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Shania Twain Stages a Comeback in Vegas

BY EMMA TROTTER

If any superstar ever deserved a comeback tour, it’s country sensation Shania Twain. After a rocky childhood and swift ascent to country-pop stardom, she took a career hiatus, during which she suffered a devastatingly painful public divorce amid swirling reports of her ex-husband’s infidelities (with her close friend). The singer, most known for holding the title of best-selling female artist in country music history, then suffered an unthinkable loss: her voice. But this unstoppable woman known for empowering lyrics (spiced with teases such as “Let’s go!” and “Kick it!”) is gearing up for the mother of all comebacks: being the very first country star to headline at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

The “now-Shania,” as she calls herself, is currently in a peaceful place. Now married to the ex-husband of the friend who stole her first one, she has come back from despair and into the spotlight in Still the One, her two-year residency that opens December 1. In yet another career milestone, she produced this show from start to finish, the first time she has ever done so.

“It’s so exciting,” she says. “My husband always reminds me that it’s a huge part of my pleasure that I get to be so involved in the show. It has taken courage, but the achievement of getting back up onstage again and singing is rewarding. Still the One forced me into not only singing again, but producing and directing, which isn’t new to me, but on this scale it’s entirely new. So it’s opening this whole other world to me.”

Less than two months away from her splashy debut, Twain is eager to dish the details. She pauses when asked about the last time she performed onstage and guesses it could have been seven years ago. But despite her hiatus, Twain’s momentum to perform for her fans again is now boiling over, and she’ll be ready to rock her country-sized comeback when she hits that famous stage in the footsteps of Celine Dion, Elton John, Cher, Bette Midler, and Rod Stewart.

Caesars scored a huge coup with Twain, the renowned showroom’s first country act, an offer she calls “humbling.” That she got to design the show top to bottom is icing on the cake: Every single detail that makes up the 90-minute production—lighting, staging, the song list, costumes—has her fingerprints on it. Twain also handpicked every staff member and enlisted one of the best in the biz, Raj Kapoor, to direct Still the One, one of the biggest projects of his career. In true Strip fashion, he took the best moments of her career and Vegas-ized them.

“The show is a catalog of her work,” Kapoor says, “but we have framed it in a much bigger, more theatrical framework. It pays homage to the looks from her videos and other moments you remember her by, or certain performances. Iconic costumes are reinterpreted. It satisfies her fan base who loved her years ago, but now it’s done in a totally different way.”

For someone who hasn’t toured since 2004, Twain had a huge undertaking in conceptualizing and designing each piece of the puzzle.

“I have written this show from the very first draft of its existence,” Twain says. “It is a healthy distraction, to be responsible for other things and stop dwelling on ‘Did I hit that note today?’” And remember that sexy, famously daring leopard outfit from the “That Don’t Impress Me Much” music video? That’s in there, with a Vegas-worthy twist—and help from NYC fashion designer Marc Bouwer. “I’m going in a more glamorous direction, and there is more fashion than in my other tours,” Twain says. “It’s very cinematic and expressive.”

When she first burst onto the Nashville landscape in 1995 with The Woman in Me, Twain shook up the country-music world with lyrics empowering women to ditch unimpressive men and go out with their girlfriends. Her cheerleader-esque messages amassed her a legion of female fans who worshipped her sass and spunkiness that made country fun again. Men loved her teased hair, pageant smile, and killer body, and even country naysayers melted during her love songs “You’re Still the One” and “From This Moment On”—both from 1997’s landmark Come on Over, which eventually became both the top-selling country album and best-selling female album of all time.

Humble beginnings in her native Canada and an insistence on writing her own material added to her sincerity, which shone through even in the biggest of sold-out arenas. As her prominent rise to the top plowed ahead, she had to face a grueling schedule and the pressure to make every album better than her last—and then deal with a marriage strained by it all. Finally, in 2004, she stepped out of the limelight and retreated back to her château in Switzerland to raise her child, Eja, with her producer/husband, Robert “Mutt” Lange. That idyllic family portrait came to a screeching halt in 2008, when she discovered Lange had been carrying on an affair with the couple’s married assistant, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, a woman she counted as one of her closest friends. The scandal traumatized her, and the grief affected her so deeply that she nearly lost her singing voice permanently.

It was during this time that she was first approached with the Colosseum offer. Twain—who soon miraculously found love with Thiébaud’s then-husband, Frédéric, after they comforted each other during the collapse of both their marriages—was readying for the release of the memoir she penned, From This Moment On. She was also putting together the Why Not? With Shania Twain series, in which the famously private songstress documented her therapeutic journey of healing for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN.

“For the whole Why Not? experience, I really pushed myself out the door and said, ‘You’ve got to try to find out why your voice is not there for you,’” she says of her condition, called dysphonia. “It’s been such a huge, long process.” It was during what she calls the “jumping out of the airplane period of my life”—something she literally did in one of the episodes on OWN—where she began to think seriously about a Las Vegas residency. To test her voice, she even recorded a new song, “Today Is Your Day,” with megaproducer David Foster, which she’ll perform in Still the One.

