WASHINGTON (AP) - Shania (shuh-NY'-uh) Twain is slowly stepping back into the spotlight after the break up of her marriage to Robert "Mutt" Lange in May 2008.
Twain has been keeping a low profile, aside from an appearance at the Country Music Association awards last November.
But this week she will be a guest judge on "American Idol" during the Chicago auditions, and she has reached out to fans by posting a personal letter and video travelogue on her Web site.
Reba McEntire hopes this will mark Twain's reemergence onto the scene.
McEntire says "the country music industry is ready for Shania Twain to come back, definitely."
Twain's marriage to Lange fell apart following his alleged affair with the manager of the couple's chateau in Switzerland.
Whenever I think of Reba I think of her infamous red dress. (circa 1993 at the CMA Awards show when she sang with Linda Davis) - amongst a couple of other things:
Reba hopes Shania returns to country music spotlight
According to the Associated Press, fellow country star Reba McEntire is hoping that Shania Twain's recent peeks back into the spotlight signal a full-fledged return.
Those nods back into public life for Twain, who has kept more private in recent years: A new guest-host drop-in on American Idol, and some direct-to-fans online communication on her official Web site, on which Twain recently posted a personal letter and video.
"I feel very much alive and well, ready to take on the gift of another year," Twain wrote. "I've been on a few interesting trips, reading some helpful and motivating books, meeting fascinating people and getting the most out of life that I possibly can. Living, loving, laughing and dreaming have become highest on my list of priorities. I'm looking for places to be and things to do that inspire me to write and be creative, concentrating on moving on and forward."
McEntire was quoted as telling AP, "(The) country music industry is ready for Shania Twain to come back, definitely." To read the full story, go to Tennessean.com/music.