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Bastian Baker's American Debut Album Releases Worldwide Today

Broadway World | Music News Desk | October 26, 2018 

A New York Times survey found Switzerland to be the "Best Country in the World" in 2017 and Swiss singer/songwriter Bastian Baker won't argue. His native country allowed him to go down to Montreux with "Funky Claude," play pro hockey, foxtrot on Dancing With The Stars (France), perform for Hilary Clinton and earn the title of platinum-selling recording artist. He's shared his positive demeanor and lighthearted songs with the world, performing over 850 shows in 40 different countries - including Shania Twain's ongoing Now world tour - and finding himself a little along the way. Always eager for a new adventure, the 27-year-old set his sights on uncharted territory in the U.S. and landed in the city that has always fascinated him: Nashville. He makes his official American debut today with the release of his self-titled fourth studio album, available across all digital retailers now.

Bastian Baker is available for streaming and purchase HERE.

The genre-defying project was brought to life by producers and songwriters around the globe including GRAMMY Award-winner Jacquire King (Shawn Mendes, Niall Horan, Kings of Leon, Bon Jovi). Bastian has penned a catalog of over 60 songs while in Nashville and holds a co-writing credit on each track of the new album.

He shares, "I don't look at this record as my fourth album because it feels like my first in so many ways. I've grown a lot both personally and musically the last few years and that has profoundly influenced my sound, the way I look at life and my purpose in it. Music is about bringing people together in good times and bad. This is truly the best job in the world." He recently shared with HuffPost, "My goal is to always have people leave my shows with a smile on their face and a better next day ahead. That's what I hope my record will do for them, too."

He had the chance to dazzle nearly a million people with his "confident stage presence and pleasant voice" (Nashville Scene) during this summer's US leg of Shania Twain's Now world tour. He had no issue keeping all eyes on him with his acoustic opening set, leaving critics raving he won the crowd over with his "voice handed down by some deity or other" (Popdust) and "witty banter" (Music Mayhem Magazine). The ladies line up outside his merch table each night to meet and take a selfie with the "charismatic," (Rolling Stone) "blue-eyed hunk" (Billboard) before he returns to the stage to duet with Shania for two songs.

A lot of lessons the "Swiss troubadour" (Boston Globe) has learned are showcased on the new album, including some he's gained from his tour mate, the reigning "Queen of Country Pop." He shared with Sounds Like Nashville, "an artist doesn't need to pick a particular lane when it comes to music. After all, music is the universal language." While he speaks 5 languages fluently, he's always opted to write and sing in English. His "Ed Sheeran meets Keith Urban" vocals (Hollywood Life) incorporate multiple elements - pop, folk, country, alternative, singer/songwriter - on this passion project. He shared with The Times, "That's what's good about touring with Shania. She's not country, she's not pop, she's not rock, she's all of it. We're the same that way."

Bastian Baker's track list includes the previously released "melancholy tale of love and loss, hope and tragedy," (Parade) "Six," the "sexy" (Hollywood Life) "Stay," "an uplifting tune that acknowledges the love that's prevalent in an often tumultuous world," (Billboard) "All Around Us," "Love on Fire" and his first country track, "Blame It On Me." He told The Tennessean, "the whole Nashville experience has been pretty sensational." Fellow Switzerland native and captain of the Nashville Predators, Roman Josi is partly responsible for Bastian's recruitment to Music City. Josi even booked his first gig in town at the Douglas Corner Café. 

BASTIAN BAKER TRACK LIST:
1. Stay (Bastian Baker, Vlad Holiday)~
2. All Around Us (Baker, Holiday)~
3. Love On Fire (Baker, Nathan Evans)*
4. So Low (Baker, Curtis Schneider)!
5. Young (Baker, John Lamagna, Ryan Kondrat, Emery Taylor)#
6. Six (Baker, Evans)•&@
7. You Should Call Home (Baker, Josh Bruce Williams)$
8. Yokko (Baker, Mark Domitric)~^
9. Light & Easy (Baker, Williams)$
10. Another Day (Baker, Stephan Gfeller, Mark Hildreth)=^
11. Stage Fright (Baker, John Lamagna, Kondrat)+
12. Blame It On Me (Baker, Caroline Marquard, Zoe Mirkovic)+
13. Down (Baker, Evans)*
14. Time (Baker, Marquard)*

* Produced by Jacquire King (Niall Horan, Kings of Leon, James Bay)
^ Produced by Vlad Holiday
• Produced by Bastian Baker
! Produced by Aaron Sterling (Kelly Clarkson, Liz Phair, Natasha Bedingfield)
+ Produced by Jordan Lehning (Kacey Musgraves, Charlie Worsham)
$ Produced by Josh Bruce Williams (Carlos Vara, Ruelle)
# Produced by Emery Taylor
@ Produced by Jay Lefevbre (Simple Plan)
& Produced by Ales Lo Verde
~ Produced by Charles de Schutter
= Produced by Stephen Gfeller

