Shania Twain’s life changed by 1995 album
The record that turned Shania Twain froma struggling singer-songwriter from Canada into a global superstar also changed country music for years to come.
Twain is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of “The Woman in Me” with a deluxe reissue released earlier this month that includes remastered versions of the original 12 songs, remixes, live versions fromher Las Vegas showand early recordings of the songs.
Twain’s self-titled debut album in 1993, which she largely didn’t have a hand in writing, failed at the charts. But her life changed after “The Woman in Me,” her Grammy winning second album released in February 1995, whichwas the bestselling release by awoman in country music at the time.
“Iwas a poor kid and then a struggling artist all of those years until this finally happened,” said Twain. “Itwas life changing for me and career changing aswell.”
The singer overcame an early childhood marred by violence and helped raise her siblings after her parents died in 1987.
After her debut album sank, Twain met producer songwriter Robert “Mutt” Lange, and they married in 1993. Lange was the first to recognize that she had a distinctive voice as a songwriter that others had overlooked. Songs like “Any Man of Mine,” which became her first country No. 1 and her first crossover onto pop charts, showed off her sassy, flirty and confident side. The record centered on Twain’s point of view on songs like “(If You’re Not in It for Love) I’m Outta Here!,” “The Woman in Me (Needs the Man in You)” and “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”
“Inmy mind, Iwas just being myself, and thatwas the great thing of all— to just be able to bemyself and let my personality come through in the music,” Twain said.
Twain’s crossover success based on her songwriting, whichwould be fully realized on her third album “Come On Over,” opened theway for the next generation of genres traddling artists such as Taylor Swift, Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris.
“The Woman in Me,” also introduced Twain as a visually creative artist who knew howto use music videos to broaden her reach since she had not yet started major touring. Her early videos featured her multifaceted sides with Twain out on the range riding horses or baring her midriff while dancing or wrapped in white in front of Egyptian pyramids.
The album earned her the first of five Grammy Awards aswell as Academy of Country Music awards for album of the year and female vocalist of the year.
Despite taking a break from recording between 2002’s “Up !” and2017’ s “Now,” Twain is still the bestselling female country artist, according to the Recording Industry of America. But 25 years later, Twain still refuses to be fenced in by genre lines.
“My intention was to always be a part of the larger world,” said Twain, who has been working on writing new music, aswell as curating her own Apple Music radio station. “That’s what I expected from myself as an artist: to be an international artist. Not to be limited to one specific genre.”