“When I went through the process in the studio with Lionel Richie, and the Christmas duet with Michael Bublé—and those being more out of my range than I would normally sing anyway—they came out great,” Twain says. “I was so happy with them, and I thought, Okay, well if I can do that, then I can do anything.” She emerged more resilient than ever.

“This is somebody who has an amazing work ethic,” Kapoor says. “The hunger to be an entertainer never left her. The aura she puts out is absolutely magical.” Once she realized that the Colosseum’s groundbreaking resident artist program—beginning with Celine Dion’s A New Day… at the peak rather than the end of her career—brought on a tidal wave of sold-out shows hosting the best in the music biz, Twain realized she was being offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Celine turned the [perception of Vegas as where artists go to retire] all around because she brought in the true potential of what Vegas has to offer: the most remarkable, state-of-the-art technology that could be used for concert performing, and not just Cirque du Soleil [shows],” she says. “Bringing together the best quality production with a performing artist concert changed everything. To be invited to do it, that’s quite an honor.”

Looking back, Twain admits she never dreamed that one day she would have a comeback with her name lit up on a Vegas marquee.

“Vegas is the mecca right now for the most qualitative performing arts anywhere in the world,” she says. “There are huge numbers of country music fans, and they deserve to come to Las Vegas to see the top, first-class spectacles in their genre.”

For fans breathlessly awaiting some new tracks, no new album is currently in the works, though Twain hints that now that Still the One is going, her next project to tackle is hitting the recording studio. “I’m so confident how my voice is coming across in studio after working with Lionel and doing ‘Today Is Your Day,’” she says. “I know I am ready to go back in the studio and record an album, I just don’t have the time yet.”

When I remind her that fans will be booking trips and flying in from all over the world specifically to see her, I get an extra dose of Twain’s signature perkiness, as she gets giddy describing her excitement to see her fans.

“I don’t want to lose contact with them,” she says. “I don’t want to lose that element of being able to touch people and connect with them and not be separated from them. For me it’s like a dream, so to the fan it must be as well. All of the satisfaction will be magnified.”

http://vegasmagazine.com/personalities/articles/shania-twain-makes-a-comeback-at-caesars-colosseum

Personally welcoming Shania Twain to Vegas

By Abby | December 10, 2012

I don’t hide the fact that one of my favorite parts about living in Las Vegas is that I get to go to so many amazing shows. The Colosseum especially has delivered some amazing nights, from Rod Stewart‘s premiere to meeting the great Celine Dion. But one thing I never saw coming: country! Leave it to Shania Twain to make that happen. After eight years off the stage, let me tell you, she came back with a bang! Her show Shania: Still the One exceeded all of my expectations. And THEN, I was honored to co-host her “welcome to Las Vegas” party with Vegas magazine, of which I am the editor. The cover she did for us was gorgeous! This photo isn’t the best of me at all, but she looks stunning, and that’s all that matters. It was definitely HER night! Shania Twain Las Vegas is going to kill it — in fact, since all of her shows sold out, they’ve already added 12 new ones for next spring.

Meeting Shania passed by in a blur! There were so many people around, trying to see her and take photos. I didn’t know where to look! I live and breathe Las Vegas, through my work at the magazine — but because I truly believe I live in the best city in the world. So I couldn’t have been happier or more proud to be part of the party that welcomed this country siren to our town.

I was really nervous to see Shania’s show. She hadn’t performed in so many years, thanks to her much-publicized troubles that included her producer/husband cheating on her and then losing her voice because of it, and this was her Big Night. I still can’t get over how absolutely amazing all of the Colosseum shows have been: Bette Midler, Cher, Rod, and Celine and Elton John, both of which I have seen three times. But with Shania, we were finally getting country! And someone whose songs I know so well. So many women live for Shania — and her upbeat songs about ditching loser guys and bad hair days. I almost cringe thinking of some of the lyrics now, but when any of her songs come on, it lights up mood. You can’t help but be happy when Shania is playing. She is truly one of my idols.

My assistant editor, Emma Trotter, is a life-long fan of Shania’s — and wrote our insightful cover story on her. She knew so much about her idol’s upbringing, details on her rough childhood that I didn’t know. Not only were Shania and her siblings raised with little to no money, but her mom and stepdad were then killed in a car accident when Shania was 22. During her Colosseum show, she laments that her mom never got to see any of her success.

Opening night was fantastic: Shania got emotional many times during the show, which included all of her hits, from “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under,” “Up!” and my personal favorite, “Honey, I’m Home.” She was so thrilled to be on that stage! She brought up a few of her super-fans during the campfire medley, which I loved. And her outfits: oh my gosh! You should go see the show just for her wardrobe.

And let me tell you, I saw her up close. She looks younger than I do!