ABOUT BASTIAN BAKER:
Sounds Like Nashville hails "Switzerland may be neutral but one of their most talented exports is about to invade America." Bastian Baker has taken Europe by storm with his chart-topping, platinum-selling albums, sold out arenas around the world with the likes of Elton John, Bryan Adams, Boy George and more, scored numerous music awards and serves as a Brand Ambassador for esteemed brands Hugo Boss, Omega, Audi and Harley Davidson. The only thing missing from his career dance card was the United States... until now. Before embarking on a music career, Baker was a third-generation professional hockey player from Switzerland. After trading in his hockey stick for a guitar, Baker made his first professional appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival after an invite from its founder, Claude Nobs. Yes, 'Funky Claude' referenced in Deep Purple's "Smoke On the Water." It's clear that "Bastian Baker wears many hats." (Harper's Bazaar) He's been featured as a competitor on Dancing With The Stars (France), a guest coach on The Voice (Belgium) and can now be found traveling the globe alongside Shania Twain after accepting her invite to join her on her current Now world tour. Praised for being "born for the arena," (Popdust) Bastian has been named "one to watch" by Rolling Stone, Young Hollywood, Sounds Like Nashville and Taste of Country. His fourth studio album and American debut, Bastian Baker released on October 26. With his talent, undeniable charm and captivating charisma, there's no doubt of this bona fide trailblazer succeeding on his journey to worldwide superstardom.

REMAINING SHANIA NOW TOUR DATES:
November 30 - Perth Arena - Perth, Australia
December 2 - Botanic Park - Adelaide, Australia
December 5 - Entertainment Centre - Brisbane, Australia
December 6 - Entertainment Centre - Brisbane, Austraia
December 8 - Hope Estate - Hunter Valley, Australia
December 11 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
December 12 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
December 14 - Qudos Bank Arena - Sydney, Australia
December 15 - Qudos Bank Arena - Sydney, Australia
December 18 - Spark Arena - Auckland, New Zealand
December 19 - Spark Arena - Auckland, New Zealand
December 22 - Forsyth Barr Stadium - Dunedin, New Zealand

For more information, visit BastianBaker.com. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Stream Bastian Baker on Spotify and Apple Music.

Watch the official music video for "Stay" here.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Bastian-Bakers-American-Debut-Album-Releases-Worldwide-Today-20181026

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

And whose lips have you been kissin'?
And whose ear did you make a wish in?
Is she the one that you've been missin', baby?

Video clip of Shania performing "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" - https://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain/status/1057289774162034689

11:15 AM ET - 30 Oct 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Shania Now World Tour Features Extensive Array of Claypaky Fixtures

The Queen of Country Pop’s “Shania Now” 2018 tour is using a large complement of Claypaky Mythos2 and Scenius Unico fixtures to enhance the show’s dazzling visual palette. ACT Lighting, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Claypaky lighting in North America.

By David Steinberg | Live Design | November 6, 2018

The Queen of Country Pop’s “Shania Now” 2018 tour is using a large complement of Claypaky Mythos2 and Scenius Unico fixtures to enhance the show’s dazzling visual palette.  ACT Lighting, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of Claypaky lighting in North America.

“Shania Now” takes multi-Grammy winner Shania Twain across North America and to South America and Europe this fall before culminating in a swing through Oceania prior to Christmas.  Twain has sold over 100 million records making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and among the best-selling music artists of all time.  Last year she released her fifth studio album and her first in 15 years, entitled “Now.”

The production features 48 Claypaky Mythos2 and 80 Scenius Unico fixtures.  “The Unicos are the main workhorse of the lighting rig: They provide key light, back light and floor lighting,” explains Creative Director and Production Designer Rob Sinclair. “The Mythos2 are hung on upstage torms and side ‘cakes’ to provide fill and big-picture looks during the show.”

He notes that the lighting design for the tour “needed to be big, flexible and rectilinear to match the video cubes,” which comprise the core of the show’s visual canvas.  Five 12-foot moving video cubes, covered with a total of 18 LED surfaces, continually reconfigure and recombine during the show to create an ever-changing environment for Twain, the band and the dancers.  “It was hugely complex to rehearse as the stage reconfigures for every song. 

Sinclair adds that, “we also needed key lights that could reliably and sympathetically light Shania for camera.  The Unico is my favorite light at the moment.  It’s bright, has an even field, is easily corrected and has great optics.”

Lighting Director Michael Straun uses a light meter on the key lights every day “to ensure we always have the same brightness and color temperature.  On the whole I only need to tweek them slightly.”

He likes that the Unicos offer “lots of options within the one unit.  We are able to use the framing blades for a couple of songs, and they remain consistent every day.”

Upstaging supplied the lights and consoles for the tour.  Joel Eriksson is the Production Manager for the tour and Chris Connor is the Tour Manager.  

About ACT Lighting

A leading importer and distributor of lighting products, ACT Lighting, Inc. strives to identify future trends and cutting-edge products, and stock, sell and support their inventory.  The company provides superior customer service and value for money to all of its clients.  

For more information, visit www.actlighting.com.

https://www.livedesignonline.com/briefing-room/shania-now-world-tour-features-extensive-array-claypaky-fixtures?fbclid=IwAR2Di-vgGPbQ4smiMlJunLDMBOhY9JE8DN5qVG1QEL5EicjjYDpJbX-d1DI

Bastian Baker Says Touring with Shania Twain Is ‘Like Being with My Family’

PEOPLE | November 7, 2018

PLUS: Bastian reveals his dad had no clue who Shania was when they met!

PEOPLE Now airs live, Monday through Friday, from the Meredith offices in New York City.

Catch PEOPLE Now every weekday at 12:00 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on People.com or on the PeopleTV app on your favorite streaming device. Want even more? Check out clips from previous episodes of PEOPLE Now.

