Shania Twain is looking back on her long journey from an impoverished childhood in rural Canada to international superstardom and finally coming to terms with her past in her 60s.
During a recent interview with “CBS Mornings,” the 60-year-old singer opened up about her difficult upbringing and how she has gained a new outlook later in life.
“I started life out a little bit on the tough side,” Twain said. “In my 60s now, I feel like I’ve really gotten it, or I’m just now getting all of that right.”
When asked by CBS correspondent Seth Doane about why her 60s had given her that perspective, Twain had a simple answer.
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“You know what it is? It’s called time,” she said. “I’d love to have been able to get it right in my 50s, but I just – that wasn’t enough time. I needed to be in my 60s to start getting it right, you know?”
Born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario, Twain was raised in the small town of Timmins by her mother, Sharon, and adoptive father Jerry Twain after her biological parents divorced when she was 2 years old.
Twain’s family struggled financially, and the singer has spoken candidly about growing up in poverty and witnessing domestic abuse at home.
While speaking with “CBS Mornings,” Twain recalled that she was forced to grow up quickly, taking on burdens that far exceeded those of a typical child.
“When I was younger, I was so over-responsible for the household,” she remembered. “My mother was depressed a lot of the time. She spent a lot of her days in bed. She lived off coffee and cigarettes that I would bring her in bed just to see if she was still alive.”
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“There was a lot of violence in the house,” Twain added. “And we didn’t eat well a lot of the times. We weren’t clothed properly a lot of the time.”
Long before becoming one of country music’s biggest stars, Twain performed in bars as a child to help support her family, including her mother, stepfather and four siblings.
The singer shared that her early performing years led her to develop stage fright, which would plague her for most of her career regardless of her audience size.
“The amount of people is not necessarily what affected me over the years with stage fright,” Twain said. “It was starting so young in bars that were, you know, I was 8 years old, and the bars were smoky, and everyone was intoxicated. I don’t know what I’m actually singing about, because I’m singing about divorce, and I’m eight.”
Twain explained that she did not realize how deeply those experiences had shaped her until much later in life.
“This was just an uncomfortable place to be as a child, and I carried that with me,” she said. “And only in my 50s, I finally just said, ‘Whoa. I’ve got my voice. I have an audience. I have everything to just celebrate.’ And the fear just dropped away.”
Twain’s challenges did not end with her difficult childhood. In 1987, when she was 22, her mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident. While both Twain and her older sister Jill were already adults, their three younger siblings, including sister Carrie-Ann and brothers Mark and Darry, were underage and needed a legal guardian.
At the time, Twain was trying to establish herself as a singer-songwriter after moving to Toronto to pursue music. However, Twain put her career on hold and moved back to Ontario to care for her younger siblings.
During a 2023 appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Twain recalled the difficulties that she faced after becoming her siblings’ primary caregiver.
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“That was a different type of parenting because now there was nobody to blame because now they’re gone,” she said. “All of a sudden, I’m responsible for making decisions about my parents’ mortgage. I didn’t know they had a mortgage, I didn’t know what it was, I didn’t know anything about how they ran their business or debts or insurance. I had to learn overnight. My parents died — three days later I’m in lawyer’s offices and insurance company offices.”
Twain told “CBS Mornings” that with the benefit of time, she is now able to look back on those experiences with gratitude instead of focusing solely on the hardship.
“When I reflect back on those times, I’m reflecting on them from where I am now, which is a very good place,” Twain said. “Like, I made it out of there. It’s like, ‘Whoa, I’m just celebrating all of that.’ And what makes me feel so accomplished, is staying connected to where I came from. It’s the contrast that makes it feel so good.”
After her siblings were older and living independently, Twain finally turned her attention back to her own dreams. In 1991, she moved to Nashville and signed a recording deal with the legendary country music label Mercury Nashville.
Twain’s breakthrough came in 1995 with the release of her Grammy-winning sophomore album, “The Woman in Me.” Two years later, she skyrocketed to global fame with “Come On Over,” the best-selling album by a female artist of all time.
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Over the course of her career, Twain has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, won five Grammy Awards and cemented her status as a country music icon.
However, Twain faced new obstacles even after reaching superstardom, including divorce and a battle with Lyme disease.
In 2003, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which affected her vocal cords and threatened her singing career. The ordeal contributed to a 15-year gap between studio albums before she returned with 2017’s “Now,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
In 2018, Twain underwent open-throat surgery and returned to touring. During her appearance on “CBS Mornings,” she reflected on regaining her voice after her health struggles.
“Once I made a sound, it was just there,” Twain recalled. “I feel lucky. I don’t want to make it sound easy! It wasn’t easy, it was a very long road, but I just feel very grateful and very lucky that I have it back.”
“I have more, like, of a fry to my voice, you know, a little gravel,” she continued. “I don’t mind that. I’ve embraced it. It’s now part of my sound.”
Twain explained that she has adapted to the changes in her voice since resuming her career.
“I’ve taken a different approach to singing my older songs,” she said. “In fact, I’ve found new placements in my voice that I enjoy, you know, that I didn’t have before.”
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“I love to experiment. I think it’s the same with any art form,” Twain added. “You have to experiment a little bit to get just the right – whatever’s satisfying you the most at that time, you know?”
Twain recently fulfilled a longtime dream when she surprised fans with a performance at Toronto’s legendary Horseshoe Tavern.
After taking the stage on Friday night, she told the crowd, “I grew up in Northern Ontario and the dream in my little bar bands at the time, all through my youth and my teens, even in my 20s, was to play the Horseshoe Tavern.”
“But we weren’t recognized … we just weren’t established enough, so we never made the hire here,” she continued. “So this is my first time in the Horseshoe Tavern.”
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“I guess I’ve finally made it after all these years,” Twain added as the crowd cheered. “It was really a big deal to be able to play the Horseshoe Tavern. We all talked about that up North, ‘Oh, maybe someday we can play the Horseshoe Tavern.’ And now I’m playing here. I feel like it’s a very full-circle moment,”
“My home province, with all you beautiful people, in this historic bar. This is so historical. So it’s a privilege to be here, finally.”
While speaking with “CBS Mornings,” Twain explained how viewing her past struggles through a new lens had inspired her new album “Little Miss Twain.”
“‘Little Miss Twain’ is me, now, looking back at my child’s self and the journey that child went through, from starting out in those bars at 8 years old, right up to when I got my recording contract in Nashville,” she said.
Though she acknowledged that it took decades to feel like she had”gotten it right,” Twain said she is content with the timing.
“That’s fine,” she said. “I plan to live to be 200 anyway!”
