for relaxing - and stretches out on a front-room sofa. The picture below is a Shania hockey jersey.
But here in wind-down mode, Shania's not thinking about career pressures and demands. "It just feels good to be home," she says, letting go a relaxed breath. And why wouldn't it? After all, "home" is a 20-room castle in Switzerland with a majestic view of the Swiss Alps. Shania and her husband-producer, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, moved into the chateau, located in the upscale city of Tour-de-Peilz, three years ago.
Last year, the couple welcomed a new addition to their home, baby son Eja - and now life is sweeter than a mound of Swiss chocolate. "It's just been unbelievable," says Shania about becoming a mom. "I love doing the little things for him, like making his breakfast, singing to him, tucking him in at night. Having a child is just so enriching."
"We also have access to all these fabulous designer stores where you can get Gucci or Armani clothes. It's a small village - but I have the best shopping I could ever have anywhere!" "Everything is so beautiful," adds an awestruck Shania. "We are on Lake Geneva near the base of the Alps - and the view is like one of those picture postcards." It's a fairy tale come true, but Shania strives to maintain a sense of reality. Her happiest moments come with simply being a wife and mom, performing everyday domestic chores.
And yes - Shania cooks! "It's one of the things I really enjoy," she says. "For the first few months after Eja was born, I made all of his baby food from scratch. I make dinner most every evening. I'm very careful about what I eat - Mutt and I are both vegetarians - so I'm just more comfortable if I do most of the cooking myself." Shania is equally strict about the baby's diet - unhealthy snacks and sweets are definitely out. There was one notable exception: Eja's first birthday this past Aug. 12. To mark the occasion, Shania baked her specialty, a double-layer chocolate cake. "That was really his first time to have any kind of unnatural sweets," Shania says. She laughs as she recalls Eja's reaction to his birthday treat. "We got out a video camera, so we could film him in his little party hat," Shania recalls. "We were waiting for this great Kodak moment, where he smooshes his face in the cake and it gets all over his hair. "But he is such a neat and tidy eater! He just touched the cake a little bit, tasted it and decided he didn't want any more," she giggles. "So I never got the Kodak moment!" Shania clearly lives in a picture-perfect world. Here in her small but posh Swiss village, where the natives are used to seeing the rich and famous roam, Shania doesn't feel like a "star." Nor is she treated like one - and that suits her fine. Before she and Mutt made the move to Switzerland, Shania was one of the biggest stars in the world - and feeling the pressures that went along with that role. "I was having a hard time finding peace and solitude," she admits. "Part of the reason we came here is that the people don't care about any celebrity. They are very discreet about it, and they pride themselves on that. I find that when I'm home, I can blend in and pretty much forget anything about fame." Not that she doesn't have to dodge a snoopy photographer every now and then. But those occasions are rare. "We don't live in a main city," Shania explains, "so we're really not that accessible. Which is great, because I get to do my daily things with pretty much complete privacy. And that," she adds emphatically, "definitely could not happen in America." Shania's daily routine has changed slightly, now that she's a full-time mom. "Before I was pregnant, a typical day would be to get up and go riding," says Shania, who keeps six horses on her castle property. "Mutt and I would do a lot of hiking and skiing - we're quite outdoorsy." Now a typical day centers on family. After rising early and preparing breakfast, Shania usually saunters into town with Eja right alongside. "We like to go grocery shopping," she says. "If it's nice, we play outdoors for a little bit. We also have a very nice garden with lots of roses, so I tend to that. Sometimes we take Eja on little trips, but mostly we're at home." Shania assures that her home is not a workplace, even though she and Mutt installed a recording studio in the castle. "I find it hard to write or do any serious recording when I'm at home," she declares. "It's difficult to concentrate. I'm always thinking about what I'm going to make for dinner or what do I need from the store, things like that." Music is a favorite family activity, though. Shania and Mutt delight in watching little Eja react to sounds and rhythms. FAMILY FIRST! Superstar Shania Twain is burning up the concert trail around the world. but she insists there's no place like home with her husband and son. For her exhaustive, record-breaking Up! Tour, Shania Twain is leaving no country untouched. The excursion began last year in Europe and continues to forge ahead in 2004 at breakneck speed, with stops throughout the United States and Shania's homeland, Canada. In an age where many stars - especially females - are seeing their concert sales drop, this global superstar is shattering attendance records wherever she performs. And that fact is hardly lost on Shania. "I'm worried about the music industry in general - it's just so down," she says in a concerned tone. "So we're feeling pretty fortunate. And to be honest, we're actually feeling like we're just getting going." The pop-country queen reigns supreme, yet she's able to keep much of her life private. That's mainly because she makes her home in Switzerland, with her husband-producer "Mutt" Lange and their son, Eja, who turns three in August. Far away from photographers and celebrity-seekers, Shania is free to step into the roles of wife and mother without distractions. "I'm always in a family mode," she says sweetly. "I love just being at home and spending time with my son." And Shania makes sure that it's quality time. "It's tiring, but I make little rules, you know," she explains. "I like to be home every night for bath and bed time, and we always spend our mornings together. We manage to spend more time together than most mums who work eight-to-five get to." Even on the road, Shania is determined to be a hands-on mom. Eja often travels with Shania and seems to adjust to road life, with mother's help. "We get to establish a routine," she says. "I don't bring him to the venue too often, because he's usually off doing other things, like swimming or ice skating. But I put him to bed every night. He's been dealing with this life from the time he was born, so this is really second nature to him. He's a good little boy, not a hyper kid at all." That's a case of the apple not falling far from the tree. "I was always the kind of kid who was happy playing by myself," admits Shania with a laugh. "He's very much like that." And like Mom, he'll likely become an experienced world traveler. Shania maintains that Switzerland is merely a "permanent temporary" home. "The world's a big place, and I hope to live in many different countries before the end of my life," she says. "It doesn't really matter where I live - as long as family is there." -- Bob Paxman Shania Twain In fact, Shania is so determined to "getcha" that she's packed Up! with 19 songs, each one as timely, reliable and carefully constructed as a Swiss watch. All Shania's familiar charms - catchy, radio-ready choruses, thumping beats, sassy attitude - are present and accounted for in each tune. It's hard to imagine any of the 34 million people worldwide who bought Come On Over - Shania's previous album, released a patience-testing five years ago - coming away from her new one unsatisfied. Opening with the surprisingly down-sounding title cut, Up! charges full-throttle through the woman-power anthems "She's Not Just A Pretty Face" and "Juanita," the reggae-tinged "Ain't No Particular Way," the ABBA-ish "C'est La Vie," and too many more to mention, pausing for only a couple of ballads along the way. A lone sour note is struck by the anti-shopping "Ka-Ching!" - does she really want you to feel guilty for buying the album? That stumble is soon forgotten, and after 19 songs in 74 minutes, you're only getting started. Up! is divided into two halves - the first, "red" disc is fully electrified, while the other, "green" disc offers more acoustic-leaning versions of the same songs. (Rumor had it that Up! would be Shania's plunge into pop, but rest assured that's not the case.) Two and a half hours of tuneful, eager-to-please, state-of-the-art country? What more can one woman do to getcha to get Up!? HAS SHANIA HAD ENOUGH? 2003
On the one hand, the global superstar surrounds herself with the trappings of fame, including a lavish castle in Switzerland where she lives with husband-producer "Mutt" Lange and their son, Eja. But on the other, Shania makes a shocking declaration -- that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. In fact, she now maintains that stardom is becoming more of a burden than a benefit. "Being famous isn't all that great, or anything to aspire to personally," reveals Shania, who released her latest album, Up!, last November. "If I could do what I do without being famous, that would be my choice. Ideally, I would have become a backup singer and have other stars singing my songs." Those are shocking words from a woman who, by most standards, truly has it all: international fame, wealth beyond belief and, most important, a loving family. But now she seems to be saying that she's had enough. Certainly she's already accomplished enough to fulfill a lifetime of dreams. She remains one of the few women with two albums that have sold more than 10 million copies -- The Woman In Me and Come On Over. If Up! continues its breakneck pace, Shania would become the only female -- in any field of music with three 10-million-sellers. She also stands to rake in several million from her upcoming tour, scheduled to kick off later this year. Shania's concert extravaganza will literally cross the globe, from the United States to Australia and Asia -- and the box-office dollars are sure to be astronomical. Yet in one of her songs from Up!, titled "Ka-Ching," Shania takes a swipe at our culture's obsession with celebrities and the quest for material goods. "I think it's a pretty fair observation of how commercial society has become, all over the world," she declares. On top of that, Shania confesses to a bit of envy for her husband, a famous record producer equally notorious for his reclusiveness. Because few photos of him exist, Mutt can venture out in public and never be recognized. "My husband is very fortunate," admits Shania. "He's been able to be so successful without having to be in the limelight. I totally relate. "If I could be wealthy and successful without being a star," she adds, "I'd be satisfied. I'm not going to be somebody who wants to hold on to my fame for the rest of my life." So, is she contradicting herself -- of merely feeling the double-edged sword of stardom? Shania insists the latter comes closer to the truth. Her need to withdraw started as early as three years ago when she and Mutt made their decision to move to the posh village of Tour-de-Peilz, at the base of the Swiss Alps. They did so for a couple of vital reasons: to escape the onslaught of media attention and to start a family. So far, she's hit the bull's-eye on both counts. The remote village where she lives affords her the perfect hideaway from the spotlight. And her dreams of family came true when Eja was born in August 2001. "I was having a hard time finding peace and solitude," confesses Shania. "But here in Switzerland, I can completely step out of celebrity life. I can go grocery shopping and do my other daily things with pretty much complete privacy." Shania goes to great lengths to protect that privacy. She reportedly asked her record label not to promote her albums in nearby Geneva -- fearing it would lead to her being recognized as the superstar that she is, rather than as the easygoing Swiss miss all her neighbors know simply as Eilleen (her birth name). Shania has also insisted that her records not be played on the jukeboxes in the local clubs. It appears that she would rather be known as a good mom than as a huge star. And there's no doubt that little Eja is the light of her life. "What is so incredible is how his personality matches ours," notes Shania. "Eja is a very calm kid, he doesn't have much of a crazy personality. He's a lot like us, we don't jump up and down about things too much. He's not that excitable." Shania pauses, then stretches on a living room chair and smiles. She reflects on her love for her husband, whom she married in 1995 -- and declares that romance is sweeter than ever! "It's become such a special relationship," she notes excitedly. "I don't even know how to put it into words, but every day we both count our blessings. We are such a great pair in every way -- as husband and wife, as friends, as musical partners. We are each other's inspiration and we just live for each other." Shania makes it clear that she does indeed live for -- but not through -- her family. "It has never been my interest to use my family to get exposure," she maintains. "I want people to know me through my music, that's why I put my emotions and personality into my songs. My family is not my connection with the public." And that's no idle talk. Shania has never allowed photographs of Eja to be published; she shuns many photo opportunities herself and discourages the public from taking snapshots of her family. "Think about it," explains Shania. "If people started taking photos of your children, right out of the blue, you would be quite suspicious and uncomfortable with that. I don't think I'm any different from any other parent in that regard." As a parent, Shania is more hands-on than might be expected. She spends her free time playing with Eja, teaching him to speak French -- the family lives in a French-speaking part of Switzerland -- and preparing his meals. "We are very good eaters," reveals Shania, with an understated smile. "Mutt and I are strict vegetarians and we don't eat anything that's been processed or packaged. The only things I give Eja are fruits and vegetables, and he loves them." Shania is certainly the best advertisement for her lifestyle. At 37, she still looks model-thin, even in a pair of baggy jogging pants. And her apples every day definitely keep doctors away. "I haven't had a cold or the flu in seven years," she declares proudly. But she's starting to play down what she calls "the glamour thing," just one more measure of her disaffection with stardom. "If you notice in my video for 'Up!' I'm not doing the belly-button look," she points out. "Of course," she adds with a laugh, "I still have a belly button. But I'm dressed very casually, very relaxed in the video -- not this head-to-toe glamour image that I had for a while. "It's just what I feel like now," she smiles. "I'm very happy with myself, and with who I am as a person. That's something money cannot buy."
