Shania Twain

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9.6 Superb
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Biography

Recent Role:
Herself on CMT Insider
Gender:
Female
Born:
8-28-1965
Birthplace:
Windsor, Ontario
Birth Name:
Eilleen Regina Edwards
AKA:
Eilleen Lange, Eilleen Twain
Shania Twain OC, is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has been very successful in the country and pop music genres. Her album Come On Over is the biggest-selling album by a female artist of all time and she is the only female artist to have three albums certified Diamond by the RIAA. She is also the recipient of five Grammy awards and many other awards world wide.



She was given the name Eilleen Regina Edwards on August 28, 1965. When she was born in Windsor, Ontario to parents Sharon and Clarence Edwards. Eilleen's parents separated when she was a toddler.



… More Sharon later met and married Jerry Twain a proud Objiway Indian. They moved to and lived in Timmins, Ontario.

Jerry adopted Eilleen and her older sister, Jill and younger sister, Carrie-Ann. Jerry and Sharon had a son Mark and adopted Jerry's nephew, Darryl when Jerry's sister/Darryl's mother killed herself when Darryl was a toddler.



Sharon realized Eilleen's talent at an early age. When Eilleen was just 3 years old, Sharon put Eilleen on a counter at a diner to sing because she was already singer loudly along with the jukebox.



Jerry was a big influence in Eilleen's life. He helped teach her to play guitar and provided humor into a difficult life. Sharon was often depressed and would spend days in bed.


Eilleen made her first tv appearance at the age of 13, when she appeared on the Tommy Hunter Show.

As a teenager Eilleen would sing late at night in any club her parents could get her into. Eventually she got a job as the lead singer of a band called "Longshot". Eilleen also worked at McDonalds and played the trumpet in the school band.



After graduating high school Eilleen moved to Toronto and worked as a secretary and sang in clubs and for any band that would hire her. Eilleen returned to Timmins every summer to help the family with the reforestation company her parents owned.


On November 1, 1987 Eilleen received a phone call that changed her life. Her parents (Sharon and Jerry Twain) had been killed instantly when a truck hit their car head on. Eilleen arrived home the next day and took on the responsibility of raising her younger sister Carrie-Ann and young brothers Mark and Darryl. Overwhelmed with her new responsibility Eilleen sold the family business and moved the family to Huntsville, Ontario. Where she got a job singing in a Vegas show at the Deerhurst resort, thanks to Mary Bailey a family friend.



Mary Bailey convinced a friend Dick Frank an entertainment lawyer from Nashville to come up to Canada and see Eilleen. When he heard Eilleen sing he knew he could get her a recording contract in Nashville. With his help Eilleen managed to get a recording contract with Mercury records Nashville in 1991.



Mercury wanted Eilleen to change her last name. They like Eilleen but felt it didn't flow well with Twain. Eilleen made a compromise she suggest the name Shania she felt it flowed well with Twain. The label agreed. Shania has been told that the name is Objiway and means on my way.



As Jerry's adopted daughter Shania is registered as 50% North American Indian and she's extremely proud of it.



Shania released her first cd "Shania Twain" in 1993. She refers to it as a Nashville record. Shania has hoped to record her own music but quickly learned that Nashville wasn't interested in her songs. The album only sold 100,000 copies and had no hit songs on that charts. Thanks to Shania insisting that she have control over her videos and image, her video, "What made you say that" caught the attention of a man who would help change her career.



Robert John "Mutt" Lange is one of the most successful record producers. He saw Shania's video for "What made you say that" and heard her cd and loved her voice and her story. He got in contact with her manager, Mary Bailey. Mary thought he was just a fan and sent him a photo. Eventually Mutt got Shania on the phone and the two became friends and writing partners. Shania was excited and felt saved because Mutt was interested in her song writing.

After months of talking on the phone the two met in person when Mutt and Bryan Adams went to Fan Fair in June 1993. Shania hugged Mutt when she met him in person and knew instantly they'd be friends forever. Mutt invited Shania to Europe were the two traveled and wrote songs together and fell in love.



Soon after meeting Mutt, Shania became a vegatarian. She'd never eaten much meat anyway so it wasn't much of a transition. The kind of meat Shania loved was the kind you couldn't get at your local supermarket, like Bear.



Mutt surprise Shania in Paris by flying in her two sisters claiming he was going to be working and he didn't want her to be lonely. He then purposed to her in front of her sisters. Mutt and Shania were married on December 28, 1993 surrounded by her family in Canada.



Mutt and Shania began working on her second cd "The Woman in Me" and this time Shania's songs would be used. Luke Lewis President of Mercury Nashville says he refers to this cd as the honeymoon cd.



The Woman in me cd was released on February 7, 1995. The first single was Whose bed have your boots been under. It was a struggle to get radio's to play the song as many felt it wasn't country. Once it hit the airways there was no stopping the audience from calling in and requesting the song and more information about the singer. Any man of mine became Shania's first number 1 song. Overall, the Woman in Me cd released 8 singles.

Shania spent most of her time traveling between the States and Europe promoting the songs and in her spare time she and mutt were writing and recording her next cd....