Click Link Below To Watch Bastian's Interview.

https://people.com/music/bastian-baker-talks-touring-with-shania-twain/

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

I’m so proud of the impact we're making with @ShaniaKidsCan! If you feel inspired to support the work we’re doing, a $10 donation will give you the chance to win a trip to Sydney, Australia and a backstage meet at my show. Donate at: http://prizeo.com/shania

6:00 PM ET - 7 Nov 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

So ready to get back onstage, see you on my #ShaniaNOW tour in a couple weeks Australia & New Zealand! Last few tickets available at shaniatwain.com/tour

Video clip of Shania performing "That Don't Impress Me Much" - https://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain/status/1063086722009960448

10:10 AM ET - 15 Nov 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

This time next week.... You ready Australia & New Zealand? 😘 #ShaniaNOW

Video clip from tour - https://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain/status/1065953109015285760

8:00 AM ET - 23 Nov 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

***Perth, Western Australia is 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. I'm assuming the concert will start at 7:30pm. So that's 6:30am ET.

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

I'm so ready to hear @elijahwoodmusic's drum solos again 😍 PERTH TOMORROW! #ShaniaNOW

4:37 AM ET - 29 Nov 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Imogen Clark @Imogen_Clark

I'm so thrilled to announce I'll be supporting the QUEEN @ShaniaTwain next Sat 8th Dec at @HopeEstateHV!✨💃This woman is such an inspiration - the highest selling female artist in country music history. I'm so grateful to be closing out an amazing year like this! #ShaniaNOW

3:38 AM ET - 29 Nov 18

http://twitter.com/Imogen_Clark

It looks like Shania will have a second opening act in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia.

The setlist for Australia/New Zealand is the same as the European leg.

http://www.shaniasupersite.com/shania_news_nowtoursetlist-europe.html

Perth Concert Review - NOW

Tom's Talk Time | December 1, 2018

FORGET the much-hyped Horne and Mundine boxing match, RAC Arena was treated to its own version last night, with Shania Twain hitting the stage for her Australian comeback after marching through the crowd like a woman on a mission - ready to jump into her ring.

The packed Perth crowd roared at the sight of the country-pop superstar’s appearance at the back of the venue, as a female drummer in the middle of the audience pounded out the beat to Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. 

Greeting hundreds of fans, Shania laughed and smiled as she ran down the stairs and across the arena, flanked by burly security guards, primped and primed, and ready to hit the stage in Australia for the first time in almost two decades. 

The night was jam-packed full of anthems audiences have come to adore. From Twain’s personal victory song “Life’s About To Get Good”, to “Up!” and “Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)” which dominated the first segment, to smash-hits “That Don’t Impress Me Much”, “You’re Still The One”, “From This Moment On”, and “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”, for Twain, it’s all about relating her life through her music. She’s had setbacks - her parents both died together in a car crash, she endured a highly-publicised divorce when her husband and longtime musical partner Robert Lange left her for her best friend, and she’s suffered a string of vocal issues but she’s used those experiences to shape her music and her stellar career - and this world tour is her way of proving it. 

Her new album, ‘Now’, is the first studio recording she’s taken on in 15 years. It’s a comeback album, and while some of the lyrics tell a darker story, on stage, she’s there to celebrate. 

The tour is more of a greatest hits tour. It’s a celebration of the anthems that defined the 1990s and early 2000s and a nod to Shania’s well-deserved pedestal as the world’s greatest pop-country icon. Shania embodies what so many modern artists are lacking. She has an energy and a connection to the audience that is indescribable - she’s wholeheartedly present and at one with her music. It’s celebratory and powerful, with her showmanship taking centre stage. 

The iconic leopard print she wore in the “That Don’t Impress Me Much” video provided a visual theme for a lot of the show and her costumes were fabulous - country boots, cowgirl hats and all. 

As a kid, I used to jump out of bed on Sunday mornings to watch Shania on Video Hits -  and last night, to see her live, really was a dream come true. She’s a music dynamo, an entertainment veteran and a country powerhouse with a signature voice that leaves audiences craving more. 

Shania will perform in Adelaide on Sunday night before she heads to Brisbane, The Hunter Valley, Melbourne and Sydney.

Set List:

Life’s About to Get Good

Come on Over

Up!

Poor Me

Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)

That Don’t Impress Me Much

Any Man of Mine 

Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? 

Honey, I’m Home 

I’m Alright 

You’re Still The One 

More Fun

From This Moment On

I’m Gonna Getcha Good

Party For Two

Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed 

(If You’re Not in it for Love) I’m Outta Here! 

Man! I Feel Like A Woman 

 http://tomstalktime.tumblr.com/post/180669489197/forget-the-much-hyped-horne-and-mundine-boxing

Shania Twain review – country megastar embraces her hits and hardships

The Canadian singer rocks the mother-and-daughter-packed venue

By Bob Gordon | The Guardian | December 2, 2018

RAC Arena, Perth - 3 out of 5 stars

Everybody loves the drum beat of Queen’s We Will Rock You. What with the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic currently dominating silver screens, that song from 1977 has become somehow very now.

And so it is that the “Shania Now” Australian tour opens on Friday with the song soaring through the PA and 19-year-old drummer Elijah Wood picking up the pounding beat on a floor tom from a B-stage in front of the sound desk.

Then Shania Twain enters in a black glittery dress and cowboy hat. Not on the main stage, but from way back in the venue via the nosebleed seats. It’s a gesture that immediately endears the near-capacity audience to the Canadian megastar, as she walks to the front (surrounded by security, obviously). Life’s About To Get Good, as the opening song suggests, and the weekend officially starts.