Making a triumphant return to the land of her raising, Shania Twain reclaims her throne as the queen of Canada
"I was due for this," says Shania during a stop at Ottawa's Chateau Laurier Hotel. "When you travel the world so much, all you can do is just touch base with your home. Sometimes you feel like you've got to do a major catch-up, and I'm getting the chance to do that now. "I think this is the first time I've spent several days in one place in Canada in many, many years." Shania, now living in Switzerland, made her triumphant return to her native country -- she was born in Windsor, Ontario, and raised in Timmins -- at the Juno Awards, a sort of Canadian version of the American Grammys. She hosted the show and won three awards: the Fan Choice Award, Artist of the Year and Country Recording of the Year (for "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" from her latest CD, Up!). Her previous visit was a brief halftime performance at Canada's own Super Bowl, the Grey Cup, last November. The Junos offered Shania a good chance to make up for lost time on the Great White North's music scene. "This is a chance for me to meet a lot of Canadian artists and catch up with everybody," she explained. "There's camaraderie, I think, amongst Canadian artists when we run into each other around the world. It's great to reunite, and the Junos is one of those places where you get to do that." One singer she's eager to keep tabs on is rock hitmaker Avril Lavigne, whose career exploded after Shania invited her onstage to sing during her Come on Over tour. Three years later, Avril's first album, Let Go, went on to sell more than five million copies. "After Avril came up onstage with me and did her thing, a relative of mine who knows her family kept in touch with me on her progress," says Shania. "It's been extraordinary to follow all the record-breaking that she's achieved over the last few years. It's just been great watching her succeed. She's a real Canadian girl, and I sincerely wish her well." Now that she's back, Shania promises to spend a lot more time in the land of the Maple Leaf this year. "I'm going to be coming back to Canada quite a bit, actually," she promises. In addition to occasional visits to her Northern Ontario cottage, she'll return to be inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto on June 25, and has tentative plans to start her world tour in Hamilton on Sept. 23. She's also hoping to squeeze in her first official visit to Timmins' Shania Twain Centre, a museum in tribute to her. When she does, Shania looks forward to getting reacquainted with Timmins. "I love my hometown!" exclaims Shania, who now lives with husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange and their nearly 2-year-old son, Eja, in Le chateau de Sully, a luxurious 20-room Swiss castle in Tour-de-Peilz in Switzerland. "I grew up there, and have a lot of great memories from Timmins. I'm really happy that they're enjoying the Shania Twain 'thing,' for whatever it's worth. I've been happy that they've been taking advantage of that." But Shania won't stay in Canada forever. Jaunts to Australia, Japan and other parts of Asia are planned, and she'll be performing a show at London's Hyde Park on July 12, which will likely be taped for an upcoming TV special. There's also a scheduled Aug. 1 appearance on the Today show. One thing Shania won't do is follow the lead of fellow Canadian Céline Dion, who has set up shop in Las Vegas for a long-running show. "It's a great idea, but I think I'm much too much of a gypsy for that," she laughs. "I need to move around. I don't think I can handle being committed to any one place for so long. "I like traveling, I like change. I don't think I could root myself for that length of time."
|
|
A picture 
Shania Twain's first record producer recalls the humble beginnings of a superstar 
Those memories burn brightly with Toronto record producer Harry Hinde, who cut some of the first tracks on Shania in the late 1980s -- under her real name, Eilleen Twain. And he can truly say, "I knew her when ... "
"I first met her when she was probably around 21," says Harry. "She definitely had a natural-born talent and believed in herself."
Harry recalls some golden nuggets from those early years with Shania -- before she went on to sell over 30 million albums and become a global superstar.
A beautiful picture of Shania. She is a very talented person and a very loving mother and wife.
SWISS MISS 
Story by Bob Paxman 
"I just love it," she says. "This is what we consider our permanent home - I don't see us ever moving." 
;uxury is now commonplace for the once-poverty-stricken girl from Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Just outside her castle walls is a picturesque hamlet of five-star eateries and high-class shops. 
"We are very hands-on parents," Shania declares. "We have a nanny for Eja, but only during the day, and sometimes a weekend sitter if I have to work. But we don't have anyone actually living with us to take care of the baby. Mutt and I spend as much time with him as possible."
|
11-14-2001
Shania Twain may have been out of the spotlight lately, but that hasn't stopped her from having another big year! Sure, she's working on her hotly anticipated follow-up to the 18-million-selling Come On Over, now planned for release next summer. But Shania and her producer husband, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, have already welcomed their biggest and most personal project to date: a bouncing baby boy named Eja (pronounced Asia), born Aug. 12. But Mutt and Shania's little bundle of joy wasn't her only milestone this year. After 18 months of construction, The Shania Twain Centre in Shania's hometown of Timmins, Ontario, finally opened its doors in June. And country music's biggest female star became a real star courtesy of The Shania Twain North American Online Fan Club - gaze into the night sky and you'll see (somewhere out there) star number Virgo RA 13h 18m 28s D 2 degrees 51 minutes, now officially dubbed "Shania Twain." (Individuals and organizations can "purchase" the official naming rights to unnamed stars through an organization called the International Star Registry.) For those looking for something a little more down-to-earth, there are new Shania goodies to tide her patient fans over until the release of her next official album. Shania Twain: The Platinum Collection is an 80-minute DVD featuring all 21 of Shania's videos, while Shania Twain: The Specials - available on DVD and VHS - contains both of her 1999 CBS-TV shows, Winter Break and Come On Over. There's also a new 320-page biography written by British journalist Robin Eggar. Unlike other books about the star, Shania gave Eggar some help on Shania Twain: The Biography - though she didn't do any new interviews, she did guide the author to people who could offer personal insights. For more information about the book, which also contains rare photos, check out www.shaniatwainbiography.com. There's even some new music - sort of. The recently released Eilleen Shania Twain: The Complete Limelight Sessions, an expanded version of 1999's Beginnings, features a pre-name change Eilleen Twain singing non-country songs during the late '80s. "In my career, I've earned my living through all kinds of music," Shania says. "Rock, pop, dance - none of that's new to me. It's all very much part of my musical history." Producer Harry Hinde, who discovered Shania performing at Ontario's Deerhurst Inn and financed The Complete Limelight Sessions, plans to release the power ballad "The Heart Is Blind" as a country single. "On this album, you're going to hear a young girl that always had passion, fun and an edge in her voice," says Hinde. "You're going to hear a Shania I haven't heard since then." - Nick Krewen |
|
'TWAIN KEEPS A-ROLLIN'
|
STORK REPORT Babies were booming, with even more on the way The stork was one busy, busy bird in 2001. Brand-new bundles were delivered to country music star couples Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black, and Shania Twain and producer-hubby Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Also on the stork's list were Dixie Chick Natalie Maines, Trace Adkins, Lonestar's Richie McDonald, Hal Ketchum, Oak Ridge Boy William Lee Golden and Tracy Lawrence. Faith and Tim welcomed their third daughter, Audrey Caroline, in December, making the holidays even merrier for the McGraw household. Proud papa Vince, whose baby daughter Corrina Grant Gill was born in March, admits he's never been happier. "There's a peace and calmness inside me," he reveals. "I am really enjoying investing more time in my home life. Most of my hard work is behind me, so I don't have to spend all my time on the road anymore. I won't have to miss so much - I can watch Corrina grow up." It may also be hard to get doting dad Clint Black out of the house this year now that his daughter, Lily Pearl, born in May, is around. "The greatest joy I've experienced is making her laugh," notes Clint. "When I hide behind a chair and jump up to startle her, she belly laughs really hard!" It seems there will be no rest for the stork, who already is plotting his drop-offs for 2002. Brothers Drew and Tim Womack of Sons Of The Desert - and, of course, their respective wives - are expecting March and April babes. Some new parents say the stork would be welcomed back anytime. "We'd really like to have four kids," declares new mom Natalie Maines. "Maybe three of our own and adopt one." Faith Hill goes even further. "We plan to have a very large family," she explains. "Actually, Tim and I plan to have a million children!" The stork better get himself some assistants! Shania Twain Twain took a sabbatical and returned to her Swiss home for some down time with her husband. The next summer, she and Lange welcomed their first child. A son, whom they named Eja, arrived August 12, 2001. During this time, Twain brainstormed for a fourth album. While balancing a domestic life and a career, the end result was Up!, which appeared in November 2002. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide |
|
|
Thousands packed Grant Park to hear Shania sing what she called a straight ahead party in the park kinda concert. The cameras were rolling for an NBC special called Shania Up! Live in Chicago.
Nov. 26 - Nashvilles historic Ryman Auditorium has helped some of the biggest names in country music see their biggest dreams come true. One of them was a young singer from Timmins, Canada, called Shania Twain. She went on to record the best-selling album in country music history, Come on Over, which helped her cross over to international fame. Its been a dizzying success story one that Shania Twain simply walked away from three years ago. Now, as Katie Couric reports, she is walking right back into the spotlight.
Here is a picture of Shania camping and playing cards. Im not trying to be sexy or anything like that, she says. I blend in. Im just so normal and average. I mean, theres nothing special about me. I just ended up here.
Katie Couric: You have to know that in some of these videos, when youre caressing the tree, or whatever youre doing that you know, moving in a certain way, I mean, youve got to know that youre driving people crazy. Come on.
Eileen is Shanias real name. And in many ways, Eileen is the real person beneath the pop-star persona of vinyl pants and lip gloss. But its Shania, with her seductive style and record-setting record sales, whos been one of the most explosive acts of the last decade.
This is a picture of Shania with her german shepherd Tim. He was a beautiful german shepherd. Look at his markings a truly beautiful german shepherd. You don't come across too many german shepherds with that color. Katie Couric: So do I call you Eileen or Shania? Shania Twain: Now youre confused. Katie Couric: Very confused here. Clad in her K-Mart sweatshirt, Nike running shoes and baseball cap, it was Eileen who I met at her Canadian cottage in the snow-streaked mountains of northern Ontario. It was the calm before the storm, the last day of a three-year professional hiatus. The next day shed be leaving for Nashville, back on the treadmill of publicity, promotion and performances to tout her first CD in five years.
This is a picture of Shania back in 1988 with her boyfriend then "Mike Taylor" she looks wonderful there and so happy. Shania got herself some land, all right, and a chateau in Switzerland where shes been living with her husband and 15-month-old baby Aja. Its off-limits to anyone and anything media. Katie Couric: Why did yall decide Im talking like Im from Nashville now. Whyd yall...
Shania during a performance at Deerhurst Lodge. Shania Twain: Whyd yall? I was noticing that. I was going to point that out. No, that was one of the few places, without really isolating myself, where I felt that I could be normal and really just forget about the Shania thing. Katie Couric: The Shania thing? Thats so funny to hear you say that. Shania Twain: When I say, the Shania thing, I think its just everything that surrounds that, which is fame. And I like to leave that behind when I go home. And her new home is where her heart is and her fame isnt. In Switzerland, shes just a regular gal who gets to enjoy the cold weather and the hot chocolate. Shania Twain: You know, cause you cannot get hot chocolate all year round just anywhere. But Switzerland is one of those places that you can, just like Canada.
