shania twain
CNN is gearing up to show their patriotism for the Fourth of July in their annual The Fourth in America special, and the network revealed exclusively to Billboard on Thursday (June 29) that Shania Twain, Brad Paisley, Coi Leray and Ludacris have been added to the jam-packed lineup.
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They join previously announced performers Alanis Morissette, The All-American Rejects, Darius Rucker, Demi Lovato, Duran Duran, Flo Rida, Leon Bridges, Post Malone, Sheryl Crow, Smash Mouth, Zac Brown Band, The Plain White T’s and more. The United States Air Force Band will also deliver a special ensemble performance.
The event comes just weeks after CNN’s Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom concert which featured performances by Chlöe Bailey, Nelly, Big Freedia, Kirk Franklin and more.
The Fourth in America broadcast will feature coast-to-coast fireworks shows taking place in cities across the country, including Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Jacksonville, Nashville, Niagara Falls, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Diego and Washington DC.
The special will be hosted by CNN’s Dana Bash, Boris Sanchez, Victor Blackwell and Cari Champion, and will be streamed live starting at 7 p.m. ET for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com and CNN OTT and mobile apps under “TV Channels,” or CNNgo where available on Tuesday (July 4). The special will simulcast on CNN International.
Shania Twain released her Spotify Singles session on Wednesday (March 15), and in addition to singing a new rendition of “Queen of Me,” the country star gave close friend Harry Styles a nod by covering his song “Falling.”
Twain was accompanied by a stunning piano, matching the original vibe of the track. “What am I now? What am I now?/ What if I’m someone I don’t want around?/ I’m falling again, I’m falling again, I’m falling/ What if I’m down? What if I’m out?/ What if I’m someone you won’t talk about?/ I’m falling again, I’m falling again, I’m falling,” she sang on the track, adding a country flair to a few choice moments.
“The studio is one of my favorite places to be and I got to spend a couple of days in @Spotify’s studios to record a live band version of ‘Queen Of Me’ and two covers, @Harry_Styles’ Falling and Howlin Wolf’s Spoonful,” Twain tweeted Wednesday. “Thank you for having me Spotify.”
“Falling” was released at the second single from Styles’ second studio album, Fine Line, peaking at No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The “You’re Still the One” singer shared how she and Styles became pals during a Jan. 4 episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. “He was playing a show in New York … This is before he really blew up,” she explained. “I went backstage to meet him. We became texting friends.”
After Twain became close to Styles, he asked her to wish his mom a happy birthday over the phone, she recalled. “‘My mom was a big influence on me and why I grew up with your music,’” Twain said. “I called her up and wished her happy birthday. Harry and I have been friends ever since.”
While a collaboration has yet to happen between the two — “[A collaboration] would be my dream,” Twain said in a November interview — the pair did join forces to perform “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “You’re Still the One” for Styles’ set at 2022’s Coachella.
Listen to Shania Twain’s cover of “Falling” below.
Back in 1997, Shania Twain confidently declared that movie star Brad Pitt was nothing special in her hit track, “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” However, 26 years after the playful diss, the country superstar and the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor have still never come face-to-face.
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In a new episode of Amelia Dimoldenberg’s popular Chicken Shop Date YouTube series, the 29-year-old host asks Twain if she’s ever met a rocket scientist, in reference to another verse of the same song. “No. I wrote about Brad Pitt, I never met Brad Pitt,” she replied.
“You still haven’t met Brad Pitt?” Dimoldenberg asks in disbelief, to which Twain jokingly responds, “I think he’s avoiding me honestly.”
Elsewhere in the interview, it is revealed that Twain has Harry Styles‘ phone number, as she performed “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “You’re Still the One” with him at Coachella in 2022. “It was really great. Harry’s sweet. He’s a lovely, lovely guy,” Twain gushed, before Dimoldenberg suggested that the singer should give her Styles’ digits.
“No, I couldn’t. I’m too loyal,” Twain responded, after a convincing amount of nudges from the host. “I’d like to, but I can’t. I like you, but I can’t give you Harry’s number. I could, but then I’d feel bad about it. I’m too loyal and he gave it to me in confidence.”
Twain is fresh off the release of her sixth studio album, Queen of Me. Watch her episode of Chicken Shop Date below.
