Shania Twain

(she is great)

BIOGRAPHY

The great news for Shania fans across the globe is that she¹s completed one of the most exciting and ambitious recording projects of the new millennium. Not to mention that she¹s totally energised by a fresh creative momentum that has led to her completing a massive 19 new tracks, co-written with her husband and producer Robert John ³Mutt² Lange. Refreshed and ready to rock after a sabbatical at home in Switzerland, in which she and Mutt became parents for the first time, there¹s a buzz coming from Shania like an electrical charge. ³We wanted to put something together that was bigger and better,² she glows, ³and the whole thing IS so much bigger and better than anything I¹ve done in the past. ³The whole record has been made differently, we travelled around a lot more, we used musical influences from all over the world. We used Indian musicians recorded directly in Mumbai, India, some of the American musicians were recorded in the Caribbean, a 40 piece orchestra recorded in Ireland, other musicians in Italy, and we literally hopped from city to city song-writing, including Vienna, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Rome, Provence and The Grenadine Islands. This music came together in smaller pieces over a longer period of time.² In a revolutionary industry first, Up! will be available in three different formats in recognition of Twain¹s truly world-wide audience. ³We created the concept of: why not give the audience the music that they accept and want and expect from me?² she explains. ³I don¹t just have country fans, I don¹t just have pop fans, my career isn¹t just North America, it¹s international. ³So we have three different CDs, one is Green, very relatable to any of my country fans, it¹s definitely Shania. One is Red and it¹s pure pop, it¹s music that came very naturally to us. And we have a more international sounding Blue CD, it¹s got a very Latin-Asian feel to it, very interesting and creative. The contrast between my vocals and these mixes is just very interesting. So it¹s like doing three albums in two years. No one will have done this before, and I¹m pretty excited about it.² Leading the way as the first single from this extraordinary new project is the absolutely irresistible I'm Gonna Getcha Good! ³That was an obvious single,² she says. ³There is a typical Shania attitude in the lyric, a definite female confidence. It¹s all about a girl who knows what she wants, she not only knows how to get it, but she¹s going to get it good. ³In my experience it¹s more typical to run into guys with such confidence when it comes to women, once again I thought it would be fun to write with that same confidence, but from a woman¹s point of view. I wanted the first single to reflect that playful attitude, because I want people to relate to the Shania they already know, at the same time as hearing a new, fresh sound.² Shania is thrilled with the development of her vocal technique on the album, an evolution that Mutt wholeheartedly encouraged. ³It is different. Mutt was able to bring out a presence in my voice that I usually only use when I¹m song-writing with my acoustic guitar. I didn¹t realise that I was singing with a slightly different voice on the microphone. It¹s like being in front of a camera, unless you forgot it¹s there, you kind of act a little differently. Mutt stayed on it until he got the natural, more intimate vocal sound he loves in my voice.² Other highlights on the album? Shania could name as many as there are tracks, but here are a few particulars. ³Ka-Ching is one of my top five, probably one of my top three, because it does have the Shania cheekiness to it, but I think it¹s a pretty fair observation of where we¹re at, in terms of how commercial society has become, almost globally. ³I also like the lyrics on In My Car (I¹ll Be The Driver) - Œdon¹t care if you sleep with your socks on, you can hurt my head with your favourite rock song.¹ In other words, you can be in control of all the other things in our lives, but in my car, I am the driver! Up!, the title track, has some really fun things, Œeven my skin is acting weird, wish that I could grow a beard¹. One of my other favourites is I¹m Jealous, it¹s one of those songs that¹s so descriptive, you can see and feel it happening. Juanita is a song I got a bit deeper with lyrically. In our most vulnerable times, whether we¹re searching for strength, courage or freedom, it¹s our female power (our Juanita) that we need to connect with.² ³It¹s keeping it real, lyrically that¹s just my approach, it is very conversational which is very much the way the last two albums were written and those were the songs people related to the best, saying things the way I would have spoken them.