Shania in the early years. Katie Couric: What else do you do? I mean, whats your day like there? Shania Twain: Well if Im not working in music, I ride my horses. We dabble in skiing. Were not very good. But the skiing is so nice there that we do go and enjoy that. We mostly enjoy the hot chocolate, though. Katie Couric: Theres that hot chocolate again.
I found this picture of Shania and its beautiful. A CHILDHOOD WITH CHALLENGES But as a little girl, horseback riding and skiing were two things Shania couldnt afford to even dream of. Growing up in the small Canadian town of Timmins, she was the oldest of five children. Her stepfather, Jerry, (an Ojiway Indian) and mother, Sharon, did their best to support their family. But often, that wasnt enough. Shania Twain: Its very humiliating going to school not having a lunch and youre hungry. You havent had breakfast. You might not even have had dinner the night before. And youre watching everybody else have a wonderful lunch yogurt and apple and nice, big, fat sandwich. And maybe even some cookies or something. And youre hungry and youre so desperate for someone to share that with you. And its a really bad feeling for a kid.
Shania in a cowboy hat. She looks really good in the hat.
Katie Couric: Did anybody share their lunch with you? I feel so bad. Shania Twain: No. Katie Couric: If I had been at the lunch table, I would have given you half my sandwich. Shania Twain: Well, I always lied and said I wasnt hungry. Or I forgot my lunch at home and, no, its OK. I never did ever take. I was too embarrassed. I was too proud. But her mom had big dreams for her oldest daughter. Shania was a bleary-eyed third-grader by day and a pint-sized lounge singer by night.
Here is a video cap from Party For 2. Katie Couric: Ive read about you being awakened when you were 8 years old in the middle of the night and them taking you to a bar, pretty much propping you up Canadian singer Shania Twain has been named entertainer of the year at the US Academy of Country Music Awards.
Well I found this of Shania back in 1996 on Larry King. Twain - who won two awards at the Grammys and American Music Awards - was not at the Wednesday night event in Universal City, California. on a stool, giving you a guitar. And you would sing sort of in the middle of the night for all these drunks. Shania Twain: That was normal for me. That was my norm. And I didnt like it. Because I never had the passion to be up on stage. I never had the passion to be in the spotlight. I really just wanted to be writing songs in my bedroom.
She continued to sing into her teens and her early 20s. But on Nov. 1, 1987, her world was shattered. Both her parents were killed in a car accident, leaving her at 22 with four younger siblings to support and her life at a crossroads. I then had to make a decision, she says. Am I going on with music? Am I quitting altogether? What am I doing? I now have no parents. I dont have the passion even, that my mother had. My mother had more passion for it than I did. That was gone now. So do I really want this anymore?
Whether she wanted it or not, now she needed her music more than ever and began singing for her supper literally. To make ends meet, Shania took a job performing at a resort called the Deerhurst, where cheesy numbers were featured prominently on the menu. Believe it or not, a lawyer from Nashville was taking it in one night and whisked her away to the capital of country music. She changed her name from Eileen to Shania, an Ojiway Indian word for on my way. And was she ever. But the transition from country crooner into pop diva would take more than a sexier wardrobe. And the man responsible for that transformation was a pure-bred producer with an impressive pop pedigree. And his name was Mutt.
egendary producer Mutt Lange had already scored a truckload of hits for hard rockers like AC/DC, Foreigner and Bryan Adams. And after seeing her first music video, it wasnt long before this mutt had his paws all over Shania Twain. Katie Couric: I know when he first called you, he wanted an autograph. Shania Twain: Yes.
Katie Couric: And you didnt even know if Mutt had one or two Ts. Shania Twain: I know. I mean, of course it had two Ts. What was I thinking? Im sure I only put M-U-T.
She didnt know it at the time, but Shania had just signed an autograph for her future husband. Katie Couric: Is it hard to say, Oh, Mutt, I love you so much, Mutt? Shania Twain: Thats really cute. I dont call him Mutt. Katie Couric: Yes, youre like Thats really cute. Shania Twain: No, it is Ive never actually called him Mutt to him.
Katie Couric: So what do you call him? Shania Twain: I just call him Love. Katie Couric: Oh. Shania Twain: Lover, Lovie. Lovie, take the garbage out. But Lovie apparently doesnt love publicity. Talk about low profile, this guy is no-profile. He was a no-show at our shoot in Canada. And Shania wouldnt even give us a picture. Come on, Mutt, throw us a bone. Oh well, maybe next time.
"When it comes to getting any type of exposure in front of a camera, or anything like that, he just isnt interested, Shania says. He doesnt want to be famous. He just wants to be good at what he does. And he is. They made beautiful and popular music together for her second album, The Woman in Me. Meanwhile, what was Nashvilles reaction? Country music purists couldnt decide what they hated more her music or her midriff.
When I was knocked for baring my midriff and being, you know, too sexy or whatever, I was so surprised, she says. I grew up listening to Dolly Parton. I grew up listening to Willie Nelson. I grew up listening to country artists that drank themselves flat on the floor, who were divorced three or four times, had children with.... Its just, I am squeaky clean compared to the country music I knew. If Im already too daring for them, it leaves me nowhere to go.
A SMASH HIT So Shania just kept going. The girls went, the boys went, seems everybody went crazy over Shanias third album, Come on Over which spawned six hit singles, went platinum in 32 countries, and sold over 34 million copies worldwide, making it the biggest-selling album ever by a female artist. Katie Couric: Thats hard to top, isnt it?
Shania Twain: It is. Yes, sure, it really is. It hasnt been my goal, or it isnt my goal, to top it. I wanted to make a better record, of course. That will always be my goal. Im always trying to write better songs. Im always trying to be original. Sure enough, shes come up with a pretty original idea. For the price of one, Up! features two CDs. Put in the red disc, and youve got pop versions of all the songs. Pop in the green one, youve got country.
Katie Couric: Is this also a way to kind of satisfy some critics in country music who have said, Ah, shes sold out. Shes too pop. I mean, youve heard that story. Shania Twain: Its not like I am abandoning one to be the other. I am them, legitimately. I spent my whole youth singing in clubs, doing whatever music paid the bills. So, if there were rock bars hiring that year, I was a rock singer. If there were pop bars hiring that year, I was a top 40s singer. If there were country bars hiring that year, I was a country singer. Ive done them all. So I am real. And this is what I do. And just to prove her point, Shania took me back to where it all began the Deerhurst Resort in Canada, to the same stage where someone named Eileen once flaunted big hair and supreme talent. In my career, there will always be another story to tell, she says. There will always be another subject to explore. There will just always be another song to write. So I dont care if I win any other awards. I dont care if I sell. I dont have a number that Im trying to sell as far as record sales. I dont have a naturally competitive nature. So I dont care if I do better than anyone else at all. So why am I doing this anyway? No. Im having fun. Thats why Im doing it.
It is Twain's fourth song of the year award from the organisation, which collects licence fees on behalf of its performers and songwriters. Toby Keith was named country songwriter and artist of the year for his tracks, including American Soldier. Keith, who now has 15 BMI awards, is famous for his patriotic track Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American). He was named songwriter/artist of the year in 2001. Twain's award takes her tally to 28 awards. Her track You're Still The One was named song of the year at both the 1999 pop and country awards. Casey Beathard was named country songwriter of the year for his work for his tracks Drinkin' Bone (recorded by Tracy Byrd), Hot Mamma (Trace Adkins), The Love Song (Jeff Bates), No Shoes, No Skirt, No Problems (Kenny Chesney), and Walk A Little Straighter (Billy Currington). Loretta Lynn - whose hits include You Ain't Woman Enough and Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' - was named BMI Icon for her "enduring influence on generations of music makers".
Shania's sugar at Hyde Park Few artists have been as commercially successful or as critically reviled as Shania Twain, Canada's biggest export since Due South and Moosehead beer.
But when you have sold more than 50 million albums who on earth cares what people think? Especially when your loyal fanbase ensures your only UK gig in 2003 - in London's Hyde Park no less - is a virtual sell-out. Glamorous She strode on wearing a trilby and tie to kick off her two-hour gig with the girl power anthem Man! I Feel Like A Woman. The feisty feminism continued with That Don't Impress Me Much, I'm Gonna Getcha Good and Don't Be Stupid. By this time though the mannish attire had been swapped for a revealing top and some hip-hugging, sequin-covered trousers. Slushy The concert oscillated between poppy, guitar-fuelled rock-outs and Celine Dion-style ballads, invariably performed on a stool at the front of the stage. The latter showcased Twain's fine voice but had a sickly sentimental feel. Take Not Just A Pretty Face, a tribute to womanhood accompanied by projections of Anne Frank and Mother Theresa, or Juanita, bafflingly dedicated to "all you women out there who just need a little push". (To do what exactly?) The irony of an international recording star bemoaning the evils of materialism in Ka-Ching! also takes some swallowing. Professional Luckily she was on safer ground with traditional country fare like the jaunty Any Man Of Mine and the self-explanatory Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? Her finest moment was undoubtedly the encore, when - clad in a Union Jack T-Shirt - she crooned her biggest hit You're Still The One. Slick pyrotechnics and an energetic nine-piece band ensured a evening's entertainment, but that will not be enough to silence Shania's many critics.
What did you think? Send us your views on the form below. Waited a long time to see Shania, thought the show was fantastic...even the reluctant boyfriend had to admit her live performance was very close to the original recordings. There's a rarity in itself..it was live! Not a bunch of wannabes miming to a backing track..unlike most of the previous weeks offering in Hyde Park. Ah...everyones a critic.
When she did, she lit up the park -she was even better than I'd anticipated, unlike most artists when singing live, Shania actually sounded like her records, such a strong, distinctive voice. Was horrified when she teased the show had finished, but glad when she reappeared in that fantastic Union Jack top and finished the night with You're still the One and Rock this Country. A thoroughly entertaining night (despite the long wait in the heat but got to the front anyway!) from a genuinely lovely, talented superstar.Thanks Shania!
Well done Shania - you are truly remarkable.
Can't understand why there were so few good critics in newspapers. The only explanation for us is that they envy her success. But we love her and are convinced of her talent and her gift to make other people happy with her music!
Pop stars Enrique Iglesias, Anastacia and Shania Twain will be giving masterclasses to contestants seeking stardom on BBC One's new talent search Fame Academy. The finalists will live together in a mansion as they are put through their paces by a panel of industry experts. The show follows in the footsteps ITV1 success stories Pop Idol and Popstars: The Rivals. One of the judges - who will be the Academy's "headteacher" - will be Richard Park, the former head of programming at Capital Radio. The straight-talking Scotsman has been described as the "Alex Ferguson of radio" and producers hope he will become a new Mr Nasty, taking over from the acid-tongued Simon Cowell and Nigel Lythgoe. Inside the radio industry, he is well-known as the man who created the sounds of pop stations like Capital FM in London and BRMB in Birmingham. Viewers will be able to vote each week for which hopeful they want to eject from the show, effectively taking away their dreams of becoming a star. Final details of the format of Fame Academy have yet to be released but it is expected that the eventual winner will receive a record contract and management deal. The house in Highgate, north London, where the contestants will live has been transformed in a set with a recording studio and dance area, fitted with 35 cameras to catch every moment as the hopefuls are put through their paces. Top act They will be subjected to rigorous training, with dance and vocal classes from 0600 to 2300 as well as general fitness and nutrition training. "We want people to be the very best they can be," Park said. "To become a top act in the year 2002 you have to be pretty fit - the demands are very heavy indeed." "If you're out on the road you're doing sometimes 20 hours a day. By the time they leave here they are going to be fitter than they have ever been before," he added. Around 10,000 people between the ages of 18 and 35 applied to join the show, with the audition process still ongoing. The show will look at how the final 12 are progressing, with the three thought to be doing less well put on "probation" by their teachers. Viewers will then have the chance to vote for their favourites, and ultimately picking the winner. Profits from phone votes will go to Children In Need and setting up a bursary for talented pupils to attend performing arts schools. BBC controller of entertainment Jane Lush said: "Talent shows have been on television for decades - this is just a very modern way of doing one. "There are 12 winners - all 12 who come into the academy are going to have the time of their lives." As well as coverage on BBC One, the show will also feature on BBC Choice and on the Chris Moyles show on Radio 1. The show is based on a French format, Star Academy, first shown there in 2001.
|
|
Aboard the Shania train
Shania certainly has a lot to be up about. Her latest CD has sold more than 9 million copies. And in a recent poll of beer drinkers in her native Canada, the singing sensation was voted the countrys sexiest celebrity. And although she says she doesnt feel sexy at all, its safe to say the voters were sober at the time.
