Shania Twain

Artist Image: Shania Twain

Biography

Shania Twain, OC (born Eilleen Regina Edwards; August 28, 1965) is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her 1995 album The Woman in Me brought her fame, and her 1997 album Come On Over became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. Her fourth album, Up!, was released in November 2002. To date it has sold 20 million copies worldwide. Twain has won five Grammy Awards and 27 BMI Songwriter awards. She has had three albums certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America and is the second best-selling artist in Canada, behind Céline Dion, with three of her studio albums certified double diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. She is the first (and currently only) female artist in history to have 3 consecutive albums reach diamond status, certified by the RIAA. Sometimes referred to as "The Queen of Country Pop", Twain has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide and is ranked 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era. She was also ranked 72nd on Billboard's "Artists of the decade" (2000-10). Most recently, Twain has her own TV series, Why Not? with Shania Twain, that premiered on the OWN on May 8, 2011. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 2, 2011. Shania Twain was born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, daughter of Sharon (née Morrison) and Clarence Edwards. Her parents divorced when she was two and her mother then moved to Timmins, Ontario with Eilleen and her sisters Jill and Carrie Ann. Sharon married Jerry Twain, an Ojibwa, and they had a son together, Mark. Jerry adopted the girls, legally changing their last name to Twain. When Mark was still in diapers, the Twains adopted Jerry's baby nephew, Darryl, after Darryl's mother died. Because of her connection to her stepfather, in the past, people had presumed Twain's ancestry was Ojibwa, but she stated in an interview that her biological father was part Cree. Through her maternal grandfather, she is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier. Her maternal grandmother, Eileen Pearce, emigrated from Newbridge, Kildare, Ireland. Eilleen Twain had a hard childhood in Timmins. Her parents earned little and there was often a shortage of food in the household. Eilleen did not confide her situation to school authorities, fearing they might break up the family. In the remote, rugged community, she learned to hunt and to chop wood. Sharon and Jerry's marriage was at times stormy, and from a young age, Eilleen witnessed violent fights between them. Sharon struggled with bouts of depression. In the summer of 1979, while Jerry was at work, at Eilleen's insistence, her mother drove the rest of the family 680 kilometres (420 mi) south to a Toronto homeless shelter for assistance. Sharon returned to Jerry with the children in 1981. In Timmins, Twain started singing at bars at the age of eight to try to make ends meet, often earning twenty dollars between midnight and one in the morning performing for remaining customers after the bar had finished serving. Although she expressed a dislike for singing in those bars, Twain believes that this was her own kind of performing arts school on the road. She has said of the ordeal, "My deepest passion was music and it helped. There were moments when I thought 'I hate this'. I hated going into bars and being with drunks. But I loved the music and so I survived". Twain wrote her first songs at the age of ten, Is Love a Rose and Just Like the Storybooks which were fairy tales in rhyme. She states that the art of creating, of actually writing songs, "was very different from performing them and became progressively important".

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1993
Number of Albums 23
Record Label Mercury Records
Website www.shaniatwain.com
Wikipedia Shania Twain on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

When did Shania Twain start writing songs?

10

...A music lover early on, Shania Twain started writing songs at age 10 . Twain enjoyed success with her second album, The Woman in Me (1995), before deli...
What was the name of Twains second album?

The Woman in Me

...iting songs at age 10. Twain enjoyed success with her second album, The Woman in Me (1995), before delivering the bestselling country album in history...
When was the bestselling country album released?

Come on Over

...95), before delivering the bestselling country album in history with Come on Over (1997). Following a lengthy hiatus due to personal and health proble...
When did she embark on a Las Vegas residency?

2012

...spotlight with a memoir in 2011 and embarked on a Las Vegas residency in 2012 . She released her first album of original material in 15 years with 2017...
In what year did she make her feature film debut?

2019

...material in 15 years with 2017's Now, and made her feature film debut in 2019 with Trading Paint. Early Life On August 28, 1965, Eilleen Regina Edward...
Where was Eillelle Regina Edward's birthplace?

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

...ds who would later change her name to Shania Twain was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada . Her parents divorced when she was young, but her mother, Shar...
What was Elleen's mother's name?

Sharon

...tario, Canada. Her parents divorced when she was young, but her mother, Sharon , soon remarried, to a man named Jerry Twain, a member of the Ojibwa tri...
What tribe was Jerry Twain a member of?

Ojibwa

...er, Sharon, soon remarried, to a man named Jerry Twain, a member of the Ojibwa tribe. Jerry adopted Sharons three daughters, and the 4yearold Eilleen ...
How old was Eilleen when she was adopted by Jerry?

4

...member of the Ojibwa tribe. Jerry adopted Sharons three daughters, and the 4 yearold Eilleen became Eilleen Twain. Twain grew up in the small town of T...
What was the name of the man who adopted Sharons three daughters?

Jerry Twain

...she was young, but her mother, Sharon, soon remarried, to a man named Jerry Twain , a member of the Ojibwa tribe. Jerry adopted Sharons three daughters...
At what age was Sharon singing?

3

...lings witnessed him attack Sharon on more than one occasion. She was singing by the age of 3 , playing the guitar at 8 and penning her own songs at 10....
Who is a Canadian singer and songwriter?

Eilleen Regina Shania Twain

...Shania (given name). For the album, see Shania Twain (album). Eilleen Regina Shania Twain OC (aɪˈliːn eyeLEEN, ʃənaɪə; née Edwards; born August 28, 19...
How many records has she sold?

over 100 million

...August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the bestselling female artist in country music...
Where was Twain raised?

Timmins, Ontario

...ral honorific titles including the Queen of Country Pop. Raised in Timmins, Ontario , Twain pursued singing and songwriting from a young age before sig...
What record label did she sign with in the early 1990s?