Twain gradually reveals her band with each new song. Backing vocalists accompany her on the opening, before giant cubes separate to reveal her band on acoustic guitar, accordion, percussion and finally full drum kit for the calypso-sounding Come On Over.

Up! sees the singer stand on one of the cubes as it ascends. “We have to come down to get to Australia, but we are moving up in the world!” Twain shouts. This song and the next, Poor Me, sees Twain address the downs in her life – her marriage breakup with producer and writer Robert “Mutt” Lange (he left Twain for her best friend) and the loss of her voice causing a 15-year gap between album releases – but it doesn’t come across as self-pity, more an acknowledgement that everyone has their “stuff” to get through.

The mood threatens to get a little sombre, but the country call of Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) rouses the audience, who give themselves totally to the 1997 hit That Don’t Impress Me Much.

The five cubes move into a crossword formation and turn into screens emblazoned with leopard-print projections as mothers in the audience high-five and dance with their daughters.

A twin violin intro to Any Man of Mine stills things for a moment before Twain re-enters the fold in a new black outfit with red knee-high boots (there’s to be many a wardrobe change). The tone moves from Celtic to country with Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? and Honey, I’m Home, the latter featuring some heavy guitar work. That guitar crunch comes under the spotlight in a segue number, Ka-Ching!, which borders on Van Halen-esque.

What’s clear is empowerment and loyalty are two things very important to Twain. From the inclusion of gay male audience members, Ryan, Dan and Stephen (accompanied by “Claire from Claremont” who just happened to follow them onstage) for More Fun, to duetting with support act Bastian Baker on the good-timey Party For Two and Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed, it can be heard in the sincerity of Twain’s voice that she’s been through a lot and is glad to have made her way through it.

Fittingly, the night’s final song, Man! I Feel Like a Woman, is a triumphant celebration of all those things.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/02/shania-twain-review-country-megastar-embraces-her-hits-and-hardships

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

Bats! Before the show in Adelaide 😍 #ShaniaNOW

VIDEO - https://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain/status/1069580433053097984

8:13 AM ET - 3 Dec 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Shania Twain comes on over for first Brisbane show in 19 years

By Lydia Lynch | Sydney Morning Herald | December 6, 2018

A sea of leopard print and cowboy hats converged on the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night to witness the revival of Shania Twain.

Brisbane crowds had been eagerly awaiting the return of the country pop princess for 19 years.

Twain’s last visit to Brisbane was in 1999 in support of her Come on Over record which is one of the best-selling albums in history, moving more than 40 million copies worldwide.

After a 15-year hiatus from recording due to a health battle, the five-time Grammy award winner released Now last year, which reached number one in Australia.

Listening to Twain’s blockbuster vocal performance, it was hard to comprehend there was a time she thought Lyme disease had damaged her vocal cords beyond repair.

The effervescent 53-year-old drew crowds in with hits such as You’re Still the One and From This Moment On and had them dancing in their seats to anthems That Don’t Impress Me Much and Man! I Feel Like a Woman.

While there were plenty of thigh-slapping country hits, Twain exposed her vulnerability during Poor Me, written about the dissolution of her marriage to producer Robert "Mutt" Lange after his affair with her best friend.

“On the new album I wrote some very candid and frank emotions in my songs. This song [Poor Me] started very angry, I was feeling a lot of hatred and sorry for myself being betrayed,” Twain told the crowd.

“But in the process of writing it, recording it and then performing it over and over again, now it has just basically become my drinking song,” she laughed.

While Taylor Swift may be the present reigning queen of country-turned-pop, Twain wrote the rulebook on how to amass a fanbase when crossing over genres.

The fact the Canadian singer added an extra Brisbane show to her tour was proof of her enduring impact and horde of loyal fans.

Twain masterfully weaved songs from her new album with the '90s chart-toppers everyone knows.

Crowds were kept entertained during her many outfit changes with roaming kiss cameras and throwback montages from some of her earlier music videos.

Shania Twain will play another Brisbane concert on Thursday night before heading to the Hope Estate Winery in the Hunter Valley on December 8, Rod Laver Arena on December 11 and Qudos Bank Arena on December 14.

https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/shania-twain-comes-on-over-for-first-brisbane-show-in-19-years-20181206-p50kh1.html

Why Shania Twain's return to New Zealand will be bittersweet

She may not have performed here before, but Shania has a long history with New Zealand.

By Emma Clifton | The Australian Women's Weekly | December 7, 2018

The saying "truth is stranger than fiction" could most definitely be applied to the life of singer Shania Twain; in fact, it's a surprise her journey hasn't yet been turned into a movie.

Marked by tragedy and scandal, and also staggering success, the 53-year-old singer is an unexpected example of survival against the odds.

Abuse, a fatal car crash, a crippling disease and one of the messiest celebrity divorce stories in recent years are all part of her story… yet she still shines.

This December, the country crossover star will perform her first ever concerts in New Zealand as part of her remarkable comeback tour, after she suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from the public stage in 2004.

She may not have performed here before, but Shania has a long history with New Zealand.

Back in 2004 she and her then husband Robert "Mutt" Lange paid an eye-watering $21.5 million to buy Motatapu station, a 24,731ha piece of stunning land in the South Island.

It became both a dream holiday destination and also a future focus for Shania, somewhere she, Mutt and their son Eja would live once she had embraced a quieter life.