² Shania plans to start pre-production for a new tour early in 2003, eager to make the same personal connection with her fans that produced such sensationally successful results on the Come On Over world tour. ³I have a lot of fun with the touring, it¹s the big reward,² she says. ³I can see on their faces what the songs mean to them. I¹m affected by music, when I sit and listen I¹m high by it, so when I see I¹m affecting them the same way, I really feel I¹ve done what I came to do.² Meanwhile, is one of the biggest-selling recording artists in the world feeling the pressure of following a 34 million-seller? In short, no. ³I don¹t have any anxiety about the success of this record. My goal isn¹t to outsell Come On Over. I just really want to know what people think of it. I¹m excited to get the feedback.² That¹s why, even with her place in the world¹s musical élite guaranteed and undisputed, the only way is Up! for Shania Twain: because of the creative goals she has already achieved with the album even before it starts flying out of the stores. ³Mutt and I as a team put more into this record than ever before,² she confesses. ³We really have gone totally all out, we¹ve laboured over it and I¹m completely thrilled with the results. ³I put this music on and I¹m overwhelmed with emotion. It¹s been such a labour of love, and as I¹m listening back sometimes I don¹t know whether to laugh or cry.² ::: ACCOLADES ::: The Woman in Meand Come On Over have both received the prestigious Diamond Certification by the RIAA in the US signifying sales in excess of 10 million copies. Shania has been nominated 9 times for a Country Music Association Award and won Entertainer of the Year in 1999. Come On Over has now sold over 34 million copies worldwide and achieved platinum status or above in 32 countries including: 21 times platinum in Canada, 17 times platinum in Australia, 15 times platinum in the United States, 11 times platinum in the UK, 9 times platinum in Indonesia and 5 times platinum in Holland and Norway. Come On Over included 6 hit singles which sold a combined 7 million units around the world. "You're Still The One" sold over 2 million copies while "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Man I Feel Like A Woman" both sold over 1 million copies. Come On Over is the biggest selling album ever by a female artist and the 6th biggest selling album of all time, equaling "Back in Black" by AC/DC and "With the Beatles" by The Beatles. Shania has received 22 BMI Songwriting Awards. ::: AWARDS ::: 2000 Best Songwriter, Juno Award (Canada) 2000 Best Country Female Artist, Juno Award (Canada) 2000 People's Choice Award Favorite Female Musical Artist 2000 Entertainer of the Year, Academy of Country Music Awards (US) 1999 Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Country Performance for "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" 1999 Grammy Award for Best Country Song "Come On Over" 1999 Entertainer of the Year Country Music Association Awards (US) 1999 Entertainer of the Year Academy of Country Music Awards (US) 1999 Favorite Female Country Artist, American Music Awards 1999 Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist, American Music Awards 1999 Favorite Single, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (US) 1999 Favorite Overall Single, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (US) 1999 Country Female Vocalist of the Year, Juno Award (Canada) 1998 Grammy Award Best Female Country Performance for "You're Still The One" 1998 Grammy Award Best Country Song "You're Still The One" 1998 Favorite Female Country Artist, American Music Awards 1998 Female Artist of the Year, Billboard Music Awards (US) 1997 Best Female Country Artist, American Music Awards 1997 Country Female Vocalist of the Year, Juno Awards (Canada) 1997 International Achievement Award, Juno Awards (Canada) 1996 Country Album of the Year (The Woman in Me), Billboard Music Awards (US) 1996 Favorite New Country Artist, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (US) 1996 Country Female Vocalist of the Year, Juno Awards (Canada) 1996 Entertainer of the Year, Juno Awards (Canada) 1996 World's Best Selling Country Artist, World Music Awards 1995 Grammy Award Best Country Album, The Woman In Me 1995 Top New Female Vocalist, Academy of Country Music Awards(US) 1995 Album of the Year (The Woman in Me), Academy of Country Music Association Awards (US) 1995 Favorite New Country Artist, American Music Awards 1995 Favorite Female Country Artist, American Music Awards