Shania Twain‘s new album Queen of Me finally arrived on Friday (Feb. 3). To celebrate, the country singer appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, during which she revealed that the album track “Inhale/Exhale AIR” was inspired by a private struggle with COVID-19.
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“I affectionately call the song ‘Air.’ With everyone suffering from COVID…it’s such a respiratory infection that can really take your life very quickly,” Twain told the American Idol alum. “I won’t get into it, but when I was released from the hospital, the first thing I did was write down a list of things that air gives us. Obviously life, but I’m thinking, ‘OK, cheer yourself up. What does air give us that is very celebratory?’”
She continued, “I’m thinking champagne bubbles, balloons! With the air we can sail, we can fly, we can fly a kite. We have all these lovely things to celebrate about air. So I wrote that song. What are you going to do without that air? ‘Inhale, Exhale.’ That’s the most inspired song on the album.”
“Inhale/Exhale AIR” follows Queen of Me‘s self-love theme. Twain took to Instagram on album release day to share her excitement and her hopes for its listeners.
“I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my new album, Queen Of Me, is now yours 🥰 I wrote this album from a place of feeling good within myself – I wanted music that got me up dancing and lifted my spirits!” the 54-year-old wrote. “I think the fact that I recorded this album with so many good hearted and talented people only amplified that! I hope the album brings you joy and empowers you to feel good in your own skin!”
Watch Twain talk about “Inhale/Exhale AIR” on The Kelly Clarkson Show in the video above.
Given the way Shania Twain dominated the stage at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards, delivering a jaw-dropping medley of her biggest hits, you’d never think that she ever struggled with her voice.
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However, in InStyle‘s new February cover story, the beloved country artist revealed that for more than seven years, she was unable to project vocally. Doctors then diagnosed the now 57-year-old with Lyme disease stemming from a 2004 tick bite, leading them to believe that the disease damaged nerves in her vocal cords.
After years of relearning how to sing with physical therapy and vocal warm-ups, the five-time Grammy winner underwent open-throat surgery in 2018. “After I had the surgery, I was petrified to make a sound,” Twain told the publication. “I didn’t know what was going to come out.”
Thankfully, the star worked up the courage to try again. “It did scare me, but I just had to take the leap and make a sound. And I was so excited about what came out,” she recalled. “It was a connection to the vocal cords and it came out very easily. I was really, really, really excited.”
“It’s a reminder, don’t take time for granted,” Twain added of the scary experience. “Don’t take the opportunity for granted. It’s possible I might lose it, that it may not last. I guess any prosthetic or support that you get that is synthetic, your body still may give out around it. It could happen.”
The now-healthy country queen is gearing up to head out on a 2023 global tour in support of her upcoming sixth studio album, Queen of Me, out on Feb. 3. “These days, I’m feeling very comfortable in my own skin – and I think this album reflects that musically,” Twain said via Instagram announcing the news. “Life is short and I want to be uplifted, colorful, unapologetic and empowered. I want to carry a clear message, particularly as a woman, to always remember my power and I hope the songs are a reminder to you, of that same power inside you!”
Shania Twain proved just what makes her a Music Icon when she accepted that prize and performed a medley of her hits at Tuesday’s (Dec. 6) People’s Choice Awards.
One of the highlights of her performance — which included her breakthrough 1995 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Any Man of Mine,” her crossover late-’90s pop smashes “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!,” and her latest single “Waking Up Dreaming” — is when the pink-haired singer swapped the famous spoken-word “Brad Pitt” line from “Impress” for a fellow Canadian star.
“OK, so you’re Ryan Reynolds!” she said sassily as the cameras cut to the surprised Deadpool star, who was on hand to accept the People’s Icon award later in the evening. Reynolds mouthed, “Oh my God, me?!” from the audience.
In addition to the performance, Twain also gave a heartfelt acceptance speech as she accepted the Music Icon award from her friend, actor Billy Porter.
“Am I dreaming? I really am, I think,” she said to start. “Thank you so much for presenting me with this award and for highlighting my work as having a significant impact. I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to say, but that’s always my wish: to inspire people with my music. I always miss my mother right now at these moments in life. She would have loved watching her little girl living this moment right now. But my fans, my friends, my team – you are the ones who really fill that space. Not my mother’s space, but you’re here with me and you’re celebrating, we’re celebrating together, and you’ve made me feel loved and special my whole working life. And I will always be grateful for that, thank you.
