Shania Twain Biography

Super shining entertainer star of the '90s, Shania Twain was born on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario (Canada). She became an icon of success with her own different style and gained popularity among lovers of music all over the world. It was her hard work and talent that helped her become one of the hottest singing sensations.

Shania Twain was second eldest of five children, and was named Eilleen. When she was a few years old, her father left the family. Further, her mother married a forest crewman who was an Ojibway Indian in Timmis, Ontario, which is where she spent her childhood. She worked with her stepfather as a part of the jungle crew, and helped in the plantation.

She was brought up in an environment where music was in the air. Her family always supported her musical talent and let her do whatever she wanted to pursue her career, even when the economical condition of her family was not so good. Her favorite activity from her childhood was singing, writing, playing the guitar and listening to other musical geniuses.

Everyone from her family sung very nicely, and everyone had his/her own style of singing. She was exposed to quite a good variety of music styles. She also listened to country music and even learned and adopted the same style very easily.

As she was good in singing and playing the guitar right from her childhood, her parents sent her to perform in TV and radio shows, local clubs, parties, and at every place where she could display her talent.

Shania, as mentioned above, worked with her stepfather in summer, where she learned using a chainsaw and many other skills. During the winters, along with her school, she also continued her activities of singing and performing at clubs, shows, etc. These activities were in her normal schedule for many years; till she was 21 years old.

When Shania was 22, she lost her parents in an accident (an auto wreck) and she was left as a legal guardian of her half-brothers and sisters. As the eldest sister, it was her duty to look after them, and she faced a tough situation where she had to take a decision (whether to pursue her music career), which would decide her future.

She made her mind and decided to take on the duties she was passed by her late parents―to take care of her siblings. To bear the household expenses, she took on a job at Ontario's Deerhurst Resort.

Her work at Deerhurst Resort provided her with an opportunity to explore the world of theatrical performances; she performed in lead at Deerhurst's and had an opportunity to learn new things (such as a chance to work in a musical comedy and few more).

Near 1990, Shania had fewer responsibilities as compared to the ones after her parent's death in 1987 (as her brothers could earn enough to support themselves). She decided to give her career a new look and a new start; she changed her name from Eilleen to Shania (which means 'I'm on my way').

She jumped into music world full-fledged, moved to Nashville, and her first demo music tape was released, which she recorded with songwriter (also producer) Norro Wilson and Buddy Cannon. She was not given an opportunity to write songs in her music tape as the company and producers did not think that they were of good quality.

The year 1993 brought some good news for Shania when producer Robert John Lange ('Mutt') listened to her voice and approached her offering her new opportunity to write her name in the history of music. Robert Lange and Shania worked together for few months and fell in love with each other. In December 1993 Robert married her.

Robert helped Shania in bringing her songs in front of the world, which her previous company had rejected to work on. They worked very hard on her upcoming project 'The Woman in Me', which became one of the hottest country albums.

The album also won a Grammy Award for Shania and, more than 11 million copies of the album were sold. She was a superstar and was in a league with other female superstars like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, etc.

Her album 'The Woman in Me' placed her on the top of the list of favorite artists in her audience's mind. She was even nominated for 'Rising Video Star of the Year' by Country Music Television Europe.

Shania redefined the image of female country singers. She also had adopted new technique to lure her male fans; she posed herself as a new sex icon and was probably first country singer to come up in this new look. By mid-90's, she was one of the hottest female singers and a phenomenon in the music world.

Further in 1996, Shania released her next album 'No One Needs To Know', which also was a big hit. She was honored with a number 1 Top Country Album Artist title in 1996. 'Come on Over' was one more hit she released in 1997 which sold over some million copies. With this all, Shania continued giving hit albums one after another.

Shania then set up for an around the world tour for about two years to support the marketing of her albums. She spent next few months with her husband and in August 2001, she gave birth to a baby boy, Eja. During this time, she planned and wrote her fourth album.

From the day Shania stepped in the world of music, she has given numerous singles, albums and videos, which were successful in luring and rocking her fans and music lovers. In her career she won numerous titles and awards for her albums, and was named the best female country artist. She was also honored with American Music Awards, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, BMI Awards, Grammy Awards, World Music Awards, Canadian Country Music Awards, and JUNO (Canada) Awards almost every year.