Shania Twain
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Is there anything in your life that has felt predestined? I think I was definitely destined to be an artist, performer, on a very big scale. And why I say I was destined is because it would not have been my choice as a child. I'm Rachel Martin, and this is Wildcard, the show where cards control the conversation. It is tempting to look to the past to introduce Shania Twain. Back to her huge breakout album, Come On Over in 1997, with songs like Man, I Feel Like a Woman and You're Still the One. That album turned her into one of country music's biggest stars. But looking back, it just doesn't feel right for an artist who, to me, has been defined by her ability to overcome all kinds of loss and keep moving forward on her own terms.
Her new album is called Little Miss Twain, and I am so very happy to welcome Shania Twain to Wildcard. Hello. This is fun. Let's play. First round is memories, Shania. I'm going to hold up three cards. You pick randomly. Okay. One, two, or three.
How did Shania Twain describe her childhood and family dynamics?
We'll go with two. Two. What was a moment when you felt proud of yourself as a kid? I would say that when I learned how to drive. Really? Yep. Because I worked with my dad and I was his little helper and I learned how to drive the back roads at 10 years old. And he was, was he, did he have a logging business? No. Uh, tree planting. Tree planting. The other way around. Tree adjacent. That's right. Tree planting. The better version. We were planting the trees, um, I was very proud of myself to be able to manage to drive. Yeah, I'm sure. It's a powerful machine. It's a lot of responsibility. Right. And you're working. You're helping out. You're contributing. You feel grown up. What did it look like? Was it very foresty where you grew up?
Oh, very, very dense forest where I grew up in Northern Ontario. Very dense, dense. Mostly spruce and pine trees, like mostly evergreens. Yeah. And the dirt roads were our working roads. And also, you know, we hunted a lot. So... If I was driving, then my dad could, you know, look out for moose. And especially at night, that was... Did you do that at night? Often at night, because you can see the eyes. And yeah, so I would drive and he would... Scout. Did you help, like, bring the animal in and carry it in the back of the truck? Yeah, I mean, I come from a hunting, fishing family, and I learned all about all of that sort of stuff. Did you? And now I'm a vegetarian. What do you know? Are the two related? No, but it's just, it's funny how life evolves and how you go from being...
Really, you're living in your parents' world, in your parents' life, your family's culture and traditions to evolving into your own person. Making your own choices. Yeah. But, yes, we did a lot of that. My dad... I was adopted into a native family. Ojibwe? Yep, Ojibwe. So they were able to hunt off-season and I guess subsequently in the dark. Are those fond memories for you? Yeah, they are fond memories. I felt quite... You know, my brothers were younger, so I was the only girl that was really interested in nature and being out in the wilderness. And so I was kind of like the boy in the family, you know, the one that was old enough to help my dad. Okay. We're going to move to the next three. One, two, or three?
One. One. Okay. That was easy. Where would you go when you wanted to feel safe as a kid? Where I would go when I wanted to feel safe was out in the wilderness. That's my happy place, nature. Out in nature. Down by the river. Down by the lake. Under the trees. Was there a particular place? Do you remember? If it was nighttime, I would just go behind the house where the bushes were there. And... Sit there with my guitar and just in the dark and everything was – our backyards are very bushy.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:32
2
How did Shania Twain describe her childhood and family dynamics?
1:32–17:02
3
What early memories shaped Shania’s connection to nature and safety?
17:02–22:22
4
How did poverty and family violence affect Shania’s upbringing?
22:22–38:59
5
What prompted Shania to move her family away and how did that change things?
38:59–52:56