"I started designing a homestead for us shortly after we bought it and began putting my heart, soul and dreams into the plans," she wrote in her memoir From This Moment On.

"Every year Mutt, Eja and I would go there for several months, living in a small caravan parked in one of the sheep paddocks... we enjoyed camping out while our home was being built."

But the Kiwi dream took a devastating turn when Shania and Mutt split in 2008, with Mutt becoming the sole owner of the property, which has now become Mahu Whenua Luxury Lodge (where overnight rates start at $1850 a night).

It will surely be an emotional time for Shania to return to New Zealand all these years later as part of her 77-date global tour. But the Shania we get to experience is, in her mind, the strongest and luckiest Shania so far.

The past two decades have been tumultuous, to say the least, but now she's back on top – a new marriage, better health and a re-ignited career. "I'm 53, and I'm happy as ever to be my age," she says.

"Real is good. My career is more fun now than ever, and I'm enjoying life."

For someone who once famously sung "The best thing about being a woman is the prerogative to have a little fun", Shania's life has, for a long period of time, been more about enduring rather than enjoying.

Born Eilleen Regina Edwards, Shania never knew her biological father and grew up in a broke, troubled household of five kids: her mother suffered from chronic depression, her stepfather was a violent alcoholic who hit her mother.

"I was worried about my father killing my mother," she has said previously. "I thought they'd kill each other. My mum was quite violent too. Many nights I went to bed thinking, 'Don't go to sleep, don't go to sleep, wait till they are sleeping.' And I would wake up and make sure verybody was breathing."

When she was eight years old, Shania started writing songs as a form of escape from everything.

"Violent home. Tensions. Nothing to eat. When you're hungry, you can't do anything about it but distract yourself from the hunger. And it really works. It's therapeutic. A lot of kids play with dolls and I played with words and sounds," she says.

One of the first songs she wrote was called Won't You Come Out and Play? – an ode to her depressed mother to get out of bed.

It was at this age she also started singing at public gigs, bringing in much needed money for the family.

When she was 10, her stepfather started abusing her, both physically and sexually.

In her memoir, she writes about trying to protect her mother from him by picking up a chair and hitting her stepfather on the back with it. He punched her in the jaw and she struck him back – she was 11 at the time.

Music continued to be a refuge that started paying off.

Shania finished high school and was trying to make it as a singer-songwriter in Toronto when she got a devastating call: her parents had been killed in a car crash.

The music career was paused indefinitely as she moved back home to look after her younger siblings. Eventually she needed to earn money to support the family, and started singing at a local resort, where she lived in a cabin with no running water and washed her clothes in a stream.

As her siblings got older and moved out on their own, she was able to give more time to her music. She changed her name to Shania – believed to be an Ojibwe word that means "On my way" – then got a manager and put together a demo.

In 1993, her self-titled debut album came out and it garnered some interest. But the songs weren't ones she'd written and she found them a bit toothless.

Her country music icons were people like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson; they weren't "cookie cutter people," she says. "

Some of them were really rugged." The Nashville she came into, however, was a bit dull and prudish; her first music video was banned because one of the outfits showed her midriff.

Things improved for round two. Best-selling music producer and writer, Robert "Mutt" Lange, came on board for her second album, The Woman in Me, and singles from that not only cracked the Country Top 10, they also entered the Billboard Music Charts Top 40.

It was also a good match personally – Mutt and Shania met in June 1993 and married just six months later.

It was her next album, Come on Over, which really saw Shania reach the stratosphere that very few pop music stars – let alone country music stars – ever get to.

Come On Over remains the biggest-selling album of all time by a female musician and spawned such hits as From This Moment On; Man! I Feel Like a Woman!; That Don't Impress Me Much; and You're Still the One.

Shania's ambition to cross over from country music to pop paved the way for a generation of female artists after her, including Taylor Swift. Her music videos became iconic – the head-to-toe slinky leopard print outfit of That Don't Impress Me Much, the gender-bending suit of Man! I Feel Like a Woman!

In the late 1990s, Shania was one of the biggest stars in the world – embarking on an 18-month tour in a customised bus worth $1million.

She took a two-year break after giving birth to her and Mutt's only child, son Eja, in 2001. And then began a period that Shania would later refer to as "the madness".

While on tour for her fourth album, Up, in 2003, Shania was bitten by a tick and contracted Lyme disease, a serious, debilitating condition that can cause nerve damage, extreme fatigue and, in some severe cases, neurological damage.

In Shania, it caused the nerves connected to her vocal cords to atrophy, and she lost her voice. At the time, she thought it might be permanent, so in 2004 she released a Greatest Hits album and announced her retirement from music, without giving an official reason.

"I did want a break," she says now. "But I would never have stayed away 15 years. I was too embarrassed to tell anybody that I couldn't sing. For a long time, I didn't even know why I couldn't sing."

Shania retreated from the public eye and concentrated on healing her body and raising her son.

But then, in 2008, the next news to come out of Shania's team could have been lifted straight from the plot of a soap opera. It emerged that her husband Mutt had been having an affair with their secretary, Marie-Anne Theibaud – who also happened to be Shania's best friend.

"I was ready to die," she wrote in her memoir. "To go to bed for ever and never wake up. Or to hurt someone."

Over the years, Shania's fury towards Mutt has dulled a bit – the two do share a child, and live near each other in order to co-parent – but her rage towards her former friend hasn't shifted. "She's the last person on the planet I want to run into. Ever," Shania told The Guardian newspaper.