Come on Over was Shania's 3rd album. It was released on November 4, 1997. There were 12 singles released from the cd that contained 16 songs including the song You're still the one, which help Shania accomplish cross over success. The song not only scored high on country charts but raced up the pop charts as well. The success of Come on over songs led to Shania launching her first world tour.



Shania was rewarded for all her hard work promoting Come on Over and touring when she won the Entertainer of the Year award in 1999. Soon after she walked away from the fame to take a well deserved vacation and spend time getting to know her husband all over again.



2001 proved to be a very exciting year for Shania and Mutt. On August 12, 2001 they welcomed their son Eja D'Angelo Lange into the world. The name Eja D'Angelo was Mutts suggestion and Shania liked the name. Shania also spent time travelling, writing and occasionally recording new songs for her fourth cd UP!.



UP! was released on November 19, 2002. Containing 19 songs and a brilliant marketing ploy. Shania and Mutt were determined to please all the fans worldwide. The provided not one version but three different versions of UP!. A green version for the country fans, a red version for pop fans and a blue version for the international fans. Shania also went on her second world tour called UP!.



2004 Shania released her Greatest Hits cd on November 9, 2004.The cd contains not only 17 on her top hits but 4 new songs as well. She released Party for two with country singer Billy Currington which helped his career by introducing him to a larger audience. She also did a pop version of the song with Sugar Ray's lead singer Mark McGrath. The song "Don't" was featured in the movie, "An Unfinished Life" starring Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford. Even though I'm no quitter had a more traditional country sound it didn't really get much airplay or much of a chart movement.



Shania and Mutt have a home in La Tour-de-Peilz Switzerland and have currently bought some land in Motutapu Station near Wanaka in New Zealand where they plan on building a home and having a sheep farm.



2005 a desperate Housewives soundtrack contained a Shania song called "Shoes". It was suppose to be the first single and have a video. The release of the song failed to get airplay and move up the charts. It quickly disappeared. The video that was suppose to be made was cancelled with no further explaination.



Shania made a dream come true when she partners with coty to create her own perfume called Shania by Stetson. Shania made some public appearance to promo the perfume such as the Martha Stewart show and the Apprentice.



November 18, 2005 Shania received the honor of the Order of Canada.

Shania officially can put the letters OC at the end of her name because of this honor.



Shania and Mutt on working on a new cd together and it is expected to be released in late 2008.

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  •  
    9.8 Superb
    she has an awesome voice and her songs are great hide show

    i love shania twain , she is amazing! her songs are wonderful , especially "Forever and For Always" and "You're Still the One" those two songs are amazing, shania has such a great voice and taste for music , especially love songs. she is absolutely amazing and i can never get enough of her music. another song i like by her is "I'm gonna getcha good". Shania sings some really great songs and I absolutely love her amazing voice. She is one of a kind and very talented and i know i will love her music forever. she is amazing.. :)

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    geronimosmf Added Apr 22, 2008 All my reviews
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    10 Perfect
    A lovely voice! hide show

    Shania Twain is an amazing singer and an even more amazing person. I loved her when I was a teenager, and I still love her music. She has such a beautiful voice. It's very soothing, and she can sing anything! Although she is an excellent country singer, she is also a great pop singer as well. I love how she mixes pop and country together, kind of like Hannah Montana does.
    One song that really touches me is "From This Moment." It's such a sweet song, and it reminds me of my wonderful boyfriend.
    I hope Shania keeps up her great work. She is truly amazing.

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    sweet_jane Added Jun 7, 2007 All my reviews
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    10 Perfect
    Shania Rox my size 10 sox hide show

    I just love Shania Twain ( as a friend ). She's a very, very, very talented singer/songwriter. She's from Timmins, Ontario, Canada. She moved to Switzerland after that. Now she currently lives in Wanaka, New Zealand. Her husband is Robert John "Mutt" Lange. He helps her write her songs and produce her albums. He does a good job too. Shania has a son named Eja ( pronounced Asia ). She said she wanted something original that no one else might think of for a name. Someday I would like to go to a Shania concert. It probably wont be until after highschool though because my mom doesn't like her. Oh well. It doesn't stop me from liking her music.

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    ShaniaFanCSIfan Added Nov 11, 2006 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    she is so cool. hide show

    she was the first person in country i started to listening to then faith hill then carrie underwood.i'm not a big fan of country but shaina twain is by far the best country singer i would say.

    i own all her albums and i just can't get a enough of her singing.i wonder if she would be a good actress........

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    ashleym1 Added Oct 27, 2006 All my reviews
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    10 Perfect
    $he Rocks my socks! hide show

    My mom would always listen to one of Shania Twain\\\'s cds. We loved \\\'em. I do not listen to Shania Twain\\\'s cds anymore because I am now in to Rascal Flatts! They rock! Shania should have a concert with Rascal Flatts! I would go see Shania have a concert with Rascal Flatts! That would be awsome. A lot of people would pay to see Shania have a concert with Rascal Flatts! The crowd would be cheering so loud for a concert with both Shania Twain and Rascal Flatts, that it would hurt everyones ears. Shania Twain and Rascal Flatts ROCK!!!!

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    TeenTitansFan01 Added Oct 26, 2006 All my reviews
 

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