Shania Twain
Who was Shania Twain?
Canadian country music superstar whose 1997 album "Come On Over" became the best-selling studio album by a female artist in any genre.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Shania Twain (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Eileen Regina Edwards, better known as Shania Twain, was born on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario. She became one of the most successful recording artists ever and the top-selling female country artist. After moving with her family to Timmins, Ontario, when she was two, Twain endured a tough childhood marked by poverty and domestic violence. As a teenager, she performed at local venues to help support her family. After her parents died in a car accident in 1987, she took on the responsibility of raising her younger siblings.
Twain's music career took off in the early 1990s when she moved to Nashville and signed with Mercury Records. Her first album came out in 1993 but didn't achieve major success. Her career changed significantly when she teamed up with producer Robert John 'Mutt' Lange, whom she married in 1993. Their work together led to 'The Woman in Me' (1995), which made Twain a significant name in country music due to its broad appeal and original production style.
The album 'Come On Over' (1997) pushed Twain to international fame, becoming the best-selling studio album by a female artist in any genre. It stayed at number one on the country charts for two years and produced many hits like 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!' and 'You're Still the One.' The album's mix of country, pop, and rock expanded the limits of country music and resonated with people worldwide. She went to Timmins High and Vocational School and also studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music.
After 'Come On Over,' Twain released 'Up!' in 2002, which also went multi-platinum. However, in the mid-2000s, she faced challenges, including problems with her vocal cords and her divorce from Lange in 2008. She later married Frédéric Thiébaud in 2011. After a long break, Twain returned to music, releasing 'Now' in 2017, her first studio album in 15 years. Throughout her career, she's sold over 100 million records globally and won multiple awards, including five Grammy Awards.
Before Fame
Growing up in Timmins, a small mining town in northern Ontario, Twain faced a childhood filled with financial struggles and family issues. Her mother married Jerry Twain, who adopted Eileen and gave her his last name, although she didn’t find out he wasn’t her biological father until after he passed away. Despite the family's money problems, Twain showed musical talent early on and began performing at community events and local bars during her teenage years, often singing late into the night to help support her family.
The tragic death of her mother and stepfather in a car accident in 1987 left 22-year-old Twain responsible for her three younger siblings. She did various jobs, including performing in a resort show, to keep the family together. Once her siblings were old enough to take care of themselves, Twain finally felt free to seriously pursue her musical goals, which eventually led her to Nashville in the early 1990s to follow her dreams of becoming a country music star.
Key Achievements
- Best-selling female country artist of all time with over 100 million records sold worldwide
- First female country artist to have three consecutive albums certified Diamond by the RIAA
- Won five Grammy Awards including Best Country Album for 'Come On Over'
- Inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2011
- Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011
Did You Know?
- 01.She learned to hunt and chop wood as a child to help her family survive in the Canadian wilderness
- 02.Her album 'Come On Over' has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time
- 03.She temporarily lost her singing voice due to dysphonia caused by Lyme disease, which she contracted from a tick bite
- 04.Her music videos were among the first country videos to receive heavy rotation on MTV
- 05.She performed at the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, becoming one of the few country artists to headline the event