Shania Twain began her successful career as a performer at the early age ten. Later, the Canadian singer would become one of the most popular and famous entertainers of all time, re-writing music history. To this day, the 56-year-old is going strong.
However, Twain’s life has not always been easy. She had a troubled childhood, and the beloved singer had to stop performing for almost an entire decade!
In a new documentary, Shania herself revealed what happened. Here’s all you need to know about the singing sensation …
Shania Twain was born Eileen Regina Edwards on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Canada.
When she was very young, her parents divorced, but a few years later, Shania’s mother, Sharon, remarried a man named Jerry. He was a member of the Ojibwa tribe and adopted Shania and her two siblings. She was from that day known as Eileen Twain.
However, Shania’s childhood was reportedly far from a happy one. Her father regularly beat her, and her mother and the family never had money.
Shania Twain – childhood & family tragedy
Music and writing became a place of escape for her. Despite her stepfather treating Shania and the rest of her family poorly, she never once asked authorities for help.
“I did feel sorry for myself a lot as a kid. It was either go to Children’s Aid and get saved now or … I weighed it up and thought: ‘If I go to Children’s Aid, we’ll all get separated,’ and I just couldn’t bear that, so we all stayed together for better or for worse,” Shaina told The Guardian.
“I wanted to escape. [From] Everything. Violent home. Tensions. Nothing to eat. When you’re hungry you can’t do anything about it but distract yourself from the hunger. And it really works. It’s therapeutic. A lot of kids play with dolls and I played with words and sounds.”
At the age of three, Shania Twain was singing; by eight, she was playing the guitar. By age ten, the little girl had started writing songs. Mom Sharon was very impressed with Shania’s talent, and so she decided to put everything in one basket and made sacrifices to help her daughter get lessons.
Before long, Shania was performing at several area clubs and community events. Giggs helped her mother to pay the bills, and by the time she graduated from school in 1983, Shania already had a clear plan for the future: she would head to Nashville to try her luck as a country artist.
After some years of great success, Shania was ready to become a star. However, on November 1, 1987, when she was aged 22, Shania’s mother and stepfather passed away in a tragic car accident.
Changed her name
“I can guarantee you that they would be jumping for joy,” Twain said of her parents and what they’d think of her success. “I am writing and recording my own music. This is a luxury for a singer-songwriter, to be able to record their own music. It’s a true luxury.”
Twain was, of course, heartbroken, and decided to put her music career on hold. Instead, she moved back home to take care of her four siblings. At the time, the aspiring artist didn’t entirely take the time to process the passing of her mother and stepfather.
It wasn’t until decades later that she began to think about it.
“I started peeling back the layers of pain I was in and all the other griefs and disappointments and challenges came to the surface. And I thought: ‘I’ve been through worse and it’s time to put it all into perspective,’” Shania Twain explained.
“When my parents died, I experienced a much deeper grief than even the betrayal. I was just out of myself. When you add shock to grief, it does crazy things to your mind. And that really helped me through – this was not nearly as bad as my parents dying. I survived that and I don’t want to give this so much credit.”
For over half a decade, Shania had to put her dreams of a career in the music business on hold. Then, in 1993, she got the opportunity of a lifetime as she signed her first record label with Polygram Records. At the same time, she decided to change her name to “Shania,” an Ojibwa word for “on my way.”
The same year, Shania Twain released her self-titled debut album. Even though it didn’t become a big success, it brought the attention of one significant person.
Shania Twain – marriage, children
Record producer Robert “Mutt” Lange was impressed and wanted to work with her on her next album.
Lange – who had worked with bands such as AC/DC and Def Leppard – co-wrote most of the songs to her second album, including The Woman in Me, released in 1995, the single Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under, which reached No. 11 on the country charts, and the follow-up single Any Man of Mine, which landed the the No. 1 spot.
Twain was nominated for four Grammys for her second album, which sold more than 12 million copies.
Two years later, in 1997, Twain reached new heights. Her third album, Come On Over, included songs such as the super hit That Don’t Impress Me Much and You’re Still the One, and the Canadian singer reached worldwide fame.