But, as the saying goes, living well is the best revenge. In the past few years, events have turned around for Shania.

The first part is a twist of, well, country music proportions: in the aftermath of Mutt's affair, Shania sought solace with Frederic Thiébaud, the husband of her former best friend. They eventually fell in love and were married in 2011.

She kept writing songs, which she was still unable to sing, with the idea of giving them to other artists, but Frederic insisted that she save them, that she would sing again one day.

Years of vocal therapy helped return her voice back to health, and in 2012 she signed up to do a two-year residency in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace.

Slowly the Shania buzz started returning; last year she released another album, Now, and found the writing process cathartic.

"I cried a lot when I wrote," she says. "I never cried when I wrote a song ever before in my life. My songwriting is my diary, my best friend."

Finally, after years both in and out of the spotlight, she has grown to not only enjoy her success but also feel that she is worthy of it.

"How do you all of a sudden feel like you belong, if you grew up your whole life not belonging? It's really tough to flick that switch – success doesn't give that to you," she says.

"I spent most of my childhood embarrassed or feeling insecure or inadequate. That stays with you. That's what that kind of life does to you. So yeah, I try to enjoy my success in different ways. I think I'm finally starting to do that now."

https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/celebrity/celeb-news/shania-twains-bittersweet-return-to-new-zealand-39889

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

In Melbourne for a few days, can't wait to play for you guys. Double show = double the fun! #ShaniaNOW

5:00 PM ET - 10 Dec 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

Melbourne! You were the best, thank you 😘 (Seeing double, double, double, double?) 😂 📷: @ShaniaChoir

9:30 AM ET - 13 Dec 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

'I went through all these phases': Shania Twain gets candid about her emotional state she was in when writing her 'drinking song' Poor Me

By Claudia Poposki and Alisha Buaya | Daily Mail Australia | December 15, 2018

She's currently playing shows in Australia and New Zealand as part of her Now tour.

And Shania Twain spoke candidly about the heartbreak she has gone through in life during her Sydney show on Friday.

The Canadian singer told fans: 'I've done a lot of writing over the last few years about the sadder side to my life.'

The 53-year-old said that everything comes to a full circle, and that the song she was introducing shows that.

In the lead up to her song Poor Me, she said: 'When I started writing my next song, I was pretty angry. I was b*tching mad, I am telling you.'

The Man! I Feel Like A Woman hit maker said that not only was she furious, but she was 'really sad'.

'I went through all these phases, and eventually I came to the place where this became my drinking song,' she said.

Shania said that she feels as though she narrated the song and so she sings with a lot of emotion.

She then launched into the 2017 hit for her fans.

Shania has previously struggled with the breakdown of a marriage and fighting a disease that affected her voice, which caused her to step out of the spotlight.

After 15 years of marriage, she found out that her best friend Marie-Anne Thiebaud was having an affair with her husband Robert 'Mutt' Lange.

It was Marie-Anne's husband Frederic Thiebaud that told Shania about the infidelity.

But in a twist of fate Shania and Frederic moved on with each other, and have been happily married since 2011.

The That Don't Impress Me Much songstress' song Poor Me features lyrics such as: 'Found it in his closet, right behind the lies' and 'I wish I never saw it, the secret in his eyes.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6496229/Shania-Twain-gets-candid-song-Poor-Sydney-concert.html

Shania Twain @ShaniaTwain

Sydney! Thank you for an awesome few days 😍 Auckland, you ready for two days of more fun? #ShaniaNOW

6:05 AM ET - 17 Dec 18

http://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain

Video clip of Shania performing "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" - https://www.facebook.com/ShaniaTwain/videos/284281995563251/

Shania Twain: Still the perfect Gals Night Out

By Sinead Corcoran | Stuff | December 19, 2018

REVIEW: A Shania Twain concert at Auckland's Spark Arena is the perfect Gals Night Out, but don't be disappointed if parts of the show leave you feeling a little flat or confused.

Her iconic hits are still iconic hits, and her love for New Zealand will feed any Kiwi's ego.

There did however seem to be a heavy reliance on backing tracks, but this may have been due to a technical difficulty or related to her retirement in 2004 due to vocal problems.  

Regardless of this - the audience didn't seem to give a hoot. They were there for the Gals Night Out bangers, and bangers they got.

I also truly doubt anyone who wasn't in the front section would fault her performance anyway, due to the absolute razzle dazzle extravaganza happening on stage.

LED lights, floating leopard print mobile platforms and High School Musical-esque backup dancers meant it was near-impossible to concentrate on any one thing at once - except of course when she would debut her next costume, each more risque than the last.

Thigh slit sequin gowns, sheer bedazzled bodysuits, fur Ugg boots and chiffon trench coats all made an appearance, and there is no denying the 54-year-old still looks incredible, and pulled them all off.

Her first two songs were singles from her new album, Life's About To Get Good and Poor Me, but you could tell the audience were only there for the OG Shania hits - Man I Feel Like A Woman and That Don't Impress Me Much were the obvious fan favourites.

The heavy metal interludes between the tracks we know and love were slightly jarring however, and left the crowd a bit puzzled, and I overheard someone ask if we had stumbled into a Def Leppard concert.

The backup dancers were also distracting and sometimes unintentionally comical, and during one song they performed an irish jig while dressed in corporate business attire on top of a floating cube with a swimming pool projected on it. It was a lot.

