Having spent over three decades in country music, Shania Twain has created a career that brought her numerous Grammy Awards, a spot in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the label “Queen of Country Pop.” Add that with Twain becoming one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and it’s safe to say the hitmaker knows country music. And recently, she highlighted two singers she believed are ready for worldwide stardom.
Although many hoped to capture the spotlight, only a few can handle it. Not only the grueling hours, but the constant need to entertain can often cripple most artists. But according to Twain, Ella Langley doesn’t have to worry about that. “You’ve got Ella Langley, who is taking us back a little bit to more of the country-western sound that I grew up with, which was more what my grandparents listened to, and that influenced me.”
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With Twain loving what Langley was producing in country music, she also enjoyed the genre’s forgotten sound. “I’ve missed that in country music. … The broader the margins, the better we’re all gonna be and the more fans we’re gonna have from all over the world.”
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While Langley is sure to cherish the opinion from Twain, she wasn’t the only one to make the list. The man behind “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” also caught the eye of Twain. “I find Shaboozey really amazing. He is an artist that has incredible presence. He is fun. It wouldn’t even matter, I could see him doing a ballad and being just as engaging, because he’s just got a lot of personality and he just has his own lane.”
Just picking two singers, Twain wasn’t only interested in lifting their voices. She also wanted to push country music into an era of global success. “The more we encourage individuality and originality, the more global success our genre will have.”
Twain spent decades building her own career in country music. But after reaching the top of the genre, she appears just as passionate about helping the next generation get there. And if her instincts are right, Langley and Shaboozey could soon become two of country music’s biggest stars.
(Photo by Debbie Hickey/Getty Images)