October 18, 1999
In Her Own Words: Shania Twain (Part 1)
Shania Twain's last sit-down interview before being named Entertainer
of the
Year by the CMA was held in Studio C, the original home of "Nashville
Now,"
"Music City Tonight" and most recently, the now defunct "Prime Time
Country." A half-dozen of Music Row's lucky hacks (including
CountryCool.com's Hazel Smith) were invited to the musty, dusty,
postage-stamp-sized cubicle where country music stars shared their
wares
with fans via TNN.
Seven hours later, a tearful Shania accepted her Entertainer of the
Year
trophy from Reba McEntire on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, and the
33rd
Country Music Association Awards Show was history. Before it all started,
however, Shania fielded questions from Hazel and a few select journalists
about her tour, her upcoming albums and her appearance in tabloid headlines.
Hazel: Tell me about the screaming tabloid headlines.
Shania: (laughs wickedly) You want to ask that first? That's okay. Well,
it's pretty funny. I'd have to know which one you're referring to—there
have
been many. I've read not one, but I've heard little bits and pieces.
None of
it's true at all. I'm not getting divorced. I'm very happily married.
I'm
not going back with my old boyfriend. He won't be driving my bus. (laughs)
What else is in there? I've never had an affair with a married man.
What
else in there was bad? (hesitates) I think those were the main things.
Q: Only [four] women have been nominated for Entertainer of the Year—Dolly,
Reba, Loretta and Barbara Mandrell. What did you learn from these women?
Shania: All amazing entertainers deserving of that [honor]. I never
really
gave it that much thought. I've been entertaining my whole life, yet
I think
I'd be surprised if I was to win. I've never won at CMA before, so
it would
be a first which would be surprising itself, no matter what the award
was.
I'm not expecting it. I'm just not expecting it.
Q: They're saying it's your year.
Shania: It's been my year success-wise for the last five years, not
award-wise. I'm not saying I should be winning awards, but as far as
success
goes it's been as big as anyone can pretty much get for several years
now. I
don't know why, this particular year, people would be saying that.
I guess
what I'm saying is, I don't deserve all of a sudden being highlighted
this
particular year. But maybe this year I've put to rest a few questions
and
doubts in other people's minds. Maybe that's why the industry feels
this is
my year.
Q: What does it mean to win the BMI Songwriter's Award? (Note: Shania
won
the Robert J. Burton Award for "You're Still The One," the most performed
song of the year, as well as Songwriter of the Year from performing
rights
organization BMI.)
Shania: That's a big honor for me. I've been writing songs since I was
10
years old on a very serious level. I've been dissecting Dolly Parton,
Elton
John, Stevie Wonder and Beatles songs my entire life trying to learn
how to
become a songwriter. I spent more time on that than I did becoming
a singer.
As a singer, my style is what it is. But as a songwriter there's so
much
room to grow because of life's experiences. You become more mature,
more
experienced and you improve, hopefully. That's the part I take the
most
seriously. Your voice isn't always there throughout the rest of your
life,
but your mind is—hopefully—and that can allow you to write.
Q: I heard you were doing a TV Special. Are you doing a Thanksgiving
TV
Special?
Shania:Yes, I am doing a TV special, a CBS special. It's going to be
aired..I don't know when it's going to be aired (laughs). I don't know
what
it's called (laughs). As far as I know I will not be having a guest.
I'm
recording it in Dallas, at the stadium. And we just finished the promo's
with the football players, which was great fun. It's gonna be a unique
special, 'cause it's a stadium special. Obviously, there will be a
lot of
people there. I'm very, very exciting. It'll be directly after a game
in
Dallas. Actually, there's three specials in a row. Celine (Dion) the
one
night, my special will be the second night after the game, and then
Ricky
Martin will be the third night. So it's going to be an exciting week
for
CBS. And to be in their company is awesome obviously.
Q: Will you talk about your Christmas album.
Shania: We're working on a Christmas album that won't make it for this
Christmas. It'll make it for next Christmas. So I'm gonna have two
albums
coming out next year. It'll be Christmas 2000. We haven't decided yet,
I
think the [other] album will come out then in the next year, or the
beginning of the following. If we can manage it, we'll get it out before
the
Christmas album gets released. It's hard to say. We're writing it all
now.
We're writing both. I've been writing the Christmas album for a little
while
now. So to put two albums together it'll take a lot of work. I'm going
to be
off the road for a while. I'll be on the road for three more weeks
in
November. The tour ended a couple months ago, but we added three more
weeks
in November in the United States. Then I won't tour again until the
new
album is released. Maybe the summer of 2001.
Q: Will you include classic Christmas songs on your album or will they
all
be your songs?
Shania: There may be some original standards...I mean some classic standards
on there. Of course, there will be original music as well. I'm of the
feeling that if I can write them all, I will. If I have the time. If
I
don't, I'm fine with putting standards on there. Everyone wants to
hear
standards. So I've not decided yet exactly how many.
Q: Let's clear up a couple questions. First you mentioned you're not
touring
until 2001. Then I read somewhere about you touring with George Strait
next
year. Is that news to you?