That being said, it's fair to say she has been through a lot in her life and has channelled that darkness into her show while still seeming like an absolute darling - at one point she even pulled a few fans up on stage for selfies and hugs.

All in all, the woman is a charming delight but there were a lot of distractions when all we needed was Shania singing our favourite Gals Night Out bops.

A personal highlight? Shania ​sipping her chardonnay while sitting atop her piano, because it's Christmas after all.

Shania Twain will play one more concert tonight at Auckland's Spark Arena.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/gig-reviews/109458802/shania-twain-still-the-perfect-gals-night-out

Shania Twain, Auckland NZ, 2018

By Sarah Kidd | Ambient Light | December 19, 2018

Shania Twain
18th December 2018
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand

Shania Twain performed her first ever New Zealand show last night, pulling out all the stops to ensure it was an evening that her fans would never forget.

As the infamous drum and guitar duet from Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ rang out through the darkened arena, thousands of excited faces turned to face the stage only to give themselves whiplash as from the back of the arena came the booming sounds of a bass drum being played by the stunning Elijah Wood. To the right a spotlight highlighted a cowboy hat wearing Shania Twain as she appeared from the shadows and made her way to the stage via a lengthy walk through the crowd; high fives and huge smiles paving her way.

Now that’s how you start a show.

Once on-stage Twain wasted no time, hitting the audience with a double combo that showcased both her latest album Now – her first in fifteen years – and her best-selling album of all time, Come On Over. Indeed, last night’s show was both a nostalgic trip into Twain’s back catalogue, as well as a vision of her future, which has to be said is looking very bright for an artist who back in 2004 retired from music thanks to contracting Lyme disease and losing her voice.

Watching her perform one of the most dazzling shows to grace the Spark Arena stage this year was like watching a phoenix rise from the ashes. Here was a woman who has taken all the darkness and despair in her life (abusive childhood, a publicly humiliating marriage breakdown and debilitating illness) and turned it into something that brings obvious joy not only to herself but to her admirers.

Often addressing the audience in between songs, there was an underlying emotion to Twain’s voice that at times threatened to bubble over, her love for New Zealand and its people not only clear but reciprocated in waves from those standing before her. Accompanied by both a four-piece backing vocal dance troupe as well as a band of magnificent multi-instrumentalists – guitarist Joshua Ray Gooch a definitive highlight – who faded in and out of set pieces that consisted of enormous illuminated cubes that moved through different formations throughout the evening ensured there was never a dull moment.

Twain herself – who had no less than seven costume changes – looked exquisite, both her trademark leopard print and skin-tight lace bodysuits making an appearance, and she rocked each and every one like she owned it. Telling her story through the art of song, tracks such as ‘Poor Me’ gave a glimpse into the deep whirlpool of inner turmoil that has plagued her life, while early crowd favourite ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ showed her resilience, her band playing up the rock factor to the nth degree.

Of course, some of that boot-scootin country element that Twain made a name for herself with also made its way into the show; ‘Any Man of Mine’ and ‘Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under’ provoking serious feet shuffling in the isles. However, one of the biggest underlying messages of the evening was love; from the cutesy kiss-a-gram camera that rolled around the arena falling on unsuspecting couples during openly transgender Elijah Woods drum solo to Twain’s own personal message of “love and loyalty that lasts forever regardless of who it’s between” ringing true.

Returning to the back of the arena to perform ‘You’re Still The One’ on a small revolving stage, Twain invited a fan to join her in a moment of friendship and comical selfie taking; Marie from Papamoa it was revealed was attending the concert on her own in celebration of her fiftieth birthday. In a moment that not only brought a tear to the eye but summed up New Zealand as a country, the entire arena – without any provocation from Twain – broke out into a celebratory rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, Twain joining in at the end before hugging a tearful Marie.

The finale of the show had Twain move from sitting atop a piano with a glass of wine in her hand for ‘More Fun’ to taking side of stage while a video montage played across leopard print chiffon curtains. Remerging in a breath-taking floor length gown that she later dropped to reveal a jaw-dropping catsuit, Twain was joined on stage by her support act Bastian Baker for both ‘Party for Two’ and ‘Swingin with My Eyes Closed’, the duet between the two adding yet another dimension to an already outstanding show.

But all good things must come to an end, and Twain was determined to take it out on a high. As her band performed a mini rock opera entitled ‘Blue Storm’ atop the cubes that projected images of rolling thunderstorms across them – Cory Churko delivering a blazing guitar solo – the stage lights slowly changed to red as those familiar opening notes of ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman!’ saw the entire audience leap from the chairs. Dressed in black sequins, Twain strutted the stage for all she was worth; the crowd enthusiastically joining her on the chorus line.

Is Shania Twain still the one? Last night’s show proved unequivocally that the answer is yes.

https://www.ambientlightblog.com/shania-twain-auckland-nz-2018/

Fact of the day: Tyler Joseph went to a Shania Twain concert in NZ.

By Shahlin Graves | Coup de Main | December 20, 2018

What do you do when you're Tyler Joseph and you come to New Zealand early ahead of Twenty One Pilots' show at Spark Arena in Auckland this Friday? You go see Shania Twain play the same venue, of course.

Video evidence follows below:

https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/twenty-one-pilots/15119

Tommy wrote:

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Tommy wrote:

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LJ-R wrote:

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Pollstar stats are more reliable. Those are the stats released by the box offices of the venues who are more independent. Billboard stats are released by the tour operators who want things to look better than they are. Having said that, 9 out of 10 stats are the same.