It is so cool that Las Vegas is becoming such a hot spot for country. Her comeback at the Colosseum is going to be tremendous!!

http://www.thejungleprincess.com/shania-twain-las-vegas/

Shania Twain Would Record a New Album, if She Had the Time

December 15, 2012

Now that Shania Twain‘s new residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is up and running, fans are wondering if she’ll record any new music soon. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen right away.

Shania tells Vegas magazine, “I know I am ready to go back in the studio and record an album, I just don’t have the time yet.”

The new show at Caesars, titled Shania…Still the One, allows Shania to connect intimately with her fans, and she doesn’t want to take time away from that right now. “I don’t want to lose that element of being able to touch people and connect with them and not be separated from them,” she explains. “For me it’s like a dream, so to the fan it must be as well.”

For more information about Shania…Still the One, go to ShaniainVegas.com.

http://www.wwgp1050.com/2012/12/15/shania-twain-would-record-a-new-album-if-she-had-the-time/

Shania Twain Covers Vegas Magazine, Reveals She’s Ready to Begin New Album

By Amy Sciarretto | December 18, 2012

Shania Twain covers the new issue of Vegas, which is fitting since the country-pop diva just started her two-year residency at Caesars Palace in Sin City. In this case, the old adage that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas does not apply, as the ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman’ singer shares that she is ready to work on a new album, what makes her show more glamorous and how it really feels to be on the comeback trail.

The singer revealed that she plans to begin working on a new album, but there is a caveat — she has to fit the recording process into her schedule. But Twain also admitted that her confidence is steadily growing, and she’s progressing from recent years.

“I’m so confident how my voice is coming across in studio after working with Lionel and doing ‘Today Is Your Day,’” she said, referring to Lionel Richie. “I know I am ready to go back in the studio and record an album, I just don’t have the time yet.”

In the meantime, she is giving her all to her residency production in Sin City. “I’m going in a more glamorous direction, and there is more fashion than in my other tours,” Twain admitted about the costuming and staging. “It’s very cinematic and expressive.”

The ’90s superstar, who battled dysphonia (the inability to sing) after she found out her husband Mutt Lange was cheating on her with a friend, said the process has been “huge” and “long,” but she’s made it through to the other side. “I really pushed myself out the door and said, ‘You’ve got to try to find out why your voice is not there for you,’” she admitted.

Through it all — the cheating scandal and subsequent divorce, the dysphonia and the return to performing via the residency — one thing remains critically important to Twain, and that’s her fans.

“I don’t want to lose contact with them,” the singer declared. “I don’t want to lose that element of being able to touch people and connect with them and not be separated from them. For me it’s like a dream, so to the fan it must be as well. All of the satisfaction will be magnified.”

http://tasteofcountry.com/shania-twain-new-album-vegas/

Shania Twain Las Vegas Show Has Lionel Richie, Michael Bublé to Thank

Posted Dec 19th 2012 5:00PM by Gayle Thompson

Shania Twain is just beginning her two-year run as headliner of her new Las Vegas show, "Shania: Still the One," but admits the show might have never happened if not for the intervention of two music superstars, Lionel Richie and Michael Bublé.

Ever since the release of her 2002 album, Up!, the songstress had been quietly battling a vocal condition called dysphonia, which had robbed her of both her voice and her confidence. But when the men both invited her to perform with them for two separate projects -- "Endless Love" for Lionel's Tuskegee album and "White Christmas" for Michael's 2011 Christmas project -- Shania realized she could overcome her voice problems.

"When I went through the process in the studio with Lionel Richie, and the Christmas duet with Michael Bublé -- and those being more out of my range than I would normally sing anyway -- they came out great," Shania tells Vegas magazine. "I was so happy with them, and I thought, OK, well if I can do that, then I can do anything."

The 47-year-old also returned to the recording studio with famed producer, David Foster, to record her single, "Today Is Your Day," which further validated her future ambitions. "I'm so confident how my voice is coming across in the studio after working with Lionel and doing 'Today Is Your Day,'" she notes. "I know I am ready to go back in the studio and record an album, I just don't have the time yet."

For now, Shania's focus is on putting on an elaborate performance for more than 4,000 show attendees in Sin City each night. "I'm going in a more glamorous direction, and there is more fashion than in my other tours," she explains. "It's very cinematic and expressive ... Vegas is the mecca right now for the most qualitative performing arts anywhere in the world. There are huge numbers of country music fans, and they deserve to come to Las Vegas to see the top, first-class spectacles in their genre."

"Shania: Still the One" is at the Colosseum at Caesar's Palace. Tickets can be purchased here.

http://www.theboot.com/2012/12/19/shania-twain-las-vegas/

She doesn't "have the time" record a new album......Yes, that is it. She has no time. So sad that she thinks that she will fail without a Mutt Lange produced/co-written album. And that is the true reason why she refuses to put out a new one....