Shania Twain began her successful career as a performer at the early age ten. Later, the Canadian singer would become one of the most popular and famous entertainers of all time, re-writing music history. To this day, the 56-year-old is going strong.
However, Twain’s life has not always been easy. She had a troubled childhood, and the beloved singer had to stop performing for almost an entire decade!
In a new documentary, Shania herself revealed what happened. Here’s all you need to know about the singing sensation …
Shania Twain was born Eileen Regina Edwards on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Canada.
When she was very young, her parents divorced, but a few years later, Shania’s mother, Sharon, remarried a man named Jerry. He was a member of the Ojibwa tribe and adopted Shania and her two siblings. She was from that day known as Eileen Twain.
However, Shania’s childhood was reportedly far from a happy one. Her father regularly beat her, and her mother and the family never had money.
Shania Twain – childhood & family tragedy
Music and writing became a place of escape for her. Despite her stepfather treating Shania and the rest of her family poorly, she never once asked authorities for help.
“I did feel sorry for myself a lot as a kid. It was either go to Children’s Aid and get saved now or … I weighed it up and thought: ‘If I go to Children’s Aid, we’ll all get separated,’ and I just couldn’t bear that, so we all stayed together for better or for worse,” Shaina told The Guardian.
“I wanted to escape. [From] Everything. Violent home. Tensions. Nothing to eat. When you’re hungry you can’t do anything about it but distract yourself from the hunger. And it really works. It’s therapeutic. A lot of kids play with dolls and I played with words and sounds.”
At the age of three, Shania Twain was singing; by eight, she was playing the guitar. By age ten, the little girl had started writing songs. Mom Sharon was very impressed with Shania’s talent, and so she decided to put everything in one basket and made sacrifices to help her daughter get lessons.
Before long, Shania was performing at several area clubs and community events. Giggs helped her mother to pay the bills, and by the time she graduated from school in 1983, Shania already had a clear plan for the future: she would head to Nashville to try her luck as a country artist.
After some years of great success, Shania was ready to become a star. However, on November 1, 1987, when she was aged 22, Shania’s mother and stepfather passed away in a tragic car accident.
Changed her name
“I can guarantee you that they would be jumping for joy,” Twain said of her parents and what they’d think of her success. “I am writing and recording my own music. This is a luxury for a singer-songwriter, to be able to record their own music. It’s a true luxury.”
Twain was, of course, heartbroken, and decided to put her music career on hold. Instead, she moved back home to take care of her four siblings. At the time, the aspiring artist didn’t entirely take the time to process the passing of her mother and stepfather.
It wasn’t until decades later that she began to think about it.
“I started peeling back the layers of pain I was in and all the other griefs and disappointments and challenges came to the surface. And I thought: ‘I’ve been through worse and it’s time to put it all into perspective,’” Shania Twain explained.
“When my parents died, I experienced a much deeper grief than even the betrayal. I was just out of myself. When you add shock to grief, it does crazy things to your mind. And that really helped me through – this was not nearly as bad as my parents dying. I survived that and I don’t want to give this so much credit.”
For over half a decade, Shania had to put her dreams of a career in the music business on hold. Then, in 1993, she got the opportunity of a lifetime as she signed her first record label with Polygram Records. At the same time, she decided to change her name to “Shania,” an Ojibwa word for “on my way.”
The same year, Shania Twain released her self-titled debut album. Even though it didn’t become a big success, it brought the attention of one significant person.
Shania Twain – marriage, children
Record producer Robert “Mutt” Lange was impressed and wanted to work with her on her next album.
Lange – who had worked with bands such as AC/DC and Def Leppard – co-wrote most of the songs to her second album, including The Woman in Me, released in 1995, the single Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under, which reached No. 11 on the country charts, and the follow-up single Any Man of Mine, which landed the the No. 1 spot.
Twain was nominated for four Grammys for her second album, which sold more than 12 million copies.
Two years later, in 1997, Twain reached new heights. Her third album, Come On Over, included songs such as the super hit That Don’t Impress Me Much and You’re Still the One, and the Canadian singer reached worldwide fame.
