Canada’s biggest star Shania Twain – from poverty to fame

 

Shania Twain is a major superstar whose name is known worldwide. However, her life was not always as glamorous as one would assume. It is always fascinating to know more about your favorite celebrity’s childhood.

She might dominate the charts and travel the world now, but that did not always happen. She did not always have an easy life.

Keep reading to know more about the singer’s childhood, which might surprise you.

Born to a family grappling with poverty in Timmins, Ontario, she had a tough start to her life. Her stepfather’s low-paying reforestation job and her mother’s depression made things even harder. She was just one of five children and had to learn early on to do without.

She began to sing in bars and perform; however, soon, she would have a lot more responsibility on her shoulders than just having some gigs every now and then. Soon she was left to be responsible for her siblings.

Since her family always struggled with money, she knew how to be without even essentials such as food, heating, and electricity.

She realized her life was different to that of her classmates when she would be without lunch and look at her peers during lunch, hoping they would leave some of their food uneaten so she could take it.

The young girl would usually tell her teacher that she had left her lunch in her locker or at home. She began to focus on music as a way to escape the harsh realities of her life.

She would go to the forest with her guitar, light a small fire, and then lose herself to her music. The music she played helped her forget the harshness of her real life where her responsibilities and poverty weighed her down.

First taste of performing

Her mother was able to see her talent and began to take her to gigs at local bars when she was just 8 years old. She would perform after midnight when patrons would already have their alcohol served to them since she legally could not be in a place where alcohol was actively being served at that age.

When she was 11 years old, she got a permit to perform earlier in the evening however she did not get paid till she was fourteen years old. She also started working at McDonald’s, a job she later referred to as her “saving grace,” as it allowed her to get paid while also providing her with regular meals, something she did not know about.

She would work at McDonald’s after school and then sing at bars afterward; her schedule was incredibly busy and left her exhausted. However, she focused on her music and hoped to have a better life.

However, her family struggled with things other than poverty. Her stepfather had legally adopted her and her siblings. He was harsh and abusive and made their home environment incredibly toxic and scary for the children.

She recalls having to fend for herself against his violence. She recalled a specific moment when she threw a chair at him in self-defense. “I think a lot of that was anger, not courage,” she later said of it.

Shania Twain sings on stage.

The abuse went on for a while, and it was only one part of her trauma. When she was ten years old, her stepfather began to sexually abuse her. She kept the abuse a secret, and it further weighed on her for years till she felt brave enough to talk about it publicly.

Some of her trauma remained unresolved because when she was 22 years old, her mother and stepfather died in a car crash. Shania Twain was left to care for her younger siblings. She was the second eldest and was responsible for the younger children.

A new job

She wanted to make sure all of them were together, so she took a singing job at a nearby resort, a job that allowed her to have a small home. At the time, her life was very stressful. She woke up to chop wood to heat up the house, get her siblings to school, then sing late into the night.

The teenager had to maintain a feminine image of a polished singer for her job. She had never had time to focus on herself before, but now her job required her to take care of herself.

The big break

As her siblings grew up and became more independent, she was able to focus more on her own career. She recorded a demo and sent it to record labels. Her hard work paid off when Mercury Nashville signed her. This marked the beginning of her musical career.

As her music career started, she met a renowned music producer. The two of them collaborated and soon it turned romantic as they married one another. They soon developed Twain’s musical style, co-writing and producing together.

Her celebrity grew rapidly as a result and she reached massive audiences with her music.

But as her success rose, she noticed that her voice was having some setbacks. But it took another decade for her to get a diagnosis for Lyme disease, which had affected her vocal cords.

Shania Twain poses for camera. 

She had to take a break from singing and undergo surgery which left her with a raspier voice than before. She embraced this difference and focused on her music. Her musical partnership with her husband, music producer Robert “Mutt” Lange, was still working well. The two have a son together, Eja D’Angelo Lange. Apart from musically, the couple also were doing well personally however Twain discovered that her husband was cheating on her.

He was having an affair with his close friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, whom she had previously worked for as their secretary. Shania Twain found an unexpected ally in Thiébaud’s husband, who was just as blindsided by the affair. Her relationship with Frédéric Thiébaud started off with their mutual devastation.

However, the relationship soon turned romantic and in 2011 the two of them married and began a new chapter in their lives.

Twain revealed that she no longer holds any resentment for her ex-husband and his affair. She acknowledges what he did for her musical career and the child they share together.

The singer has seen it all in her life! She has been on the highest of highs and the lowest of lows! We are sending the singer our best for her future. Share this with other fans of Shania Twain who might not have known this about her.