Welcome to music city, Nashville, Tennessee where country crooners sing of tears in their beers, walking the line and d-i-v-o-r-c-e. Then comes a girl from up north, such an outsider shes not even from the states, who completely breaks the mold. Shania Twain became one of the hottest properties Nashville had ever seen or heard. And soon enough she set the entire music world on fire. Well now this 37-year-old powerhouse with a slightly split personality has come in from the cold.
|
This is a picture from Shania's Live concert in Dallas ,Texas in 1998 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
Well here is the drum she stands on at the concert and no matter how many times I watch that dvd I still miss the moment she jumps into it. |
|
|
Shania named Country favourite Canadian singer Shania Twain has been named entertainer of the year at the US Academy of Country Music Awards. Twain - who won two awards at the Grammys and American Music Awards - was not at the Wednesday night event in Universal City, California. The singer - whose album Come On Over was the UK's best-seller last year - was said to be at home in Switzerland. |
|
|
CNN PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Profiles of Shania Twain Aired May 17, 2003 - 11:00 ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. ANNOUNCER: Next on PEOPLE IN THE NEWS, she's a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll, and a whole lot superstar.
ANNOUNCER: She grew up poor in Canada. PAULA ZAHN, HOST: Hi, welcome to PEOPLE IN THE NEWS. I'm Paula Zahn. She is one of the most successful female artists in country and now in pop, and now Shania Twain is back. Back from two years of seclusion. Back with a new album and a new addition to her life. It is a life that has seen equal parts of great joy, unbearable sorrow and unimaginable fame. Sharon Collins has more. |
|
|
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- XM Satellite Radio, the nation's leading satellite radio service with more than 4.4 million subscribers, will debut a new six-part series spotlighting country music star Shania Twain beginning Monday, August 22 at 9 a.m. ET on Highway 16 (XM Channel 16). Featuring exclusive interviews and hosted by the artist, "Shania Twain: Forever and For Always" chronicles Shania's life and music from her early days in Nashville to international star. "I am very excited that my music and career will be showcased on XM," said Shania Twain. "Through the years I have always tried to find new ways to present my music and my story to my fans. I'm excited to explore this long- form interview concept and bring something unique and different to the table with this six-part series on XM." "It's nice to look back, even [for me], at the whole thing," continued Shania. "It's a great reflection."
Shania Twain's Guide to Life Judging from the success of Shania Twains fourth album Up!, a lot of people are going to be humming along to Im Gonna Getcha Good! come Christmas morning. After a month in the retail racks, Up! is still holding onto the peak spot in the album charts, having toppled Eminem and staved off competition from Tim McGraw and Mariah Carey. It wasnt always this way. Shania Twain grew up in poverty in Timmins, Ontario, where her parents encouraged her singing by taking her to perform in clubs. When she was 21, Shanias mother and father died in a car crash, leaving her responsible for the care of her four younger brothers. The next three years found her supporting the family by singing show tunes at a Canadian resort. When her siblings were old enough to take care of themselves, Shania moved to Nashville, dreaming of becoming a songwriter. She hadnt reckoned on the country establishments conservatism however; her eponymous 1993 debut gave little indication of the artist behind the voice. But that year, Twain came to the attention of Robert Mutt Lange, the songwriter/producer whose way with an anthemic chorus helped put AC/DCs Back in Black and Def Leppards Pyromania into every teenagers bedroom. The two married in 1993 and formed a musical partnership that became an unstoppable force. Lange seized on Twains lyrical notions, and applied his knowledge of rock dynamics and pop hooks to create a savvy take on country that would ultimately redefine the music in the modern era. Twains good looks and smooth midriff were emphasized in a series of winking videos, and suddenly she was a full-fledged superstar. The Woman in Me sold nine million copies. Come On Over sold four times that number worldwide. Almost overnight, every country act changed their lifes ambition from singing Your Cheating Heart at the Grand Old Opry to doing a Shania and crossing over into pop acceptance. Talking to VH1, Twain joked about her sexy image and the pressure of being flawless, but Up! doesnt fool with perfection. Every song is meant to put a spring in your step and make you feel better about life, love and maxing out your credit card. Shania spoke with us about the changes in her life, from her move to Switzerland to the birth of her son, Eja, and how travel and gardening helps her stay sane. VH1: How does it feel to be back in the public eye? Shania Twain: We've been working on the music for so long that I was getting a little anxious to share it! After spending the last couple of years writing, recording and going through the creative process, I'm ready to tell everyone about it. VH1: What made you move to Switzerland? Twain: It's beautiful for one. Its like Canada. There are a lot of lakes, mountains, and snow. I love the snow. I want to have hot chocolate all year 'round! The biggest reason was privacy. People there are discreet. Theyre very reserved. I enjoy that privacy. VH1: Were you worried that by dropping out of the music business at the height of your stardom you would lose what you had achieved? Twain: I needed to get back to a real life for a little while - buy my own groceries, and do my own laundry. Show business is everything but normal. The balance is whats important, so if I can escape it and go home and live a basic life for a little while, I feel rejuvenated! VH1: Last August you and Mutt had a son, Eja. How has having a baby changed you? Twain: I'm just a deeper person in general. You mature in a short period of time when you have a child. Its made me take my career a lot less seriously. Im more serious about keeping life easy and enjoyable, so I have energy and time for Eja. I worked very hard making Up!, but that's something that I can now do in my own space and my own time. Ill work the rest of my career around my family. VH1: Did your rejuvenation period change how you approached writing songs for Up!? Twain: Theres no formula. Sometimes Mutt and I write independently. Other times we get together and write things from scratch. Sometimes I'll listen to Mutt playing something on the guitar and an idea will come to me, and I'll join in. We don't have to make an appointment to write a song together! But I can't get into a creative mode at home. I get creative when we take weekend trips somewhere stimulating. We went to France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and the Caribbean. Some of this album was also recorded in India. Up! has been written and recorded very internationally! VH1: Do you get a lot of your inspiration from traveling? Twain: Its stimulating to be in places that I've never been before, experiencing new cultures. I find other art very inspiring. A lot of times inspiration comes from being bored and isolated. If Ive got too much going on in my life, I'm too distracted to write music. I almost need to get to the stage where I'm bored. Then, I just want to write. It's a way to pass the time, I guess! VH1: What are some of your favorite songs on this album? Twain: I would say Forever and For Always, Waiter! Bring Me Water! and Ka-Ching! Ka-Ching! started out as a Christmas song. I wanted to write about how we all go into debt at Christmas time! But I ended up not doing a Christmas album, so I stuck with writing about the pressure society puts on us to spend. It stems from my childhood Christmases. My parents didn't have the money to spend on gifts. They had to beg, steal, and borrow to give us a decent Christmas. Now that I have money, I find wealthy people are under the same pressure to spend more, have more cars, a bigger house [Laughs.] Its crazy how we all fall for it. VH1: Does looking back at your childhood give you a better idea of how your parents felt about you? Twain: I realize how heartbreaking it was for them to not be able to afford groceries when they knew we needed groceries. We cleaned our clothes in the bathtub when we couldnt afford to go to the Laundromat. Thats difficult in the winter, because it's 40 below zero in Canada! Sometimes wed run out of electricity, so we didnt have hot water. We went through a lot of nightmares. How did my mother manage to get me up to go sing at 1 A.M. at a bar when I was eight years old? I don't know how they ever thought I was gonna get discovered in some northern Ontario bar! I guess they thought I had to start somewhere. And it worked! But if I knew better as a child how much the odds were against me, I would have told my mother she was absolutely crazy. But she was certain that I would make it someday; I wasn't as certain as she was. My dream was to be Stevie Wonder's back-up singer. I didn't want to be the star. I was shy, nervous, didn't like the pressure. I was 16 before I started performing without my guitar. I was so scared. When I was a kid it was so big that it became a prop I could hide behind. VH1: Can you relate to your mom a lot more now that you're a mother, too? Twain: I can, but I would not bring my eight-year-old child into a bar to sing on stage. I don't know where her ambition came from. Maybe its because she was so desperate and convinced that I had a talent. I don't understand it and I never will. VH1: What would she think about you now? Twain: I think she'd be proud. She would cry every time she saw me sing! Shed be a nervous wreck every time I went on television. It would have been wonderful to spoil my parents a little bit. I would have enjoyed that. Every last dollar meant something in that household. That $5 of gas that it took to get me to the club and back home should have gone towards bread and milk or something. They made the family sacrifice so that I could sing VH1: Your child will probably never know the kind of need that you did. How will you make Eja empathetic to what's going on around him? Twain: Its all about education. He will have the education I wish I'd had, but hell also grow up understanding where I come from and what its like to go without. Obviously, I wont starve my kid and say, Well this is what I had to go through! It's about exposing him to different people and cultures. If he stays in a little, cozy, comfy world all the time, he won't be sensitive to those who have less. I'm very sensitive to it. I understand both sides of the fence very well. I'll share that with him, and hopefully he'll learn. VH1: Are you still careful with money? Twain: I don't like to have more than what I need. If I have too many shoes, I give the ones away that I'm not wearing. All the glamorous clothing I wear to awards shows and everything, I either give it to charity or the Shania Twain Museum in Timmins because it helps out my hometown. I feel so good when I can clean everything out and get rid of all the things I don't need. Thats stayed with me from my childhood. VH1: Maybe that hard upbringing is why you write such uplifting songs. Twain: Its a great escape to write songs that bring you back up again. People say, Aren't you ever down? You're always writing upbeat songs! Of course I am, but thats the whole point. No matter what is going on in my life, I'm gonna get up there onstage and get into a very positive mode. It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing is the only heartbreak song on Up! I thought it was about somebody feeling [bad] and trying to get on with their life, so it stayed. VH1: Was What a Way to Want to Be! written after having the baby? Twain: Yeah. It's all about the pressure we have to be perfect. Sometimes I just think, Oh, enough of trying to be perfect already! As time goes by, I'm getting more comfortable accepting my faults. Okay, I got cellulite. What am I going to do about it? You can't spend your whole life trying to perfect yourself physically. It's impossible. I have fun playing with make-up and clothes, but I try not to buckle to the pressure of trying to be perfect in every way. VH1: Is there a lot of pressure to maintain your sexy image? Twain: I genuinely think it's silly to put that much pressure on yourself. Several weeks after I had the baby I was jelly belly. I started riding my horses again six weeks after, and that helped, but I didn't go on any crazy regime worrying, Am I ever gonna be able to bare my midriff again? I was lucky enough not to get stretch marks, but I have to put a concentrated effort to get my tone back. I'm not losing any sleep over it. My stomach flattened out, but it just happened over time. I eat well, I stay active, but I'm not stressing over it. VH1: How much of your persona represents the real you? Twain: I see the whole visual side of what I do as fantasy. It's like when you're playing in front of a mirror and you're putting it on. I don't take it seriously. It's all just very superficial. The music is closer to being me. VH1: There are a lots of songs on Up! about love and being happy. Twain: I don't think I could sit and write a bunch of sad songs at this point in my life. Im enjoying writing songs that make me smile and laugh. We had a lot of fun writing these songs, too. We get a kick from writing lyrics like on the title track - Even my skin is acting weird/ I wish that I could grow a beard. Its fun to write goofy things like that. VH1: When you first came to Nashville that was a different way of writing. Twain: I'd stay up all night and write songs, but nobody wanted to do that. Everybody stops at five o'clock! [Laughs.] You would have three and four-hour writing sessions that you'd book like doctor appointments. I would say, What do you mean we can only write from nine to 12? What if we're right in the middle of a really good idea and we break for lunch? It was a system that I didn't understand. I wanted to meet the young Willie Nelsons, Waylon Jennings and Dolly Partons. I come from a rough enough background that I can relate to all the stories that they wrote. It's the country music I grew up with. I was more disappointed that those people didnt represent Nashville anymore. VH1: That frustration is apparent in your career. On your first album, you only had one songwriting credit. So did you write all new songs for your breakthrough second album The Woman in Me? Twain: I had gone to Nashville with a lot of the ideas that appeared on The Woman In Me. They never developed because nobody was interested in them. But I met Mutt and he thought they were great. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? wasn't a finished song, but the title blew Mutt away. I didn't have any confidence in my writing, because I had been rejected by Nashville, but all it took was for Mutt to say, Wow, that's a great idea! He kept my ideas, built on them, and then we built together. VH1: How did Come On Over build on the success of The Woman in Me? Twain: Everyone was waiting to see if this girl was only going to have one big album in her life and that's it. When Come On Over took off, it got me over that hump. I felt like I didnt have anything else to prove any more. VH1: So do you feel like youve made it? Twain: I feel like I made it a long time ago, because the original goals I set for myself were always quite humble. I hoped that music would make me enough of a living so I could buy my own home, have some financial security, educate my children, and buy my own car. I'm talking just basic life here, not a mansion in Beverly Hills. To me, that was making it!
