Interview: Shania Twain talks about her life and success
* 02/18/99
CBS This Morning
(Copyright (c) 1999 CBS, Inc. All rights reserved.)
MARK McEWEN, co-host:
It is 16 after the hour. How about this? Shania Twain is the
first country performer to be nominated for the top three Grammys:
record, song and album of the year. In all, she could take home six
awards. She has sold more than 18 million records, but this is the
single everybody's talking about.
(Excerpt from the music video, "You're Still the One," courtesy of
Mercury Records)
McEWEN: Let's talk about this song, which is a bolt of lightning:
"Still the One." What's it like having something like that in your
repertoire, in your hip pocket, every time you go out on stage?
Ms. SHANIA TWAIN (Singer): Well, it feels wonderful, because it's
not even typical of what I would have a hit with, because so many of
my--so many of my songs and my lyrics come from a woman's
perspective, a very strong woman's point of view. And a song like
"You're Still the One" doesn't fall into that category, so I was a
little surprised that I had such great success with that song, and
very happy about it.
(Excerpt from Divas Live: An Honors Concert For VH1 Save the
Music, VH1/Music First)
McEWEN: Nobody in Nashville ever looked like you on stage.
Nobody dressed like you on stage. How did Nashville deal with that?
How did you deal with it?
Ms. TWAIN: Well, they didn't really deal with it all that well at
first. I was warned many times that, you know, this--this just may
not work, and people may not, in the end, accept this. For the
* country music image, it was definitely new and different and sexier.
But you have to understand that coming from Canada, I wasn't--I sort
of came to Nashville with a certain amount of naivete. I wasn't
really aware that I was being that controversial until people started
to say, `Well, you know'--I said, `Well, it's too late. This is
already what I have in my mind, and I really don't feel that I should
compromise.' I was just lucky that somehow it clicked and it worked.
(Excerpt from the music video, "That Don't Impress Me Much,"
courtesy of Mercury Records)
McEWEN: While Shania's riding the wave of success now, success was
a long time coming. This is Shania singing at eight years old in a
local nightclub.
(Excerpt from Shania Twain performing as a child)
McEWEN: Shania's childhood wasn't easy, though. Her family was
poor, and when she was 21, tragedy struck. Her mother and
stepfather we killed in an auto accident, leaving Shania alone to
raise her siblings.
What was it like? Was it bleak? Was it as tough as it sounds
like it was?
Ms. TWAIN: Yeah, it was. There were tougher times than others.
Our electricity sometimes would get shut off, and there were a lot of
times when we didn't have food, so--and eve--we could--sometimes we
couldn't even afford to go to the Laundromat. A lot of times I was
doing laundry in the tub. It--it--there were definitely hard times,
and--but I don't want everyone to get the impression that--in--in
either direction--I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, and--and
to get the impression that we were always dirt, dirt poor. But I
also don't want them to get the impression that I'm in any way
embellishing this rags to riches story.
(Excerpt from the music video, "Love Gets Me Every Time," courtesy
of Mercury Records)
McEWEN: Shania, sometimes many people who end up finding fame say
they knew--they didn't know how they knew, but when they were younger
they had a feeling they were going to be famous someday. Did you?
Ms. TWAIN: I'm not so sure that I ever thought I'd be famous. I
thought I would be rich.
McEWEN: ...(Unintelligible) you did.
Ms. TWAIN: But I want to explain how I--what I felt at that time.
I--I--maybe it's because my desire was never necessarily to be
famous. I always wanted--my dream, truly, when I was young, even
10, 11, 12 years old, I wanted to be Stevie Wonder's backup singer.
And that was my dream, and I thought that that would--that would make
me rich. And it probably would have made me rich. But that was my
dream, to be Stevie Wonder's backup singer. I never--for some
reason I didn't dream of being him. I--I didn't dream of being that
front star. I dreamt of being the backup singer.
(Excerpt from the music video, "Honey I'm Home," courtesy of
Mercury Records)
Ms. TWAIN: I always had a natural shyness, somehow, that I really
had to overcome, and grow out of, of just--of being the front person.
So maybe that's why I always thought that way. So the reason I say
this is because what I considered rich as a child, was anyone who
lived in a brick house and could afford to eat roast beef. And
ironically, now I'm a vegetarian and I don't even eat roast beef
anyway.
McEWEN: I was going to say...
(Excerpt from Divas Live)
McEWEN: Yes, indeed. Now you just heard Shania say her long-time
dream was to be one of Stevie Wonder's backup singers. Well, I
caught up with Stevie, told him about her childhood dream. Stevie's
response:
Mr. STEVIE WONDER (Singer): Well, Shania, you know, we--you know,
we can hook something up, you understand? You know? No, but she's
a great--I have a song, actually, for her I'd like for--I'd like for
her to hear, so if we ever...
McEWEN: Breaking news on the...
JANE ROBELOT (Co-host): Wow.
McEWEN: Yeah, I can't wait to hear the song. Tomorrow, we
continue down out road to the Grammys series with more of my
interview of Stevie Wonder. He'll play and sing, too.
ROBELOT: Oh, this is going to happen now?
McEWEN: Yeah. Yeah, isn't that great? Ste...
ROBELOT: Although I have a feeling it'd be more like a duet than a
backup singer.
McEWEN: Shania Twain. Mm. She's--she's something, so is
Stevie, too.
ROBELOT: Yeah, look forward to hearing from him.