Mercury Nashville Records

...d singing and songwriting from a young age before signing with Mercury Nashville Records in the early 1990s. After collaborating with producer and lat...
With whom did she first collaborate?

Robert John Mutt Lange

...arly 1990s. After collaborating with producer and later husband Robert John Mutt Lange , Twain rose to fame with her second studio album, The Woman in ...
What is the bestselling country album of all time?

Come On Over

...y Man of Mine and earned her a Grammy Award. Her third studio album, Come On Over (1997), became the bestselling studio album by a female act in any g...
What magazine's Most Intriguing People list was released in 1995?

People Weekly

..., who she wed in 1993) broke world records with its sales! Listed in People Weekly magazine's Most Intriguing People list (1995). Has scored seven No....
Which song is her biggest country hit?

Love Gets Me Every Time

...ople list (1995). Has scored seven No. Her biggest country hit, Love Gets Me Every Time (1997), became the first country No. She also received the CMA...
How many No's has she scored?

seven

... People Weekly magazine's Most Intriguing People list (1995). Has scored seven No. Her biggest country hit, Love Gets Me Every Time (1997), became the...
When was Love Gets Me Every Time released?

1997

.... Has scored seven No. Her biggest country hit, Love Gets Me Every Time ( 1997 ), became the first country No. She also received the CMA's International...
How many native Canadians have reached the peak of Billboard's country chart?

four

...the CMA's International Achievement Award that same year. Is one of only four native Canadians to reach the peak of Billboard's country chart since it...
When was Billboard's country chart created?

1944

...nadians to reach the peak of Billboard's country chart since its inception in 1944 . I Feel Like a Woman, You've Got a Way and Come On Over (all 1999)....
What was Shania Twain's original name?

Eilleen Regina Edwards

...Shania Twain, original name Eilleen Regina Edwards , (born August 28, 1965, Windsor, Ontario, Canada), Canadian musician who, with her mix of country m...
In what year was she born?

1965

...Shania Twain, original name Eilleen Regina Edwards, (born August 28, 1965 , Windsor, Ontario, Canada), Canadian musician who, with her mix of country m...
At what age did she move to Toronto?

21

...ing high school she sang with a Top 40 cover band called Longshot. At age 21 she moved to Toronto, where she worked during the day while singing in cl...
How many copies of her first album sold?

100,000

...r stepfathers Ojibwa heritage. Her first album, Shania Twain, sold only 100,000 copies, but her talent caught the eye of another producer, Robert John...
Who produced albums for Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, and Michael Bolton?

Robert John (Mutt) Lange

...000 copies, but her talent caught the eye of another producer, Robert John (Mutt) Lange , who had a highly successful career producing albums for Def L...
When did Twain and Lange marry?

1993

...Bryan Adams, and Michael Bolton. Twain and Lange, who immediately began writing songs together, also became romantically involved and married in 1993 ....
How far north of Toronto was Shanya's hometown?

500 miles

...o, on August 28, 1965, Shania spent most of her life in Timmins, about 500 miles north of Toronto. Later, as she approached her graduation from Timmin...
Who was Robert John Mutt Lange?

South African

...way headed to Nashville and cut a demo. Her recordings were heard by South African Robert John Mutt Lange, a record producer for highprofile artists f...
What did critics accuse Twain of diluting country with?

bland, anthemic hard rock techniques

...eviews most critics accused her of diluting country with bland, anthemic hard rock techniques and shamelessly selling her records with sexy videos. An...
Where was Twain born?

Windsor, Ontario

... In turn, she became a country music phenomenon. Twain was born in Windsor, Ontario , and raised in the small, rural town of Timmins, Ontario. As a chi...
What instrument did she learn as a child?

guitar

... small, rural town of Timmins, Ontario. As a child, she learned to play guitar at an early age and would spend much of her time singing, writing, and ...
What is the name of Twain's stepfather?

Gerald Twain

...ario, by her mother, Sharon, and stepfather, an Ojibway Indian named Gerald Twain . (She later changed her name from Eileen to Shania; an Ojibway word ...
When did her mother and stepfather die in a car accident?

1987

...songs by age 10; as a teenager, she performed on Canadian television. In 1987 , her mother and stepfather were tragically killed in a car accident, lea...
How many younger siblings did she care for?

three

... were tragically killed in a car accident, leaving Twain to care for her three younger siblings. After several years spent earning money by singing at...
What record label did she sign with?

Mercury Records

...esort, Twain went to Nashville in 1993. She immediately signed with Mercury Records and released her selftitled debut album. That same year, Twain mar...
Who was known for his work with ACDC, Def Leppard, and Foreigner?

Robert Mutt Lange

... album. That same year, Twain married South African music producer Robert Mutt Lange , who was known for his work with the heavy metal bands ACDC, Def ...
How many copies did The Woman in Me sell in 1995?

12 million

...the help of Lange, Twain released The Woman in Me in 1995, which sold 12 million copies, becoming the bestselling country album by a female artist in ...
What is Shania Twain's nickname?

The Queen of Country Pop

...ongwriter who rose to prominence in the mid90s. Referred to as The Queen of Country Pop , she further pushed country pop into a bland, soulless directi...
At what age did she join her first band called Longshot?

16

...ed on CBC televisions the Tommy Hunter Show as a 13yearold. At the age of 16 , she joined her first band called Longshot. Eventually, Twain moved the f...
Where did she eventually move her family to?

Huntsville, Ontario

...first band called Longshot. Eventually, Twain moved the family to Huntsville, Ontario where she secured a job as a singer and dancer at Deerhurst Reso...