Shania Twain On How Recording ‘Now’ Helped Her Put Dark Period Behind Her (EXCLUSIVE)<\/b>
\nIn a year when pop acts like Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus have had a rather lukewarm response to their latest musical offerings, it\u2019s probably fair to say that Shania Twain\u2019s return to the music scene and subsequent ascent to the top of the album chart on both sides of the Atlantic is one of 2017\u2019s more surprising success stories.<\/p>\n
And yet, earlier this month she was able to pull off the impressive feat with the release of her fifth studio album, \u2018Now\u2019, following an unexpected fight for the number one spot against North London alternative group, Wolf Alice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHa! That was quite a thing for several days there,\u201d Shania told HuffPost UK of the so-called \u201cchart battle\u201d, \u201cI wasn\u2019t really sure what to expect in the end but I was happy to have made it to number one. It really felt great to have that support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shania\u2019s musical comeback came after a 15-year musical hiatus, during which time she took more than a few knocks, most notably problems with her health which temporarily caused her to lose her singing voice, and a much-publicised divorce from former collaborator Mutt Lange, with \u2018Now\u2019 being her first album since 1995 not to feature him as a co-writer and producer.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the writing process, she admits that \u201cgetting started\u201d on her own was the \u201cscariest\u201d part, explaining: \u201cMutt was my producer and my co-writer, so it was a huge change for me to all of a sudden be making an album without him. And taking that plunge was the biggest step.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started writing songs at the age of 10 and all of my youth, I wrote alone, I wasn\u2019t collaborating with anyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met Mutt and we made all those records together, I got through 14 years of co-writing with him, and so this was about getting back that independence and enjoying being able to write music without anyone\u2019s influence and without any direction and just getting locked in that isolation, which is what I really love about songwriting.\u201d<\/p>\n
As this is her first album in more than 20 years writing alone, Shania tells us \u2018Now\u2019 is \u201cdefinitely\u201d her most personal and \u201cpurest\u201d to date, but having gone through so much during her hiatus, we\u2019re curious as to whether she was wary of putting too much of her private life into the release.<\/p>\n
\u201cHmmm\u2026 to be honest, I\u2019ve been through a lot in my personal life from the very beginning of my life,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting how the last 15 years of my life have been more public. At this point in my life I\u2019m a famous person, so my boy<\/a> problems, my divorce has been more in the forefront.<\/p>\n \u201cBut this last 15 years has been more of a transition and a reflective time on my whole life\u2026 and I\u2019ve gained a lot of perspective at this point. Like, my parents dying in a car crash, to give you an example of perspective [Shania was just 22 when she lost her mother and stepfather in a road accident], is much more of a painful experience than my divorce! Right?<\/p>\n \u201cSo, it\u2019s been good for me to reflect on all of that, and put things in order of what should be taking up my emotional energy, and what shouldn\u2019t. And the album was a very cleansing experience, writing the music for it was a very important transition.\u201d<\/p>\n Anyone familiar with Shania\u2019s turbulent few years would have been forgiven for being surprised when her first musical offering in 15 years was the toe-tapping, optimistic ditty \u2018Life\u2019s About To Get Good\u2019.<\/p>\n When we point this out to her, and ask whether the cheerful track was a deliberate choice, she enthuses: \u201cYes, exactly. I wanted everyone to know that I\u2019m back with optimism.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not ignoring that there\u2019s been difficult times\u2026 but I think [\u2018Life\u2019s About To Get Good\u2019] is the song that represents the true contrasts in my life of dark and light, you know, sad and happy and where I am now – I\u2019ve reached the light at the end of the tunnel but I was at one time in the tunnel in the dark, that song really does represent the truth of this journey.<\/p>\n That said, \u2018Now\u2019 contains plenty more somber and contemplative moments, which we imagine must have been pretty difficult to record. It turns out\u2026 not so much.<\/p>\n \u201cNot at all!\u201d she insists, \u201cBy the time I\u2019d written the album, I felt like I\u2019d been cleansed of a lot of burdens that were hanging on, real life things\u2026 it was almost like a load was off.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you find ways to express things that are bothering you or weighing you down and you address them, they no longer weigh you down. To me songwriting is like a self-help class in a way, it\u2019s very therapeutic, so once I\u2019ve written a song like \u2018Poor Me\u2019, I feel better. And then I feel even better when I sing them.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like talking to your friend about it, you put it out there, you get it off your chest and you feel better, and you feel like you\u2019ve come through the other side of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting specifically on \u2018Poor Me\u2019, which deals with themes of infidelity and the turmoil we feel after a break-up, Shania continues: \u201cThat song is all about saying yes, we have to also acknowledge the darker moments and not pretend that they\u2019re not there.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s much more cleansing to allow yourself to feel sorry for yourself sometimes, we don\u2019t always have to be strong. Those moments pass more easily, if we allow ourselves to feel them. And I find release in that.\u201d<\/p>\n Considering both the sexism and ageism which are famously prevalent in the music industry, we imagine scoring a number one album after a 15-year hiatus is going to make Shania something of a role model to more mature women<\/a>, which she tells us she thinks is \u201cgreat\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI love to inspire people,\u201d she reveals, \u201cAnd I write music that I hope inspires. That is part of my intention when I\u2019m writing songs.<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly with the songs that I record and share with the public, my intentions are to be relatable and share inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead to the future, Shania is preparing to go on a world tour, kicking off in May next year, and is already thinking about the follow-up to \u2018Now\u2019 (\u201cI\u2019m already working on it,\u201d she reveals, \u201cand I look forward to getting back in the studio\u201d).<\/p>\n It seems even she is surprised at how big the reaction to the album has been, admitting: \u201cIt was a really great surprise. It\u2019s been a really wonderful, warm welcome back.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt very satisfying to have such a personal body of work [be so well-received]. I wrote all the music on this album, and it was a big responsibility taking on this commitment to do it alone.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you know, just knowing that the fans were there waiting for it… was the reward. That was the reward, they were waiting for it, they weren\u2019t just saying that. And I guess that was the physical proof to me that they meant it.\u201d<\/p>\n Shania Twain\u2019s \u2018Now\u2019 is out now. Watch the video<\/a> for \u2018Life\u2019s About To Get Good\u2019 below: Shania Twain On How Recording ‘Now’ Helped Her Put Dark Period Behind Her (EXCLUSIVE) In a year when pop acts like Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus have had a rather lukewarm response to their latest musical offerings, it\u2019s probably fair to say that Shania Twain\u2019s return to the music scene and subsequent ascent to the … Continue reading Shania Twain On How Recording ‘Now’ Helped Her Put Dark Period Behind Her (EXCLUSIVE)<\/span>
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\nwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/entry\/shania-twain_uk_59f340c5e4b07fdc5fbdb907<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"