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"I definitely felt pushed when I was a child to sing, to entertain. I just wanted to stay in my room and sing to myself."
— Shania Twain

Shania Twain: Country Survivor

Shania Twain (born Eileen Regina Edwards) was born in Windsor, Ontario, on August 28, 1965. When she was young, her parents divorced and Twain lived with her mom and two sisters. The kids were eventually adopted by their mom's new husband. The family struggled with poverty, and Twain's mother suffered from bouts of deep depression. Twain turned to singing to find happiness amid her harsh reality. In 1974, at the age of nine, she was already performing in honky-tonk clubs to help pay the family's bills. At age 12, Twain appeared on a local country show, and later she fronted a cover band, called Long Shot. In 1983, the teenager began singing full time after graduating from high school. However, her career came to a terrible halt when her parents were killed in a car crash in 1987.

Devastated, the 22-year-old Twain took on the task of raising her sisters and two half-brothers; she supported them with a singing gig at a tourist resort. By 1992, her siblings were all grown up and Twain began to focus on her career. Although she soon scored a recording contract, her big break turned out to be a disappointment — her debut album wasn't a hit.

In 1993, the struggling singer took a call from the legendary Robert "Mutt" Lang, a reclusive rock producer. The two began writing songs, and it wasn't long before they were making beautiful music together as husband and wife. Twain's second album, "The Woman in Me," which fused country with pop, was released in 1995. It was a smash success, spawning seven hit singles and winning Twain numerous awards. The 32-year-old's 1997 follow-up, "Come on Over," catapulted her to superstardom.

But after three years of touring and celebrity life, the performer needed a break. In 2000, she and her husband moved to Switzerland. The couple had a baby boy, Eja (pronounced "Asia"), in 2001. While she savored the tranquility of her life, Twain returned to the studio in 2002 to record the album "Up."

"I spent a lot of my life not famous. I'm not afraid to be that again."
— Shania Twain