Shania Twain's Album Sales Are 'up!' Despite reports that sales of her latest album aren't holding up to that of 1995's The Woman In Me and 1997's Come On Over, Shania Twain says that her current album, Up! (2002), is selling faster than any of her previous albums eight months after its release. "If I'm looking at it in relative terms, I can't sit here and lose sleep over what we are or aren't selling. I'm very happy with the way things are going, and as a matter of fact, this album's already doing better at this point than any of my other albums had to this point, so it's kind of early to tell what's really gonna happen, and I'm not really worried about it."
Twain says that pushing Come On Over's sales past that of The Woman In Me was her biggest concern, and with that safely done, everything else is gravy. "The biggest pressure for me, personally, was on Come On Over. That was really my follow-up album, and it was my chance to say, 'I can do this more than once,' so I'm not waving the flag of 'I can do this more than twice' kind of thing. I really have to just start enjoying my career and enjoying where I've come and just enjoy the rewards of the whole thing, and let everybody else worry about the numbers. I just want to worry about enjoying it." When all is said and done, Twain hopes that Up! will succeed Come On Over in terms of sales, but if it doesn't happen, that's fine too. "Well, I hope we do, but I'm not losing sleep over it. I already knew coming into the release that the climate of the industry has just changed dramatically. Everybody knows that with downloading, people are definitely selling less records, and there's just a lot of things that have changed in the industry so anybody who's in the industry knows and are educated about the dramatic changes." Twain will support Up! with a world tour, scheduled to kick off in September. Her current single, "Forever And For Always," claims the Number Seven spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
|
|
|
Shania Twain CD racking up record sales NEW YORK Shania Twain is probably the most user-friendly musician on the planet right now. Everything about her current album, Up!, is genetically engineered to please as many people as possible, particularly the unprecedented decision to record three different versions of each song to appeal to different tastes. And, oh, how it's succeeding. Twain's album has topped Billboard's album chart for the month it has been out, racking up more than two million in sales in the United States alone during the most important stretch of the year for retailers. She's left other big-name divas with new music -- Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill -- in the dust. Only Eminem is her equal as the most popular figure in music. "I think only what the public thinks," Twain said. "If they don't like my music, why should I bother making it? I make music for the fans. I record music commercially because I'm making it for them to listen to." With her husband, record producer Robert John (Mutt) Lange, Twain has crafted an insanely catchy album of anthems. Many musicians write personal songs in the hope that others can relate; Twain leaves out the personal and tries strictly for the universal. Up! includes a couple of life-gets-better songs, a couple of wildly-in-love songs and several every-woman songs: putting up a brave face because her man has left, commiserating with a sad single, and taunting an old boyfriend who wants to get back together. She may also be the first to hook into a societal trend - women who max out on their credit cards because they can't resist Sunday at the mall - and turn it into a song. "We all understand what we have in common with the people around us," she said. "What I do is put that into songs. Part of the fun for me, the kick, is that I'm able to relate to the public." Her last two albums both sold more than 10 million copies, and there's little reason to believe Up! won't do the same. The chief knock on Twain is that her music is soulless, that true emotion is sacrificed in the effort to be popular. In other words, her songs are fast-food hamburgers instead of steakhouse filets. Twain's not buying it. "What is too commercial?" she asked. "If you look at the Beatles, it doesn't get any more commercial than that. They were as commercial as anybody gets, but they had the writing ability to back it up." With her previous album, Come on Over, Twain experimented with different mixes of the songs, giving birth to the idea to make three separate versions of Up! North American buyers get two discs: a version of the songs in pop-rock style and another with country fiddles and steel guitars. The latter disc is more overtly country than anything she's done recently. "You've got a pop disc and an even more pop disc," said country music writer Robert Oermann. "It's good value for the money." International buyers get the pop-rock disc and another, recorded in India, that's a combination of world and dance music. Twain thought of the Gipsy Kings when making that disc. She invites North American listeners to check out those versions for free on her Web site. "Whatever your persuasion, she'll give you something you like," Oermann said. Contrast that approach with Faith Hill, who has tried to expand her audience with a disc that strays from the country path. Twain simply takes every path. "I like that she does that unapologetically," said Beverly Keel, a music professor at Middle Tennessee State University. "A lot of artists try to act like it's not what they're doing or they make excuses for it. She says, 'I'm going to make it as accessible as possible."' Twain, an intensely private person from Timmins, Ont., who moved to an estate in Switzerland after her breakout success, said she had the same existential crisis as others following Sept. 11. Why make a record? What is it going to mean at such a harrowing time? Her response was to go positive, not introspective. She had already written the song Up!, so she and Lange wrote others in the same mode. The 19-song album is a ballad-free zone, and the song titles include 10 exclamation points! "I've always tried to write music that was inspirational," she said.
Shania Twain's tough act to follow As the world's biggest-selling female country music star, Shania Twain has a lot to live up to. Her last album Come On Over was the sixth biggest album debut of all time, equaling Back in Black by AC/DC and With the Beatles by The Beatles. It sold a staggering 34 million copies around the world and crowned her as the most successful female solo artist ever. But the Ontario-born star didn't feel the need to cave in to pressure for a repeat performance as far as sales were concerned. "Actually, that wasn't what was on my mind," Twain tells CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday as part of her whirlwind tour promoting her new cross-over CD Up! "I always and will always feel the pressure to do something really good and better than I did before," she says. "But you just make it, put it out, and then keep your fingers crossed." If fan reaction is any indication of things to come, Twain should be able to uncross those fingers pretty soon. Her new single, I'm Gonna Getcha Good, has received almost non-stop play since it hit the airwaves in October, a month ahead of the album's Nov. 19 release date. Like many artists, Twain's musical style has undergone some changes in the five years since her last CD was released. Specifically, Twain says the birth of her baby boy Eja has reshaped how her presents the personal side of her music. "It emotionally affects you, of course, and that translates into your music. I have more socially conscious songs on this album," Twain says. That's not to say her overall musical goal has dramatically changed; she still aims to "empower" her female listeners. "I like to inspire women. I like them to feel uplifted when they hear my music," she says. "And a lot of my music isn't even directed at women anyway. A lot of them are just love songs, about people, about human nature. And men relate to it as well." One thing you will notice, however, is Twain's unmistakable switch from country-rock to pop, a move she defends "because there was such a demand internationally for this." "I'd rather just make the music for all of them right now," Twain says of her country and pop music fans. "Because how do you choose, how do you decide?" So Twain decided not to decide. There are no less than three different versions of her new CD in circulation: A red, green and blue. All countries will have the main red version, which is the style Twain calls her original, unmixed sound. "That's just the straight ahead pop CD," she says. The blue is targeted for Asia using local musicians while country music fans will want to snap up the green CD, which uses Nashville musicians from her last two albums. "My influences do come from so many different styles that it was natural for me and I didn't have to change the vocals. It's the same me on all three CDs," she says.
