Introduction
Fashioning an Icon: From Closet to Stage
Twain is celebrated as the architect of both her sound and her look, heavily involved in costuming, designing, and stage design. This hands-on approach dates back to 1995 with her breakout album, The Woman in Me, where budget constraints led her to style her own videos. Her now-iconic denim-on-denim look for “Any Man of Mine” simply came from her own closet. She explains she instinctively knew what to do in front of the camera, a natural talent she’d never explored before.
Overcoming Childhood Discomfort and Stage Fright
Despite her natural stage presence, Twain confessed she “didn’t like performing at all” when she started in country bars in Ontario, Canada, at age eight. She felt “very uncomfortable” in adult venues, where some bars even had cages. She performed purely out of desperation and the expectation of adults around her who believed she should be a star. Her personal dreams were to be a veterinarian or an architect; music was a passion she preferred to pursue alone. When her parents fought, she would escape to the backyard with her guitar, build a fire, and play to make “everything go away.”
The Power of Rebellion and Personal Trauma
After The Woman in Me became a hit in 1995, Twain made a rebellious decision that she’s “most proud of”: she refused to tour until she had written her next album herself, free from external interference. She declared she had been “pleasing others for so long” and needed to please herself as a writer first. This decision cost many people, including herself, a lot of money, but she “didn’t care” because she believed it would lead to a better album. That next album, Come On Over, indeed became the best-selling album ever by a female artist.
Twain credits a series of personal traumas, including throat surgery (which affected her voice for over a decade) and her divorce, for helping her conquer her stage fright. These experiences reset her priorities, making her realize there were “so many other things that were genuinely worth being afraid of,” and being on stage wasn’t one of them.
Life on the Ranch and a Favorite Cover
During her Vegas residencies, Twain resides on a ranch with five horses. She invited Mason for a horseback ride, showcasing her love for the calming and peaceful environment.
Twain shared her favorite cover of one of her songs: Teddy Swims’ version of “You’re Still the One.” She was “blown away” by it, calling it “the best version I’ve ever heard.” As a songwriter, she expressed profound pride and admitted she would get “so much more joy” if others had recorded her songs and made them hits, rather than performing them herself.
Enduring Legacy
The segment concludes by emphasizing Twain’s initial reluctance to perform, driven by necessity rather than ambition. Her family pushed her into it because of her undeniable talent. It took her a long time to overcome her discomfort, but her inherent passion for music eventually took over. Her groundbreaking Come On Over album, which pushed her into pop despite label fears, demonstrated her willingness to bet on herself and ultimately made her a global superstar.