♫The Queen of 'Country Pop'♫

Within the music world, there are few exceptions to the rule...you are either a pop artist or you are country. Today's spotlight shines on an exception to the 'rule' and has therefore been the target of both acclaim and criticism. This success story is largely attributed to a deliberate crossover - from country star to pop sensation. With an exposion onto the country music scene, the hearts of America were won in an instant. Now, this artist is no longer singled out as a Nashville sound with music going beyond Nashville as fans cross the boundary from country to pop.

Welcome into the spotlight...

1999 CMA Awards

Shania Twain (born Eilleen Regina Edwards, August 28, 1965): Canadian country pop singer-songwriter

Sometimes referred to as "The Queen of Country Pop" Shania is one of the most commercially successful artists of all time, having sold over 80 million albums and is ranked 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era. She was also ranked 72nd on Billboard's "Artists of the decade" (2000–10).

On this day in music history...

Shania Twain wins CMA 1999

 

Shania Twain, "Come On Over", Live in CMA 1999

1999 Shania Twain becomes the first woman to be named as songwriter/artist of the year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. She received the International Artist Achievement Award.

For a kid who grew up singing in rundown bars, Shania Twain is the epitome of the expression "You've come a long way, baby!" She came from a poverty-stricken family and began singing at bars at the age of eight (8) to try to make ends meet. Twain often earned twenty dollars between midnight and one in the morning performing for remaining customers after the bar had finished serving. 

Although she expressed a dislike for singing in those bars, Twain believes that this was her own kind of performing arts school on the road. She has said of the ordeal, "My deepest passion was music and it helped. There were moments when I thought 'I hate this'. I hated going into bars and being with drunks. But I loved the music and so I survived. Twain wrote her first songs at the age of ten, Is Love a Rose and Just Like the Storybooks which were fairy tales in rhyme. She states that the art of creating, of actually writing songs, "was very different from performing them and became progressively important".
Source: en.wikipedia.org

 Twain spent some time working in her stepfather’s reforestation business, where she couldn’t wear any makeup, use deodorant, or shampoo. She could only bathe in the lake, and learned how to be rugged. If that ain’t country we don’t know what is! Read more HERE...

From then 'til now...

Shania Twain began as a country music artist. Does she still think of herself as country all the way or does she lean more toward being a pop star?

"I would definitely be considered a pop artist," says Shania. "My roots are country, that's for sure … As long as Dolly Parton always likes my music, then I think I'm safe."

Where is Shania Twain in the 21st century? 

After staying out of the spotlight for almost a decade, Shania Twain dominated Las Vegas in 2012. With hit after hit on both pop and country charts, she brought magic to the massive stage of the Caesars Palace Colosseum. Twain's show came with seven major costume changes and a lavish hotel suite she called home.

Shania Twain has been a horse lover and owner for the longest time. She has always wanted to combine her music with horses in a spectacular production and it finally happened! Shania Twain's new stage show in Las Vegas is all about horses! Watch the video HERE! 

Shania Twain Caesar's Palace 2012-13

While Shania Twain may have ended her successful Las Vegas appearance at Caesars Palace, her music lives on and on and on...

October 10, 2015

When Shania Twain posted a Twitter message that started “Please read,” followed by a link to Facebook, fans knew it was bad news. Shania announced via Facebook that she had to cancel the last two dates on her farewell tour in the United States because of an upper respiratory infection, reports Rolling Stone magazine. Read more HERE...

Enjoy the music of Shania Twain!

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Shania Twain

Read More: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Shania Twain | http://tasteofcountry.com/shania-twain-things/?trackback=tsmclip

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