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Here are the Pollstar stats. Thanks Luuk (LJ- R)!

I have edited the chart on my website to reflect these Pollstar stats instead of Billboard:
http://www.shaniasupersite.com/shania_tour_now-stats.hml

Thu. May 3 Tacoma Tacoma Dome 13753/15432 $979.630,00
May 5 & 6 Vancouver Rogers Arena 26375/26375 $2.301.320,00
May 9 & 10 Edmonton Rogers Place 26183/27520 $2.756.837,00
Sat. May 12 Saskatoon SaskTel Centre 12533/12533 $1.310.375,00
Sun. May 13 Winnipeg MTS Centre 11552/11552 $1.175.928,00
Tue. May 15 St. Paul Excel Energy Center 14167/14670 $1.266.557,00
Wed. May 16 Sioux Falls Denny Sanford Premier Center 8950/10168 $737.774,00
Fri. May 18 Omaha CenturyLink Center Omaha 13236/13236 $1.023.280,00
Sat. May 19 Chicago United Center 12451/13852 $1.134.116,00
Fri. Jun. 1 Sunrise/Ft. Lauderdale BB&T Center 8172/12284 $630.470,00
Sat. Jun. 2 Tampa Amalie Arena 12524/12524 $1.195.568,00
Mon. Jun. 4 Duluth/Atlanta Infinite Energy Center 8661/9746 $653.875,00
Wed. Jun. 6 Dallas American Airlines Center 12194/14036 $1.168.083,00
Thu. Jun. 7 Austin Frank Erwin Center 7771/10630 $664.423,00
Sat. Jun. 9 Houston Toyota Center 10118/13074 $966.244,00
Sun. Jun. 10 New Orleans Smoothie King Center 10959/12194 $899.089,00
Tue. Jun. 12 North Little Rock Verizon Arena 11118/13581 $648.185,00
Wed. Jun. 13 St. Louis Enterprise Center 12025/14276 $947.964,00
Fri. Jun. 15 Detroit Little Caesars Arena 12357/13433 $1.118.221,00
Sat. Jun. 16 Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena 12706/14353 $1.135.361,00
Mon. Jun. 25 Ottawa Canadian Tire Centre 13430/13430 $1.195.923,00
Tue. Jun. 26 Montreal Bell Centre 12467/13999 $1.060.608,00
Thu. Jun. 28 Quebec City Videotron Centre 12189/13538 $1.008.070,00
Sat. Jun. 30 Hamilton FirstOntario Centre 12043/12787 $1.212.035,00
Jul. 3 & 4 London Budweiser Gardens 17198/17198 $1.483.923,00
Jul. 6 & 7 Toronto Scotiabank Arena 28360/29233 $2.718.044,00
Wed. Jul. 11 Boston TD Garden 12818/12818 $1.169.006,00
Thu. Jul. 12 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 11932/14276 $677.648,00
Sat. Jul. 14 Brooklyn Barclays Center 10286/13678 $850.953,00
Sun. Jul. 15 Washington Capitol One Arena 12076/13541 $964.316,00
Tue. Jul. 17 Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena 12482/13465 $759.533,00
Wed. Jul. 18 Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena 10601/11327 $818.874,00
Fri. Jul. 20 Louisville KFC Yum! Center 13433 15171 $987.841,00
Sat. Jul. 21 Nashville Bridgestone Arena 14218/14218 $1.411.820,00
Tue. Jul. 24 Kansas City Sprint Center 12671/12671 $1.055.738,00
Wed. Jul. 25 Des Moines Wells Fargo Arena 11858/13051 $1.036.654,00
Fri. Jul. 27 Denver Pepsi Center 12075/12823 $1.029.394,00
Sat. Jul. 28 Salt Lake City Vivint SmartHome Arena 10256/10776 $916.303,00
Mon. Jul. 30 Phoenix Talking Stick Resort Arena 12822/12822 $1.177.835,00
Wed. Aug. 1 Fresno Save Mart Center 9830/10993 $613.419,00
Fri. Aug. 3 Los Angeles STAPLES Center 11954/13293 $919.244,00
Sat. Aug. 4 Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena 11516/11516 $1.008.100,00
Sat. Aug. 18 Barretos Camarote Arena Premium 55000/ 55000
Sep. 19 & 21 Glasgow The SSE Hydro 21131/24192 $2.072.319,00
Sat. Sep. 22 Manchester Manchester Arena 14331/14548 $1.425.280,00
Mon. Sep. 24 Birmingham Arena Birmingham 10713/12221 $1.055.379,00
Wed. Sep. 26 & Thu. Sep. 27 Dublin 3Arena 24606/24606 $2.157.346,00
Sat. Sep. 29 Belfast The SSE Arena 9543/9543 $704.094,00

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Oct. 2 & 3 London The O2 20,652/25,485 $2,009,010 (Pollstar)

***Billboard's boxscore for London is the same.

https://web.archive.org/web/20181024215906/https://www.billboard.com/biz/current-boxscore

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Billboard's boxscore for Perth, Australia:

Perth, Australia - November 30

Sales: $1,310,410 | Attendance/Capacity: 11,499/12,633 | Shows/Sellouts: 1/0

https://web.archive.org/web/20181220004923/https://www.billboard.com/biz/current-boxscore