Call her one of the greatest female country singers of all time, and you will not be wrong. The ageless queen of country pop is back on our screens in a Netflix documentary tagged Not Just A Girl. The documentary covers the career of the Man! I Feel Like a Woman singer from her days of humble beginnings in Ontario bars to performing on grand stages and selling millions of copies on records.
Although Shania Twain's career has been filled with remarkable milestones, the singer has not always had it easy. Twain encountered hurdles in her career that almost made her quit at different points. The singer went off the scene over her disturbed vocal cords, but what was meant to be a short hiatus turned into a 15-year hiatus after her ex-husband’s infidelity dealt her a huge blow.
8 The Beginning Of Shania Twain's Relationship With Robert John 'Mutt' Lange
The Any Man Of Mine star met Mutt Lange in 1993 months after they had been communicating on the phone over her music. Shania Twain had released a self-titled album that became a commercial flop and the music producer had offered to produce her next music project. The partnership which was meant for work quickly turned into a steamy romance between the duo. In December 1993, six months after their first physical meeting, the couple tied the knot in an elaborate ceremony.
7 Shania Twain And Robert Lange Were A Musical Power Couple
Shania Twain and Mutt Lange were the musical power couple of the early 2000s. The partnership between the couple was electric. The couple’s collaboration on her second studio album The Woman In Me birthed one of the greatest of all-time top country albums. Although Twain had these ideas for her craft before they met, Lange was the spice she needed to make it colorful. “When you get together with the right person, all the right things seem to start happening,” the songstress said in a chat with Interview Magazine.
6 Lyme Disease Struck Shania Twain
The You’re Still The One star suffered a major setback in her career in 2003. The singer was on tour for her fourth studio album Up. Shania Twain’s voice took a hit when her health began to decline after she was bitten by a tick while horseback riding. The singer lost control of her vocal cords and experienced occasional blackouts on stage. For years, the singer struggled with the disease and thought that it would be the end of her singing career.
5 Shania Twain’s Husband's Infidelity Plunged Her To A New Low
Amidst struggling with her failing voice chords, the five times Grammy Award winner will discover what she termed her “ultimate betrayal.” Shania discovered her husband, Mutt Lange was having an affair with her best friend Marie-AnneThiébaud, marking the end of her 14-year-old marriage.
Lange’s infidelity caused the already struggling singer to further shrink into a dark place of pain. In the days following the heartbreaking discovery, Shania wallowed in grief hoping for the worst to happen. “I was ready to die,” the singer wrote in her memoir.
4 The Divorce Took A Toll On Shania Twain
Shania Twain's broken heart led her to get separated from her music producer husband in 2008. The divorce was eventually finalized in 2010, marking an end to a marriage, and one of the most successful musical couple collaborations.
The split from her ex-husband caused her to relive layers of pain that she had buried for years. With Mutt Lange out of the picture, she thought it was the end of the road for her music. “Now I'm at a whole other low and I just don’t see any point in going on with a music career,” Twain shared.
3 Shania Twain’s First Career Blow Wasn't Over Mutt Lange
The singer's divorce from her ex-husband dealt a huge blow to her career, but that wasn't the first time the You’re still the One star almost went under. In 1987, Shania’s parents were killed in a tragic road traffic accident. The then-upcoming singer moved back to Ontario to care for her younger siblings.
At some point, Shania almost gave up on music, but when her siblings were grown enough, the singer created the demo tape that caught the attention of record labels.
2 Shania Twain Got Back Into The Studio
Lionel Richie was instrumental in helping Shania find her voice again. In 2011, the Man! I Feel Like a Woman star answered Richie's call to feature on his album for a duet on Endless Love. Shania initially turned down Lionel’s request because she felt her voice wasn't up to the task, but the Love singer was able to convince her to duet on his track.“I thought that if I fail, I’d rather fail with somebody that is forging and sweet and kind about it,” Twain said about getting back in the studio.
1 Shania Twain Found Her Spark Again
In August 2017, 15 years after her hiatus from the music scene, Shania Twain announced her return with a post of a Volkswagen bus that read “Summer Of Shania.” It was indeed the summer for the country music star as she released her fifth studio album, Now. Twain’s reentry to music was grand. Now debuted at the number one spot on Billboard 200 making it the singer's highest charting debut album.