Twain strikes a chord with country and pop fans When Shania Twain's latest album, Up!, hits stores next week, it will likely be a big seller in two very different markets: pop and country. Likewise, the tracks will dominate both the mainstream and country airwaves -- all thanks to Twain's crossover appeal. Along with Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes, Twain is one of the few singers to break out of the country corral and find success on the pop charts. Testimony to her broad appeal was the kickoff Monday to Twain's two-month promotional tour for Up! -- Toronto tapings of television specials for Country Music Television and MuchMoreMusic. Despite the two networks' very different target audiences, both shows were packed with screaming fans eager to welcome Twain back after a three-year hiatus. Twain, 37, credits her success to the fact that she wasn't willing to be pinned down by the conventions of traditional country music. No crooning over lost love for this Grammy winner. Like her previous albums, Up! features the same pop sounds with just a hint of a country twang. "I went to the States with a different idea of what country music was," Twain said at the Country Music Television taping. Part of that idea included staying "maybe a bit more open-minded." Over at MuchMoreMusic Twain told fans: "I gear certain things to make sure that I'm perceived the way that I want to be perceived and respected." It's a formula fans have embraced. The first single off of Up!, "I'm Gonna Getcha Good", has received almost non-stop play since it hit the airwaves in October, a month ahead of the album's Nov. 19 release date. When asked why Twain is so popular, one devoted fan seems surprised by the question. "Her music is so global that it hits every scale," she says. Twain's 1997 release, Come On Over, smashed records in both genres. With worldwide sales topping 35 million, it's the most successful female solo album ever. With sales like that and three Junos and five Grammies under her belt, Twain doesn't seem too concerned about country purists who reject her sound. "I think there's a certain group of people who are not as open to my way of doing things, but I'm an individual, an independent artist, and I like to do things as originally as possible," she says. "Maybe that doesn't always fit in with the norm." Success is no small feat for the Timmins, Ont. native who says she grew up in a "very low-income area." Twain told her audience she hoped her music would one day enable her to afford her own home and car and to send her kids to university. "I always dreamt of making it somehow, but I never thought making it meant this," she said. Shania Twain Up! for return to spotlight TORONTO When Shania Twain returns to the spotlight next week, people will undoubtedly be discussing her midriff - again. But this time, the talk will be about how the new mother and her sexy collection of cut-off tops are adjusting to the music scene she abandoned in 1999 to have a baby. The raven-haired superstar, whose rags-to-riches story and struggles to care for her siblings after her parents died won over many people's hearts, will mark her return with a performance Wednesday at the U.S. Country Music Awards. A veteran of the media blitz that surrounds stars, Twain is unruffled about the upcoming hoopla that is bound to greet her the moment her plane touches down in North America. And she's not at all concerned about the shape of her famous midriff, although she admits it'll be watercooler fodder no matter what she wears to perform. "If I cover it up they're going to wonder, oh, what is she trying to hide?" laughs Twain, 37, over the phone from her home on the banks of Lake Geneva in Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland. "I certainly didn't focus on (body image) myself. I decided to have a baby when I was really ready and that meant I was ready to give up my figure because you don't know what kind of figure you're going to end up with after." Fans can rest assured, though, because by Eja's first birthday, Twain's "jello" stomach was gone. "After I had the baby, I didn't put any pressure on myself. I said: 'You know, I could have this jelly belly forever for all I know and that is just the way it is and it's worth it."' After the country music awards, she'll head to Toronto where she kicks off a two-month international publicity tour to promote her new album Up!, in stores Nov. 19. When Twain quietly retreated to her Switzerland home to have a child and rest after a whirlwind tour, many wondered about her timing. Her 1997 album Come On Over continues to shatter industry records - including the most successful female solo album ever with worldwide sales of more than 35 million. Many thought she should have gone back into the studio to record another album in order to ride the momentum of Come On Over, with its songs that invaded both pop and country charts. "The album just kept on going and going and going. It was out of my control at that point and I thought I have to put an end to it at some point," she says with down-home charm. "I listened to myself and said 'OK, I'm tired now, I need to go home. I need to focus on my husband and my home. I need to officially move in, I need to unpack my bags.' " Unlike another Canadian world-famous singing diva, Twain was rarely seen in public after she announced her pregnancy in late 1999, declaring she'd take a break from the business. Nary a photograph of Twain's navel made its way into the media and she even passed on an invitation to attend the summer 2001 opening of a tribute museum in her home town of Timmins, Ont. She's also been discreet and circumspect about her baby, refusing tabloid and magazine offers of millions of dollars for a photograph of the child. "He doesn't have to be a part of my fame," she says of Eja, born Aug. 12, 2001. "He doesn't need to be exposed to that. I'll try to protect him from that so he can have some normalcy." Her effort to divide her fame from her private life was the basis of her decision to make Switzerland her home instead of somewhere in North America. "I try to keep things low profile so that there's some separation when I need it," she says. "I just stay away from the mainstream of things. I don't seek it out. I don't look for any photo opportunities from my private life. I don't photograph with my child or my husband." She says she leads a quiet, normal life in Switzerland that allows her to pick up groceries incognito. "I don't hide away or anything. The whole beauty of living my life this way is I can get out and do public things like everybody else does." Now that she's well rested and rejuvenated, Twain's ready to return to the celebrity circuit. Just don't expect her to fight and claw her way through. "I feel like I've already accomplished everything that's accomplishable as far as career goals go," she says matter of factly. "It just wouldn't be realistic or reasonable to set bigger ones. It just means so much more to me than that. The music's more important, fan response is more important. I'm just feeling more comfortable." She says she and Lange weren't trying to replicate the success of Come On Over when writing the new material. Even so, Up!, one of the year's most anticipated albums, is another example of Twain's multi-genre influences with country, pop and rock weaved throughout the 19 songs. "I wanted it to have a lot of variety. There's some real extremes," she said, explaining her use of the banjo and fiddle as well as Caribbean rhythms. "There's just this huge variety on there because there's just so many different audiences and I've never really considered myself one type of artist." It took Twain and Lange over a year to write and record Up! The couple travelled throughout Europe and the Caribbean for inspiration. "It's always nice to be somewhere different and new," she says. "I find being home and domestic quite distracting when it comes to being creative. I'm all worried about what I'm going to cook for dinner, what I've got to get on my grocery list, that sort of thing. It's nice to get away for a week here and week there and just think creatively." Twain recalls trying to lay down vocal tracks while nursing Eja. "I would wheel the baby in the studio . . . I was singing one minute, nursing the next minute, in the control room the next minute. It was a real juggle."
Shania Twain set to release new CD in November TORONTO After spending several years away from the public eye, country superstar Shania Twain is poised to re-enter the spotlight with an eagerly anticipated new album, Up!. The album, to be released Nov. 12, contains 19 songs, all co-written by Twain and her producer husband Mutt Lange, according to her official Web site (www.shania-twain.com). A single is expected to hit radio stations in late September. Twain, from Timmins, Ont., and her husband and producer, Mutt Lange, retreated to their Switzerland home in 1999 after touring the U.S. and Europe. She gave birth to their first son, Eja (pronounced Asia), in August 2001. The album is the first one of new material since 1997's Come On Over, which continues to break music industry records having sold 34 million copies worldwide. Twain will celebrate her 37th birthday on Aug. 28.
|
|
|
JANUARY 7, 2003 SHANIA TWAIN DEFENDS DAVID BECKHAM American pop sensation SHANIA TWAIN has sung soccer ace DAVID BECKHAM's praises - shunning suggestions the sports star is lacking in intelligence. The KA-CHING singer insists handsome David is a very brainy man indeed because he is so talented and quick-witted on the sports field - despite claims he and wife VICTORIA are not blessed with an abundance of brains. She says, "That curved kick is amazing. And why do people criticise his intelligence when he can do something as miraculous as that? He can't be that simple if he can think the way he does. "He has to be some sort of genius actually just to play to that high level. And it seems he's a very good man - and good-looking." JANUARY 8, 2003 SHANIA GOES TO THE BALLPARK Country superstar SHANIA TWAIN has been practicing her pitching with baseball stars the CHICAGO CUBS for a forthcoming TV special. The KER-CHING! singer trained with the Cubs and was even invited to throw the first pitch at a recent Cubs game. The candid special, which will follow Shania at work and play, will air in America on 19 August (03).
FEBRUARY 11, 2003 SHANIA TWAIN BUYS NEW ZEALAND RANCH Country singer SHANIA TWAIN has bought herself an enormous ranch in New Zealand. The Canadian-born COME ON OVER beauty will be moving from her home in Switzerland to the 200 acre farm near Lake Wakatipu, on New Zealand's South Island. A pal confides, "She loves the wild scenery round there. It reminds her of where she grew up in Canada." APRIL 7, 2003 SHANIA TWAIN LIKES BRITISH MEN Sexy country pop singer SHANIA TWAIN has a passion for British men - despite being happily married. The THAT DON'T IMPRESS ME MUCH singer thinks COLDPLAY singer CHRIS MARTIN is "very attractive" and finds soccer superstar DAVID BECKHAM "very handsome". Shania also has a liking for FEEL hunk ROBBIE WILLIAMS, who she thinks has "beautiful eyes" and "is funny too, which is charming". |
|
|
APRIL 8, 2003 AMERICAN PATRIOTISM RULES AT COUNTRY MUSIC TV AWARDS The second COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION AWARDS were filled with pro-American sentiment. The big winner was TOBY KEITH with his song COURTESY OF THE RED, WHITE + BLUE (THE ANGRY AMERICAN) and other stars, including DARYL WORLEY and CHRIS CAGLE gave speeches in praise of the troops. Comedian Brett Butler drew some boos when she mentioned the DIXIE CHICKS who, earlier this year (03), spoke out against GEORGE BUSH. Around 3 million people voted for the awards which also included a tribute to JOHNNY CASH. The winners included: Video of the Year: TOBY KEITH - COURTESY OF THE RED, WHITE + BLUE Group/Duo Video of the Year: RASCAL FLATTS - THESE DAYS Female Video of the Year: MARTINA McBRIDE - CONCRETE ANGEL Male Video of the Year: TOBY KEITH - COURTESY OF THE RED, WHITE + BLUE Breakthrough Video of the Year: JOE NICHOLS - BROKENHEARTSVILLE Fashion Plate Video of the Year: TIM McGRAW - SHE'S MY KIND OF RAIN Concept Video of the Year: SHANIA TWAIN - I'M GONNA GETCHA GOOD! Hottest Female Video of the Year: FAITH HILL - WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN Hottest Male Video of the Year: TIM McGRAW - SHE'S MY KIND OF RAIN Cocky Video of the Year: Toby Keith - COURTESY OF THE RED, WHITE + BLUE. Video Director of the Year: Deaton Flanigen - MARTINA MCBRIDE - CONCRETE ANGEL.
SHANIA TO ROCK THE UK Country sensation SHANIA TWAIN has announced she will play her first British gig in four years. The MAN, I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN singer will take to the stage at a huge outdoor gig in London's Hyde Park. The event, which takes place on Saturday 12 July (03), is Twain's only scheduled European date this year.
SHANIA TWAIN JOINS COUNTRY LINE-UP Country superstars ALAN JACKSON and SHANIA TWAIN will join ALABAMA, KENNY CHESNEY, WILLIE NELSON and TOBY KEITH as performers at the 38th annual COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS. Hosted by REBA McENTIRE, the show will take place at Las Vegas' MANDALAY BAY CASINO on 21 May (03). MARTINA McBRIDE and BROOKS + DUNN are also among the performers. APRIL 28, 2003 SHANIA, SINEAD + NORAH COVER DOLLY Country star DOLLY PARTON is the latest legend to get her very own tribute album with SHANIA TWAIN, NORAH JONES, SINEAD O'CONNOR, ALISON KRAUSS and MELISSA ETHERIDGE among the stars recording covers of her hits. A full track listing for JUST BECAUSE I'M A WOMAN has yet to be confirmed, although Aussie singer KASEY CHAMBERS will record LITTLE SPARROW for the all-women compilation. |
|
|
MAY 11, 2003 SHANIA SOBS OVER PARTON PERFORMANCE Shania Twain was brought to tears on OPRAH WINFREY's chat show yesterday (04NOV03) as she prepared for her "lifelong dream" - performing with her idol DOLLY PARTON. Twain and Parton teamed up to sing Dolly's hit COAT OF MANY COLOURS on the country legend's new tribute album - but they had never performed the song live together before, and the Canadian superstar struggled to contain her nerves. She sobbed, "It's not only a musical dream, it's just a personal dream that I have. I've always wanted to meet her, and I did get to meet her, and I'm singing a song that is so reflective of my childhood - and it's painful to do it. "This is one of the moments where I wish my mother were here. Dolly wrote a lot of true to her heart songs. I learned how to play guitar and I basically wanted to be like Dolly Parton and learn how to write songs like her." MAY 22, 2003 VRIL SELLS 'SWAG' FOR CHARITY Canadian rockers AVRIL LAVIGNE, SUM 41 and SHANIA TWAIN are auctioning off their free promotional gifts - to raise money for charity. The internet event, called the SWAG ONLINE AUCTION, will allow music fans the chance to gain ownership of some of their idol's free hand-outs. Dozens of rock stars have donated a wide variety of merchandise, which will all be auctioned off on EBAY. The SWAG 2003 auction - in aid of THE CANADIAN MUSIC THERAPY TRUST FUND - kicks off today (22MAY03) and continues until 1 June (03). In the past two years the event has raised $75,000 (GBP50,000) to support music therapy programmes across Canada.
