Born 61 Years Ago Today in Canada, the “Queen of Country Pop” Who Paved the Way for Future Crossover Stars Like Taylor Swift

August 28, 2026, 11:53am

A fixture of ’90s country radio, it’s easy to imagine that Shania Twain materialized fully formed onstage in a leopard-print catsuit. Ridiculously infectious, high-energy tunes like “Any Man of Mine” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” made her hugely popular among country and pop audiences alike. More than three decades after her self-titled 1993 debut album, she is a five-time Grammy winner, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the best-selling female country artist of all time. In so many ways, Shania Twain walked so that Taylor Swift could run.

However, the “You’re Still the One” singer’s success didn’t happen overnight — far from it. Today, we’re celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Shania Twain, born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on this day (August 28) in 1965.

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Shania Twain Sang for Her Family’s Supper—Literally

Life wasn’t always easy in the mining town of Timmins, Ontario, where Eilleen Edwards moved with her mother and two sisters after their parents’ divorce when she was two years old.

She took the surname of her stepfather, Jerry Twain, after her mom remarried. Later, she would change her given name to Shania in his honor.

Jerry Twain was an Ojibwe from the nearby Mattagami First Nation, and the singer has said that “Shania” translates to “I’m on my way” in Ojibwe.

With her parents struggling to put food on the table, eight-year-old Shania Twain began performing at local bars for extra income.

Often, the $25 or $50 she earned would cover gas for the family vehicle for a whole week.

“My mother realized that I had this gift, so she was dreaming about the career success,” Twain said during a recent appearance on the BBC Australia podcast Take 5 with Zan Rowe. “I was dreaming about riding horses … I was dreaming about things that little kids dream about.”

At 13, she landed an invitation to perform on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation program The Tommy Hunter Show. During her high school years, she also sang in Longshot, a local top 40 cover band.

Upon her high school graduation in 1983, Twain moved to Toronto — Canada’s musical hub. However, she was just beginning to get her musical career off the ground when her parents died in a 1987 car accident in Ontario.

The 22-year-old moved home to care for her four younger siblings, supporting them with a singing at the Deerhurst Resort.

The Beginnings of Stardom

Once her siblings had moved out, Shania Twain signed with Mercury Nashville in 1993, releasing her self-titled debut album that same year. It wasn’t a commercial smash, but it did attract the attention of rock producer Robert “Mutt” Lange.

Known for his work with AC/DC, Foreigner, and Def Leppard, Lange offered to produce and write for Twain’s next album. (Their professional relationship quickly turned romantic, and they tied the knot in December 1993. The marriage lasted 17 years before their 2010 divorce.)

Together, the two co-wrote all but one song on Twain’s 1995 sophomore album, The Woman in Me. Eight of those songs became hit singles, including “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” (number 11) and her first number-one hit, “Any Man of Mine”.

Three more chart-toppers followed, including “No One Needs to Know”.

Achieving Superstar Status

Managing to avoid the sophomore slump with The Woman in Me, Shania Twain took home a Grammy Award for Best Country Album; along with Album of the Year and Best New Artist trophies from the Academy of Country Music.

Her follow-up album, 1997’s Come On Over, truly cemented her status as a singular force in country music — despite some critics questioning its categorization as country music at all.

Still, it spent two years on the Billboard country chart, peaking at number two. Come On Over gave us the fierce, fun female empowerment anthems that Twain has become known for, including the title track, “That Don’t Impress Me Much”, and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman”.

“The type of country that I wanted to make was definitely more of a stomp. There was more might in it,” Twain said. “I wanted to give it attitude. I wanted to be part of that attitude, and I wanted to say it like it was and be frank. What I proved was that the audience also wanted that.”

With 40 million copies sold worldwide, Come On Over became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician. It also remains the top-selling country album in history.

Twain added to her Grammy collection, picking up Best Country Song and Best Female Country Performance for “You’re Still the One” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” respectively.

Featured image by Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images