Shania Twain interview: Country icon reflects on 25 years of 'Come on Over' ahead of new album

26 October 2022, 14:53 | Updated: 22 February 2023, 15:58

Shania Twain Exclusive Interview: 25 years since Come on Over

Shania Twain is undoubtedly one of the greatest country music artists of all time.

By the late 1990s, Shania had become one of the world's best-selling artists across all genres, thanks to her behemoth album Come on Over.

25 years later, and she's back with her new single 'Waking Up Dreaming', taken from her upcoming sixth studio album.

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Smooth Country's Eamonn Kelly caught up with Shania about the new record, her recent Netflix documentary, future plans and reflecting on her stellar career so far.

Watch the full video above or on Global Player.

Talking about how she handled her career when she was younger and made sure she stuck to her guns, she explained: "I think a lot of that is attributed to the fact that I was already 30 when I had my first hit.

"I was in my late 20s already when I was in that real… you know, first videos; my first recording contract. I had the maturity to have genuine conviction behind how I was seeing things, because I had already been in the industry for so long. I had a lot of experience as far as what I saw for myself.

"There was no guessing around. No time to mess around. I literally didn’t have the time to mess around. Again, I had the maturity to demand a certain respect that is more difficult to demand when you’re 20 or you’re a teenager.

"I think a lot of it was that. And it was also very 'do or die' for me. I didn’t have parents anymore. They died when I was younger. So there was nothing to go back to. I had no money. I had already decided that music was my life, so I didn’t go to college.

"I really didn’t have a backup plan. After my parents died, I spent several years keeping my family together, and trying to make a living, and just feeding my teenage siblings. So I didn’t get back to pursuing a recording career, like I said, until later in my 20s.

"And now I’m like, 'There’s no more time to waste. I cannot fool around. This is a ‘no joke, no play’ scenario, and it’s got to work.' Like you said, it just had to work."

Watch the full interview on Global Player here.