Shania Twain Biography

It's clear by now: Shania Twain is no one-hit wonder or the Madonna of country. The Canadian singer, along with fellow femme Faith Hill, has taken her place as the dominant commercial force in country music, repeating her success album after album.

Twain was born on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario, but grew up in the mid-sized town of Timmins where she was raised by her mother and stepfather, two singers, who were killed in an automobile accident when she was 21. Twain, who had been onstage since childhood, signed with Mercury Records in the early '90s, but her first album was almost completely ignored when released in 1993. Between the first and second albums, Twain met and married producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, a rock producer whose multi-platinum credits included Bryan Adams, Def Leppard, AC/DC and the Cars. Backed with Lange's budget and commercial instincts, Twain recorded The Woman In Me, on which she and Lange wrote everything. 

With hits like "Any Man Of Mine," "You Win My Love" and "(If You're Not In It For Love) I'm Outta Here," The Woman In Me sold more than 8 million copies, surpassing Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits as the best-selling country album of all time by a female artist. The album also won a Grammy in 1996 for Best Country Album.

The wholesome sexuality of Twain's videos made her a hit with men without alienating women, but it has also allowed detractors to suggest that because she didn't tour behind the album, she couldn't sing. (A stint opening for Wynonna fell through when the album took off.) About the time Twain started thinking about a third album (and tour), she signed with Bruce Springsteen manager Jon Landau. (Twain managed herself through most of the initial success of The Woman In Me.) She and Lange worked together again for the follow-up, Come On Over, which was also a huge smash; the album even spawned a bona fide crossover pop hit with "Still The One." A headlining concert tour supporting Come On Over silenced some of the critics who accused Twain of being her husband's studio creation, and a handful of 1998 Grammy nominations further bolstered her respectability. She also kept busy as a spokesperson for Revlon Cosmetics, for whose commericals her "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" was featured.

In 2000, Come On Over was certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling solo album by a female artist in history. It has sold 19 million copies to date and has since been certified as the biggest-selling album in country music history.

Twain took some time off after touring behind Come On Over, relaxing with Lange in their mansion on the banks of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. During her time off, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first child, son Eja Lange, in August 2001. Her third album, Up!, was released in late 2002.

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Shania Twain Website

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