“From a very young age, I turned to songwriting as a form of escapism,” she added. “This is my go-to place. It never occurred to me how powerful lyrics can become when you’re able to record them and share them with the whole world. It’s a great honor to be respected as a songwriter. But the biggest honor for me is knowing people have found strength and inspiration in what i have to sing, in my work. So thank you, I love you for that.”
She also highlighted her role as a fashion icon, noting that early in her career, she was just piecing outfits together with what she had. “I just went to my closet and picked out whatever I had, or went to a department store and picked out the budget things, because I didn’t have a big budget. With that, a sharp pair of scissors and a big imagination, i just cut and pulled and chopped … and hoped for the best.”
Twain ended the speech with some words of inspiration for her young fans. “I just want to say: Giddy-up, kids. Embrace your individuality and your crazy ideas. Just be brave. Let’s remember, there is power in numbers, we are in this together, love is love, and when a door slams in your face, take a freaking run and leap at your door and kick it down! You won’t regret it.
“All I have to say is: Be the queen of you,” she concluded, tipping a cowgirl hat to her upcoming sixth studio album, Queen of Me, due Feb. 3, 2023.
Shania Twain will receive the Music Icon award at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards, which are set to air on NBC and E! on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 9 p.m. ET/PT from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.
Christina Aguilera was the inaugural recipient of this honor last year. As previously announced, another top music star, Lizzo, is slated to receive this year’s People’s Champion Award, while actor and budding director Ryan Reynolds will receive the People’s Icon Award.
In addition to receiving the award, Twain will perform a medley of her greatest hits as well as her new song “Waking Up Dreaming” from her forthcoming sixth album Queen of Me, which is set for release on Feb. 3, 2023. This will mark her first appearance on the PCAs stage since 2005, when she took home the award for favorite country female singer.
“I’m so incredibly honored to be named ‘Music Icon,’” Twain said in a statement. “I have some of the greatest fans in the world. They have supported me since the early days, and it’s their love and passion that keeps me going. I’m thrilled to go back on tour and bring my new music and fan favorites to them, and what better way to start than at the People’s Choice Awards!”
“Live from E!: The 2022 People’s Choice Awards” will kick off the night with a red carpet special at 7 p.m. ET/PT on E!
The 2022 People’s Choice Awards and “Live From E!: The 2022 People’s Choice Awards” are both produced by Den of Thieves with executive producers Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski.
ABC is rounding out the cast of its live Beauty and the Beast special.
The Dec. 15 special, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film’s best picture nomination — the first animated feature to earn that honor — has added Martin Short, David Alan Grier, Shania Twain, Rizwan Manji, Jon Jon Briones and Leo Abelo Perry to its cast. They join an ensemble led by Grammy winner H.E.R. as Belle and Josh Groban as the Beast; Joshua Henry also stars, and Rita Moreno will narrate the special.
Only Murders in the Building star Short will play Lumiere. Tony winner Grier (A Solider’s Play, The Patient) will play Cogsworth, while Grammy winner and country music star Twain will play Mrs. Potts and Perry her son, Chip. The news of Twain’s casting comes less than a week after Angela Lansbury — who voiced Mrs. Potts in the 1991 animated film — died at age 96. Manji (Schitt’s Creek) plays Gaston’s (Henry) sidekick, LeFou, and Briones (Ratched) will play Belle’s father, Maurice.
“I am unbelievably honoured… and excited… and all of the emotions(!!) to announce that I will be joining the cast of #BeautyAndTheBeast30th to play the part of my favourite character – Mrs. Potts,” Twain wrote Monday (Oct. 17) on Instagram. “And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t pay tribute to the iconic Angela Lansbury, I mean she IS Mrs. Potts and the reason why this character is so beloved. To follow in the foot steps of such an icon is a huge honour and I hope to do the part justice.”
The special, which ABC ordered in July, will feature a mix of live action and animation and new musical performances along with sets and costumes inspired by the movie. Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Wicked) is executive producing, and Grammys and Super Bowl halftime show helmer Hamish Hamilton will direct.
Done + Dusted is producing the special with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere. Caitlin Foito, Hamilton, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft and Katy Mullan also executive produce. H.E.R. serves as producer.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
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