SHANIA TWAIN LIKES KIDS COPYING HER STYLE Canadian singer SHANIA TWAIN is quite happy for young children to copy her sexy style. The MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN beauty, who flashes her ravishing curves in a scantily-clad cover shot for America's MAXIM magazine this month (MAY03), says she has no problem with youngsters donning replicas of her skintight leopard-print jumpsuits. She explains, "It's not like I get into some 'sexy mode' or something. I'm goofy about it. "At my concerts, little kids come dressed like that. You have four or five-year-olds dressed in leopard-print outfits that their moms had made for them. "It's not about sex. It's just, 'Let's have fun with clothes.'" MAY 30, 2003 YOUNG AND TWAIN JOIN SARS GIG Rockers NEIL YOUNG and SHANIA TWAIN are reportedly joining a line-up of music heavyweights for the CONCERT FOR TORONTO - which aims to lift the Canadian city's economic problems in the wake of the Sars outbreak. The show - being dubbed "the music event of a lifetime" - is taking place on 21 June (03), and yesterday (29MAY03) a massive 70,000 tickets were sold in just three hours. Officials are hopeful the star-studded attraction will restore the city's reputation as a safe and fun place to visit and bring much needed tourism back to the city. Artists such as SARAH McLACHLAN, AVRIL LAVIGNE, SUM 41 and the BARENAKED LADIES have already signed on for six hours of music, which will spread across two venues to accommodate nearly 70,000 people. |
|
|
JUNE 5, 2003 SHANIA'S PROPERTY PLAN UPSETS KIWIS Stunning singer SHANIA TWAIN has upset New Zealand outdoor groups over her plans to buy high country property in the nation. Canadian Twain, who lives in Switzerland with her producer husband MUTT LANGE and their baby, is reported to have offered $9 million (GBP6 million) for the 42,000-acre Motatapu Stationnear Lake Wanaka. The price, if confirmed, would be four times the government valuation for the land. But groups advocating greater public access to South Island high country lease lands are worried that if Twain pays such a high price for the property, it will affect government negotiations for similar reserves and access elsewhere. They also fear the movie will jeopardise access to climbers, hikers, cyclists and campers.
SHANIA TWAIN DOUBTS HER LOOKS Country singer SHANIA TWAIN is convinced she's very average - and her stunning looks are all down to "good lighting". The YOU'RE STILL THE ONE singer, who was recently voted Canada's sexiest woman, insists her stunning appearance in photographs is all down to technical trickery. Modest Shania explains, "I'm average. I'm not ugly, but I'm not beautiful like HALLE BERRY or SOPHIA LOREN. "Photos and make-up can make you more attractive. Sometimes I see pictures I look OK in and say 'good lighting'." JUNE 11, 2003 WASTE NOT WANT NOT FOR FRUGAL SHANIA Country star SHANIA TWAIN insists on keeping her backstage needs to a minimum, because she hates to waste food. The THAT DON'T IMPRESS ME MUCH singer's poor upbringing taught her never to waste anything - because there was a time she had absolutely nothing. She explains, "In my dressing rooms I always ask for what I can eat, and what I've started doing now is saying, 'Look I only need two bananas, I only need four waters,' and I give numbers of how much I need so I don't get a dozen bananas." Twain admits her frugal ways continue when she's cooking at home: "My husband complains. He says, `Why do you make just two potatoes?' and I say, `Because there's only two of us.' He says, 'Just make four and then I have the choice of having more or I can have the rest tomorrow.' "But I remember doing everything I could just to prevent the CHILDREN'S AID from coming to take us away. Our standard of living was that low we were in 40-below winters in Ontario and you had no heat. "You were sleeping with your clothes on. I was 22 when they moved in with me, but our poorest days were with my parents when we were younger - when we had no grocery money and we were doing laundry in the bathtub and going to the dump for clothes." JUNE 26, 2003 CANADIAN STARS LINE UP ON WALK OF FAME Canadian stars MIKE MYERS, SHANIA TWAIN and LINDA EVANGELISTA got a rapturous reception as they were inducted into the CANADIAN WALK OF FAME on Wednesday (25JUN03). The five-year-old event saw eleven big name Canadians immortalised during the Toronto-based ceremony, but Myers and his declaration of love for city won him the biggest cheers. He told the crowd, "I love it and it's just the greatest city in the world. If I have achieved anything it's because of this country and the people of this country." Evangelista took the opportuniy to dedicate her star to two murdered teenagers from her home town of St. Catherines, Ontario. She said, "I wanted to dedicate this, and I am going to dedicate this to my girls KRISTEN FRENCH and LESLIE MAHAFFY to their memory. They never got to prove how their star could shine, so I'd like to dedicate it to their memory." |
|
|
JULY 23, 2003 BO DEREK ON HER FRIEND SHANIA TWAIN She explains, "SHANIA TWAIN's an acquaintance of mine; she's got a serious private life and she's the biggest thing there is." |
|
|
AUGUST 7, 2003 TWAIN BANS CIGS AND BOOZE AT LONDON GIG Clean-living country star SHANIA TWAIN caused chaos at Sunday's (06JUL03) PARTY IN THE PARK concert in London - by banning all smoking and drinking in her vicinity. According to Britain's DAILY MIRROR tabloid, the MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN! beauty asked organisers to impose the ban - which turned into a "nightmare" for event staff who had to keep drinkers and smokers away from the star.A Party In The Park organiser says, "It was bonkers but she insisted on it. It was a nightmare making sure no one went near her while puffing or holding a can of beer. "It was supposed to be a party, for crying out loud!"
|
|
|
SHANIA TWAIN SET TO SCOOP EIGHT GONGS AT COUNTRY AWARDS Canadian country singer SHANIA TWAIN received an impressive eight nominations yesterday (22JUL03) for the The talented star has been tipped for the fan's choice, female artist, best album, top selling album, best song, best single and two video award categories. Other multi-nominated artists for the 8 September (03) PAUL BRANDT-hosted ceremony, which falls at the end of COUNTRY MUSIC WEEK (5-8SEPT03), include AARON LINES with six nominations, and TERRI CLARK with five. Country Music Week chairman DOUG YOUNG says, "Let's take the convention and open it up to the public and make it a tourist event as well." The full list of nominees is as follows: Fan's choice: PAUL BRANDT, TERRI CLARK, CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON, AARON LINES, SHANIA TWAIN Female artist: LISA BROKOP, TERRI CLARK, CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON, SHANIA TWAIN, MICHELLE WRIGHT Male artist: PAUL BRANDT, ADAM GREGORY, AARON LINES, JASON McCOY, DUANE STEELE Group: DOC WALKER, EMERSON DRIVE, ENNIS SISTERS, THE GOOD BROTHERS, POVERTY PLAINSMEN Album: BRAD JOHNER - FREE, AARON LINES - LIVING OUT LOUD, TERRI CLARK - PAIN TO KILL, SHANIA TWAIN - UP!, ADAM GREGORY - WORKIN' ON IT Single: GIL GRAND - CRY A LITTLE, SHANIA TWAIN - FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS, TERRI CLARK - I JUST WANNA BE MAD, DOC WALKER - ROCKET GIRL, AARON LINES - YOU CAN'T HIDE BEAUTIFUL Rising star: SAMANTHA KING, AARON LINES, JAKE MATHEWS, DERIC RUTTAN, DEAN DUFTIN Video: GIL GRAND - CRY A LITTLE, SHANIA TWAIN - FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS, TERRI CLARK - I JUST WANNA BE MAD, SHANIA TWAIN - I'M GONNA GETCHA GOOD, AARON LINES - YOU CAN'T HIDE BEAUTIFUL
|
|
CANADIAN COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS.
|
AUGUST 22, 2003 SHANIA TWAIN FAILS TO WARM SON TO HER MUSIC Country beauty SHANIA TWAIN is proud to declare her two-year-old son EJA adores her as a mother - but he's yet to become a fan of her music. The Canadian-born THAT DON'T IMPRESS ME MUCH singer, 38, admits her offspring doesn't count any of her chart-topping hits among his favourites yet. She says, "I think he has more of an affinity for HEY, DIDDLE DIDDLE. I sing that repeatedly to him at bedtime. He enjoys that more than if I put on one of my albums." |
|
|
SEPTEMBER 4, 2003 MORE STARS ADDED TO WILLIE NELSON HONOUR WYCLEF JEAN, PAUL SIMON and AEROSMITH rocker STEVEN TYLER have joined the long list of stars who will salute WILLIE NELSON at a tribute concert. The show, dubbed WILLIE NELSON AND FRIENDS: LIVE AND KICKIN', takes place at New York's BEACON THEATRE today (09APR03), in honour of Nelson's upcoming 70th birthday on 30 April (03). Jean, Simon and Tyler join previously announced participants RAY CHARLES, KENNY CHESNEY, ERIC CLAPTON, SHERYL CROW, NORAH JONES, TOBY KEITH, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, JERRY LEE LEWIS, LYLE LOVETT, JOHN MELLENCAMP, SHELBY LYNNE, RAY PRICE, LEON RUSSELL, SHANIA TWAIN and ZZ TOP. WHOOPI GOLDBERG, ETHAN HAWKE, MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY and ALI McGRAW are among the celebrities scheduled to appear at the concert, which will air in America on Memorial Day (26MAY03). SEPTEMBER 6, 2003 SHANIA PLANS FREE CONCERT IN CHICAGO Canadian star SHANIA TWAIN will perform a free concert in Chicago next month (JUL03). The 27 July (03) concert at Hutchinson Field in Chicago's Grant Park will be filmed for an upcoming American TV special, called SHANIA TWAIN UP! LIVE IN CHICAGO, slated to air in August (03). Twain says, "I'm so looking forward to coming back to the States to play a full concert. Playing live in front of the fans is what I enjoy the most. Chicago totally rocked the last time I played there and I can't think of a better place to play my first US live concert in two-and-a-half years. We're going to have a blast in Chicago!"
SEPTEMBER 9, 2003 SHANIA TOPS CANADIAN COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS Superstar SHANIA TWAIN beat off competition from her countrymen to take four gongs at Monday's (8SEP03) CANADIAN COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS in Calgary, Alberta. Twain took home prizes for top female artist, top album and top-selling album for UP!, and top video for I'M GONNA GETCHA GOOD! For the fourth year, the sultry singer's labelmate TERRI CLARK won the fan's choice category. Clark also won top single for I JUST WANNA BE MAD. Newcomer AARON LINES also had a big night, clinching two major honours: the Rising Star Award and the prize for top male artist. EMERSON DRIVE won for top group, while SEAN HOGAN was named top roots artist. Also during the show, Twain inducted veteran SYLVIA TYSON into the CANADIAN COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME.
|
|
|
OCTOBER 7, 2003 NASHVILLE HATED ME, SAYS SHANIA TWAIN SHANIA TWAIN upset the Nashville country music elite with her mega-selling tunes - because they thought she was murdering the music. The Canadian singer - whose 1997 album COME ON OVER has sold 34 million copies worldwide - found starting out tough because country purists didn't get her pop sound. Shania, 37, says, "My naivety helped me more than anything. My first album, SHANIA TWAIN, was very controversial "People thought I was ruining country - they'll always believe that." OCTOBER 10, 2003 SHANIA' S TOUR EXTENDED Country superstar SHANIA TWAIN has extended her North American tour, due to popular demand. The singer was scheduled to end her latest round of gigs next week (27OCT03) - but she's now returning to the road on 21 November (03) for a series of concerts in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Missouri. The new November performances will be followed by a string of shows in December that will conclude her tour in British Columbia on 8 December (03). OCTOBER 10, 2003 SHANIA'S DOLLY DREAM MAKES HER CRY
Dolly Parton made pal SHANIA TWAIN's dreams come true - by singing with her on the County + Western legend's own tribute album. The ALWAYS + FOREVER star stipulated that she would only appear on the new LP if she could duet on her favourite Parton track, COAT OF MANY COLOURS - and was brought to tears Parton explains, "Shania said, 'Don't let anybody have Coat of Many Colours, and Dolly has to sing harmony.' "After she recorded it, I sang harmony on it and when they sent Shania the track, she just cried like a baby. "I thought, 'Well, if you can live long enough and do something special enough to bring out that kind of emotion in somebody, that's what it's all about.'" OCTOBER 20, 2003 SHANIA AND KID ROCK TO PLAY VH1 BIG IN 2003 Shania Twain,Kid Rock and MATCHBOX 20 will be among the performers at the upcoming VH1 BIG IN 2003 awards show - which boasts a bizarre array of categories. Awards at the second annual ceremony will include Biggest Gay Hero, Biggest Guilty Pleasure and Really Big Reality Star and Biggest Mistake '03. The show will take place on 30 November (03) in Los Angeles. At last year's (02) ceremony, VIN DIESEL was honoured in the You Can't Spell Bald Without Bad category, while ICE CUBE won in the Shakespeare in Da Hiz-House category, which honoured rappers in movies. |
|
when she got her wish.
