Artist Spotlight

Shania Twain

Shania Twain has a brand new single “Life’s About to Get Good” tearing up the radio charts and a new album Now available now.  Shania called in to The Jim Brickman Show to share what made her want to make music again after a 15-year hiatus, what fans can expect from the new album and what she’s doing to get ready for her tour!

Transcription of Shania Twain’s Interview with Jim Brickman (Part 1)

Jim Brickman – I am talking to Shania Twain!  I’ve been waiting a long time to talk to you.  I haven’t seen you or talked to you for years.  And it’s great to hear your voice again Shania.
Shania Twain – Thank you, thank you.  It’s good to talk to you too!

JB – Thank you, you know mind if I boast about you for a little bit, just for a second, and remind everybody that you’ve won 5 Grammy Awards and 75 million albums worldwide, top selling female country artist of all time.  You have a brand new album and people are really, really excited about it.
ST – Awe, well thanks for the bragging I really appreciate it.  I’m really excited about the new album too.  It’s a long time coming and finally it’s coming out and I’m very excited to hear it with everyone.
JB – It’s the first album you’ve done in 15 years and um I’m curious, during all that kind of hype of that big, big album.  Did you expect at the time for it to be what it was?  When you were recording the songs did you envision them having such an incredible connection and worldwide appeal?
ST – I really didn’t know what to expect at all.  I mean I was very new in the industry of course, in the beginning.  You know as far as recording artist go, I spent all of my spare time then in Canada, not as a recording artist but as you know a bar singer or club singer, or a live performer wanting to be a recording artist.  So when I did get my record deal, you know I think I had one album where I wasn’t the songwriter, I wasn’t involved creatively on the album and it was you know it was sort of a mediocre success.

When those 3 original albums came along…it really happened overnight…it was fast and bigger than I ever expected.

Transcription of Shania Twain’s Interview with Jim Brickman (Part 2)

Jim Brickman – There’s a little bit of the single from Shania Twain called “Life’s About to Get Good.”  And Shania Twain is with me.  Shania, with the new album Now, what did you want to communicate with all these songs.
Shania Twain – Well, while I was doing it and just with writing songs in general, I was just expressing just pure, genuine self expression.  It’s a very personal album because I wrote it myself, and just by the nature of that, my intention is to inspire people and relate to people.  And hopefully they uh do find it relatable and they find – they see themselves um in the song and can you know find a common ground there and be inspired and motivated.

JB – And you’re planning a huge tour.  So it starts – the Now tour starts up in Washington.  Do you like to perform live?  Do you enjoy it?
ST – I love being with the people.  It’s maybe the most – it’s just exhilarating, it’s fun, it’s entertaining for me.  It’s such a unique – it’s unique because there’s one of us on stage and there’s thousands of people out in the audience.  But they are my entertainment, you know?  I’m there to entertain them but they’re still my entertainment.  I just love watching them and feeding off their vibe, it’s really a fun time.
JB – Well it’s like an escape for people.  They get to come and they get to have joy and emotional connection and the spirit of live entertainment that you can’t turn digital.  It’s really exciting.
ST – Well it’s an escape for me to.  I feel the same way, I’m getting as much out of the night as they are and you know we’re all in it together and it’s just a really good time to unleash.
JB – And we love the new album, Shania.  Cannot wait to see the tour as well.  Great to catch up with you!
ST – Same here, thanks a lot!

I’m there to entertain them but they’re still my entertainment.  I just love watching them and feeding off their vibe, it’s really a fun time.

Get Your Copy of Shania Twain’s New Album
NOW

More on Artist Spotlight Shania Twain

Three decades into her storied career as the “top-selling female country artist of all-time,” Shania Twain confidently embraces the moment on her triumphant fifth full-length and first album since 2002, the aptly titled NOW. Assuming the role of sole songwriter for the first time and overseeing production as a co-producer, this is the woman the world knows and loves at her brightest, boldest, and best.

This is the singer who rose from poverty in Ontario, Canada to winning five GRAMMY Awards, selling 75 million albums worldwide, earning the title “Queen of Country Pop,” penning the best-selling memoir From This Moment, and achieving an unprecedented three Diamond-certified albums—1995’s 12x-platinum The Woman In Me, 1997’s 20x-platinum Come On Over (the best-selling studio album in Soundscan history by a female artist in any genre), and 2002’s 11x-platinum Up.

This is the powerhouse voice behind “You’re Still The One,” “From This Moment On,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “Honey, I’m Home,” “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”, and “Come On Over,” to name a few. This is the fighter who returned from a quietly debilitating eight-year bout with Lyme Disease to headline a show-stopping two-year Las Vegas residency in 2012, launch 2015’s comeback “Rock This Country” tour, and receive a 2016 Billboard Women in Music “Icon Award.”

This is Shania NOW.

“I had to go through a lot in life to get to where I am,” she admits. “I can actually say that I’m home.  Optimism is what you hear.”  That attitude drives the music. Throughout 2015 and 2016, Shania assembled what would become these 16 tracks. Splitting sessions between Switzerland, the U.S., England, and the Bahamas, she assumed the role of executive producer and co-produced every song with a handpicked dream team: Ron Aniello, Matthew Koma, Jacquire King, and Jake Gosling. Implementing acoustic instruments like mandolin, banjo, percussion, and guitar, the sonic palette carries what she refers to as “an organic thread” with “a bit of a retro sound,” often veering from roots-y to soulful.

Over this vibrant instrumentation, her songwriting takes center stage. “I’m a songwriter first,” she exclaims. “That absolutely drives everything. It was a big step toward independence. I pushed myself, knowing it was going to scare me and knowing that I, alone, was responsible for however it turned out. I love collaborating, but I didn’t want any emotional, psychological, or musical influence. The minute you invite somebody into that space, you’re influenced.  And then it wouldn’t be me. It wouldn’t be pure. This may be the purest work I ever do.”

She smiles, “I’ve been gifted with the ability to relate to people through music. That’s my comfort zone.  Some people only feel comfortable socializing at work, or in a bar. But when you have music to connect you, it’s a really cool experience. I want people to feel moved by the album. It’s really just an emotional exchange. I hope I can provoke that in a listener.”

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