Shania: It's not news to me. I've been asked to do that. But I still
haven't
completely decided. Touring with him next summer or in the spring really
puts pressure on me timing-wise to get my albums finished. So I really
have
to think about it very hard and I really haven't had time to talk to
[husband/producer] Mutt about it seriously. Cause we just started to
talk
about this George Strait thing just last week. He and I have to sit
down and
decide. Cause that would dig in. That's several weeks. I think it's
seven or
eight weekends. So I'm not sure yet.
Q: And the other thing, any insight creatively where you are going on
the
next album?
Shania: Well, I suppose like any songwriter, I'm always looking for
a new
angle people can relate to on an everyday basis. I like to stay close
to
home and tell it from my perspective, meaning it's always going to
be fairly
conversational and clear. I think that's just my style of writing and
I'm
not so sure I'll veer so far away from that. Musically, that's another
thing
all together. I don't know how it's going to come out musically yet.
That is
all a huge experiment. Until you get into the studio it's..it sorta
gets....it's kinda like pottery. I mean, lyrics and the subject matter
you
write about is like deciding you're going to do pottery. Once you're
doing
it, it could take any shape, any form. In any second it can change
so
dramatically. That's the part that's harder to pre-determine. It's
like we
don't even know ourselves until we're closer to the end as far as the
sound
goes.
Q: How much stock do you put into winning awards?
Shania: Very little value. I don't mean to demean or insult anyone cause
some people take a great deal of pride in winning awards. Obviously,
the
associations do as well. It's fun to win. It's a novel thing. If I
scratched
and won a five-dollar ticket , I'd probably be jumping up and down,
"All
right, I won!" There's something novel about winning whatever it is.
I'm as
excited as anyone when I get up there and I win. And I'm moved a lot
of
times by the audience. There is a real audience up there in the balcony.
They are happy for you. There are people you see in the audience and
you see
they are happy for you. It definitely does that for you. But to be
honest
with you, I don't know even half the time what I'm nominated for. Like
last
night, I went to the BMI Awards. I didn't even know what was going
on. I
didn't know I was getting all those things. I wasn't aware. I never
ask
(laughs). I just go. The Canadian Country Music Awards happened recently,
I
didn't even know...I knew I wasn't going to be able to go. I remember
saying
sometime ago I wasn't going to be there. I knew on that date I was
doing
something else. My sister called me the next day and told me the whole
scoop
and what I'd won. I didn't even know what I was nominated for. I don't
sit
there waiting. I learned a long time ago you can end up being very
disappointed. I think it can make you very bitter if you put too much
weight
in all that. I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be bitter.
I
don't want to compete on that level. I take it quite lightly, actually.
Q: I hear you are going to Asia?
Shania: Yes, January, February.
Q: Are you concentrating on Japan or will you go all over Asia?
Shania: All over Asia. Once we're over there we'll hit a few places.
I'm not
exactly sure where.
Q: How much does your family depend on you and how much do you depend
on
them?
Shania: I depend on my family a lot. I need to stay grounded in the
sense I
like to remember where I'm from. I get lonely. I mean, everybody gets
lonely. I get lonely for smelling firewood in the air. I get lonely
for the
sound of a loon. I get lonely for snow-mobiling with my nephews. I
get
lonely for those sorts of things. And I don't get home often enough.
So I
bring my family to me on the road. They are experiencing new things
because
of it. It's kinda neat what's happening to us as a family. We depend
a lot
on each other.
Q: Did you see Dick Frank last night at the BMI Awards? (The attorney
who
brought her to Nashville originally)
Shania: (animated) No! Was he there?
Q: Yes, he sat by me.
Shania: I saw Mary Del [Frank's daughter] but I missed Dick. Shoot.
Q: You had a massive tour, that just ended, for the last year and a
half.
When you find time to relax, what do you think about it? About the
tour?
Shania: Yes. The tour finished two months ago and ended in Dublin. Biggest,
most successful, fun show of the whole tour. Not the biggest audience,
but
the biggest audience, you know. It was exciting 'cause when we left
the
states we were playing 20 to 30 thousand a night. Then we went over
to
England we were playing 10 to 15 thousand, which I knew we were doing
that
in the states a year ago. But they totally shocked me, they sounded
like 40
thousand. It was so fun. I have great memories to take with me from
that
tour. Fabulous experience. I had so much freaking fun. I never wanted
to
sleep.
I don't drink. I don't do drugs. And I eat well. I like to stay fit.
I had a
lot of fun doing it. I didn't feel like I was on some heavy strict
regime
and it was a real drag doing it. I took my horse on the road. I took
my dog
on the road. I danced every night I possibly could, in a moving bus,
of
course. I had a wonderful time. I look forward to my next big tour.
I think
I'm going to have a great time again. In those two months I've been
home I
have had a chance to sit back and say, "It's such a great experience.
I'm
not afraid to go and do this again." Not that I was afraid the first
time, I
mean, I'd done so much promotion. I'd been away from home so much time
the
first four years. I wasn't so sure I wanted to do this tour in the
sense I'd
be away from home again. But it was such a fun experience I'm okay
with it
now.
Look for Part 2 of CountryCool.com's interview with Shania Twain next
week.
Interview from Countrycool.com (http://www.countrycool.com/news/10_99/18cover.html)
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