Twain, Shania (originally, Eileen Evans)

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Twain, Shania (originally, Eileen Evans)

Twain, Shania (originally, Eileen Evans), Canadian-born songstress who broke the country mold (b. Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Aug. 28, 1965). Shania Twain has emerged as one of the best-selling artists in popular music in the late 1990s. Her two albums The Woman in Me (1995) and Come on Over (1997) have each sold over 10 million copies worldwide, a first for any female artist. Although nominally a “country” artist, Twain’s music is mainstream pop at its most professional, packaged with a high sheen by her producer/ husband Robert John “Mutt” Lange.

Twain’s parents were divorced when she was young, and her mother remarried a Native-American from the Obijway tribe named Jerry Twain. (Later, when Shania first hit Nashville, there was a “scandal” involving her supposed exaggeration of her Native-American heritage. Although not her blood father, Twain did raise the young woman, although his connections with Indian culture were slight, at best.)

As a teenager, Twain began performing on local television, and in bars and clubs. She also began writing her own songs. Her mother encouraged her to perform. Twain’s family life took a tragic turn when her mother and stepfather were killed in an automobile accident when she was 21. She soon landed a job at a Canadian resort singing in a Vegas-flavored floorshow as a means of supporting her younger siblings.

In the early 1990s, Twain headed to Nashville in search of a record deal. In 1992, she landed one, but her label was less-than-enthusiastic about allowing her to record her own material. Instead, she was forced to work with Nashville songwriters and producers, and the result—while competent—showed little originality. The label also asked her to change her name, and she chose “Shania,” the Obijway word for “on my way” (according to her publicity).

Nonetheless, the video for the second single from the album—”Dance with the One That Brought You,” directed by Hollywood bad-boy actor Sean Perm—caught the eye of the Australian-born, mainstream pop producer John Robert “Mutt” Lange. Lange had previously brought success to heavy metal stars Def Leppard and AC/DC, and pop balladeers including Michael Bolton and Bryan Adams. He phoned Twain, and they began a six-month collaboration which ended in their marriage.

Lange produced Twain’s breakthrough second album, 1995’s The Woman in Me. The duo cowrote most of the songs, which projected a sassy, take-no-guff woman’s viewpoint towards relationships. Twain scored big right out of the box with the single “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?,” the most country-flavored item on the album. The video emphasized Twain’s considerable personal charms, raising eyebrows among the more conservative Nashville crowd who were shocked by her flirtatious dress.

The album produced a string of hits, each cleverly playing on age-old country themes but polishing them up for the 1990s. Just as Loretta Lynn scolded her heavy-drinking husband in the 1960s, Twain warns her boyfriend that “(If You’re Not in It for Love) I’m Out of Here.” Unlike other country stars, Twain initially did not tour, making her success that much more remarkable.

Although undeniably sexy, Twain projected a wholesome, girl-next-door image that made her acceptable to a wide range of fans. For women, her fashion-plate wardrobe and self-assured attitude was very appealing; and men had plenty of eye candy to keep them happy. Twain’s music was also cleverly packaged: the lyrics were kept simple and direct; the hook-soaked melodies emphasized the song’s title; and the simple rock beats were easy to follow. There was just enough fiddles and steel guitars to make the music “country,” but not so much as to turn off more mainstream listeners (who could enjoy the electric guitar solos and heavy drum beat).

Given their pop proclivities, it was not surprising that Lange-Twain’s next collaboration, the 1997 album Come on Over,crossed over to pop success big time. The lead single, “Still the One,” became a major pop hit. It was followed by a big-throated ballad that would have made Celine Dion proud, “From This Moment,” written in memory of Twain’s parents. Both videos got heavy airplay on VH-1, and neither emphasized a “country” look for the star, who was dressed more like a fashion model than a cowgirl. Twain also began to tour heavily, and proved as attractive a performer on stage as she was on video.

The hits kept coming in 1998-99. Twain signed an endorsement deal with Revlon, who heavily promoted her anthemic hit “Feel Like a Woman.” She also starred in her own live television program, including a special appearance by Elton John, giving his own middle-of-the-road blessings to her. And, after years of being snubbed by the country establishment, she was given a special award at the 1999 Country Music Association’s award show, for popularizing the music around the world, as well as garnering an Entertainer of the Year trophy.