|
NOVEMBER 12, 2003 HORDES OF STARS EMERGE WITH TWO AMA NODS APIECE ASHANTI, BEYONCE KNOWLES, EMINEM, SHANIA TWAIN, SEAN PAUL and MISSY ELLIOTT have all emerged with two nominations each for the 31st annual AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS. Dion received two nominations today (16SEP03), for favourite female pop-rock artist and favourite adult contemporary artist, where she's up against CHER and NORAH JONES. Jones, who clinched five GRAMMY AWARDS earlier this year Singers R KELLY and LUTHER VANDROSS have also received two nods apiece for the upcoming ceremony, which has no performer or group exceeding a pair of nominations. The awards will be presented during a ceremony at Los Angeles' SHRINE AUDITORIUM on 16 November (03), with talk show host JIMMY KIMMEL taking on emcee duties. The nominations are based on sales figures and radio play. FASCINATING FACT 517 Shania Twain has called on her famous friends to design stetsons so she can raise cash for her favourite charity the Second Harvest Food Bank. The cowboy hats will be auctioned off to raise funds for the organisation. BEYONCE + R KELLY WIN BIG AT BILLBOARD AWARDS Beyone Knowles and R KELLY were big winners at last night's Sexy singer Beyonce stunned the Las Vegas, Nevada, crowd by performing new song ME, MYSELF + I with an army of 50 lookalikes. The DESTINY'S CHILD star also claimed two New Female Artist prizes, the Hot 100 Chart Female Artist and a special honour for spending 17 weeks collectively at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in America. Meanwhile He then took home all the prizes for songwriting and producing. Elsewhere, the triple winners on the night were SHANIA TWAIN, LIL' JON + THE EASTSIDE BOYZ and 50 CENT. The full list of winners is: Duo/Group of The Year - 3 DOORS DOWN Hot 100 Female Artist - BEYONCE KNOWLES New Female Artist - BEYONCE KNOWLES R+B/Hip Hop New Artist - BEYONCE KNOWLES Number One Special Award - BEYONCE KNOWLES Modern Rock Artist - AUDIOSLAVE Rock Artist - AUDIOSLAVE Rock Track - HEADSTRONG by TRAPT Modern Rock Track - HEADSTRONG by TRAPT New Male R+B Artist - CHINGY Rhythmic Top 40 Title - RIGHT THURR by CHINGY R+B/Hip Hop Duo or Group - LIL' JON + THE EASTSIDE BOYZ Independent Album Artist - LIL' JON + THE EASTSIDE BOYZ Independent Album - KINGS OF CRUNK by LIL' JON + THE EASTSIDE BOYZ Century Award - STING Mainstream Top 40 Track - WHERE IS THE LOVE by THE BLACK EYED PEAS Country Artist - SHANIA TWAIN Country Album - UP by SHANIA TWAIN Country Album Artist - SHANIA TWAIN Digital Track - HEY YA by OUTKAST New Group Artist - EVANESCENCE Best Selling Single - THIS IS THE NIGHT/BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER by CLAY AIKEN Artist of The Year - 50 CENT Rap Artist - 50 CENT R+B/Hip Hop Artist - 50 CENT R+B Songwriter of The Year - R KELLY R+B Producer of The Year - R KELLY Hot 100 Songwriter of The Year - R KELLY Hot 100 Producer of The Year - R KELLY Best Soundtrack Single - BRING ME TO LIFE by EVANESCENCE Classical Crossover Artist - JOSH GROBAN Classical Crossover Album - CLOSER by JOSH GROBAN
SHANIA HELPS CHILDREN'S CHARITY FIGHT HUNGER THIS PICTURE IS OF MUTT'S FIRST BAND HOCUS Country star SHANIA TWAIN donates cash to children's charity SECOND HARVEST because she knows what it feels like to be hungry. The singer and her siblings were often so short of food when they were growing up they had to live off generous hand-outs. She recalls, "None of my friends knew we weren't eating. Children get humiliated, so at school I'd tell people I forgot my lunch. "A friend would steal food from her house and bring it to ours. Every once in a while she'd get caught. She probably didn't realise, even today, what it meant to us. Hunger is an overlooked problem. "Many people don't understand how hard it is for children to concentrate in school when they haven't eaten properly."
SHANIA'S WET DEBUT Country star SHANIA TWAIN was so terrified when first sang in front of an audience she wet herself. The singer, who was 16 when she was asked to sing during a band trip to another school, had to think quick to cover up her weak bladder. Twain recalls, "I went there, got up on stage, did some song and I peed my pants. I was wearing a skirt - that was a good thing because it didn't show. "I had to go up there and sing like that. I was very clever about it. There was a little puddle on the floor but I knocked over my water glass so that anyone around me just thought it was water. I had to go out and brave it. I just had to do it." |
|
(03), is also vying for favourite pop-rock album for her platinum debut COME AWAY WITH ME.
Winners are selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners.
(10DEC03) BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS - they stole the show and walked away with four awards apiece.
|
DECEMBER 16,2003 SHANIA MAKES HISTORY Shania Twain will be celebrating Christmas in style this month (DEC03) as the first artist in history to have three consecutive albums surpass the 10 million sales mark. The country star's latest album, UP!, has just been certified 10 times platinum by the RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (RIAA). Twain's two previous albums, THE WOMAN IN ME and COME ON OVER, both brought her 10 million sales each. Come On Over is the most successful album by a female solo artist ever, with almost 35 million worldwide sales.
|
|
|
Eja news Shania's first child THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK ON SHANIA. IT IS THE ONLY OTHER ONE THAT I WILL BELIEVE WHEN IT COMES TO HER LIFE BEFORE HER CAREER. IF YOU LIKE ROBIN EGGARS BOOK THEN YOU WILL LIKE THIS ONE. THIS AUTHOR IS THE ONLY OTHER AUTHOR THAT I HAVE NOTICED ACTUALLY WENT TO CANADA AND INTERVIEWED FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT WOULD TALK TO HER AND IT WAS OKAY'D BY SHANIA BEFORE HAND. Shania Twain has given birth to her first child, a representative for the singer has confirmed. The baby boy, named Eja (pronounced "Asia"), was born on Sunday, August 12. Twain and her husband, record producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, have been at their home in Switzerland much of this year, working on a new Twain album and awaiting the birth of their child. No further details were available. |
|
|
Shania has baby boy Shania Twain and her husband, Mutt Lange, are the proud parents of a baby boy they have named Eja, reports US.99. He was born Saturday, August 11th. Shania didn't let the news out untill now. She wanted to keep it quiet for a while. Mom and baby are doing just fine. |
|
|
Shania Twain Delivers Baby Boy Shania Twain and husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange welcomed into the world a baby boy, Eja (pronounced "Asia") Lange, on Aug. 12. The baby is the couple's first child. Twain and Lange have been married since 1993. Lange and Twain co-produced Twain's albums The Woman in Me and Come on Over, and the couple wrote or co-wrote every song on the albums. Twain's publicist confirmed the birth Monday (Aug. 20) but offered no other details. The couple lives in Switzerland and has kept details of the pregnancy and birth very private.. |
|
|
IT'S A BOY! SHANIA TWAIN and her husband, ROBERT JOHN ?MUTT? LANGE, welcomed their first born into the world on Sunday, August 12th, as confirmed by the star?s publicist on Monday. No other details have been offered so far other than that the baby is a boy and the couple has named him Eja (pronounced ?Asia?). For the entire year so far, the couple have been writing and recording Twain?s next album and privately waiting for the birth of their first born. Most of the details of Twain?s pregnancy, including the due date, have been kept strictly private. Congratulations to Shania and Mutt! |
|
|
November 18, 2004: Shania received November 13: Shania's 1997 release "Come On Over" has now been certified for 20 million (double "diamond") in October 25: Shania won the award for Best Live Performance at the 2nd annual French Country Music Awards this past weekend. October 17: The CBC premiered their countdown of the "Top 50 Greatest Canadians" as voted by Canadians. Shania ranked #18 in this public vote, and was the top female (only six females in the Top 50). Thanks to those who voted for Shania. It's a great honor to be ranked that high among all Canadians past and present: Prime Ministers, Nobel winners, scientists, physicians, inventors, hall of fame athletes, and historic public figures from all walks of life. Voting will continue for Top 10 nominees only through late November... CBC Greatest Canadian site. October 5: International performing rights organization BMI honored its songwriters in a number of categories in May 12: Shania won two more BMI Songwriter Awards last night at the 52nd Annual BMI Pop Awards, in a ceremony which honored the year's 50 most performed songs (Oct. 1, 2002-Sept. 30, 2003 eligibility period). Shania won for her hits songs "Forever And For Always" and "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!", from her current UP! album. April 21: Shania won the 2004 CMT Flamworthy "Female Video of the Year" Award for her beautiful "Forever And For Always," filmed in April 3: Shania won the 2004 Canadian JUNO Award for "Country Recording of the Year" on the first night of ceremonies in March 18: Shania's UP! Tour has been a huge success across Europe, where she was recently honored by venue managment firm SMG Europe as the highest selling female artist across their eight venues, and for breaking the ticket sales record at the largest, M.E.N. Arena in Manchester. Her M.E.N. concert sold 18,300 tickets and grossed three quarter of a million pounds (roughly $1.4 million USD). March 9: Shania's UP! was Canada's #2 ranked pop/all-genre album in 2003, selling over 4X platinum units (2-CD album = 1 unit) in it's second calendar year of release. Her Shania Twain: UP! Live in March 7: Congratulations! Shania won "Best International Female Artist" at March 1: Shania was featured in the March 16 issue of Country Weekly Magazine (10 Most Influential Stars of the Past 10 Years). She was one of five collectible covers for this issue, and the only female superstar. February 28: Shania was inducted into the Walk of Fame - Europe in February 27: Shania was inducted into the German "Walk of Fame" at February 16, 2004: Shania won the fan-voted Star Radio Music Awards for "Best Female Singer 2003" and "Best Album 2003" (UP!). Star Radio is fast-growing Internet Radio station based on the |
|
|
January 9, 2005: Shania won for "Favorite Country Female Singer" at the 31st Annual People's Choice Awards. Congratulations to Shania and thanks to her fans for your continued support! Shania was one of many stars unable to attend the ceremony this year. She is currently on another continent spending much-needed time with her husband and toddler son, (and this year will be) working on her new charity, and writing songs for her next all-new studio album. |
|
| ©2006 |
Create a free website at Webs.com
|