Shania Twain is trying to shed her corn-pone image. And what better way to do it than to wear a black leather mini-skirt and knee-high boots during her recent appearance on the Grammy Awards. Never mind that she stood spread-eagled like a truck driver through most of the performance. Okay, she's no Ginger Rodgers but, hey, no one's perfect. Twain's talent lies not in her moves but in her formidable vocal and songwriting abilities. That, and having the best-looking stomach muscles in the business, has made her the scorching hot commodity that she is today (her gorgeous face hasn't hindered matters either).

Not surprisingly, Shania's appearance on the Grammys was followed precisely one week later by an hour-long special, "Winter Break," aired on CBS, the very same network that hosted the Awards. A simple yet effective strategy: Showcase Twain to the public, then capitalize on her irresistible pull before the memory fades. Whoever said those network folks weren't a crafty bunch.

For those of you unfamiliar with the likes of Shania, she's lived the proverbial rags-to-riches existence. Daughter of a proud but poor father, Twain was raised in the upper reaches of northern Ontario, where I imagine you would be advised not to open an Eskimo Bar franchise. Barely out of diapers, she was recognized for her impressive set of pipes by a doting mom who fostered Shania's musical abilities during the child's formative years.

At the age of 21, Shania suffered through "the single most difficult moment" in her life when her parents were killed in a head-on collision with a logging truck. Not one to be sidetracked by tragedy, she continued her musical career. In 1995, with a little help from producer/husband Robert "Mutt" Lange, Twain broke big with the release of The Woman in Me, which sold 10 million copies (a record to date for a female country artist) and produced eight hit singles.

Twain's rise to fame has been accompanied by the proliferation of her image in the media to such an extent that many people may be more familiar with her torso than her body of music. So what does Twain think about all the attention being lavished on her physical presence? Apparently, it's a bit of a mystery to her. With the exception of her dental work, she claims to see none of it. "I have good teeth," she says. "I floss all the time, twice a day."

So why distance herself from the comfortable haven of country music? Well, for one thing, there's obviously a wider audience to be had than the one busy slogging down draft beers and pickled eggs at the local roadhouse. Moreover, Twain was never really embraced with open arms by the Nashville community. Among other things, she was looked upon as being too commercial, too Canadian, too forthright in her lyrics, too sexy (fools, they were)...

Twain's sex appeal is pretty much indisputable by anyone with 20/20 vision or a decent pair of eyeglasses. Nonetheless, she maintains that she is anything but provocative in nature. "I'm very conservative, really," she states. "Oh, sometimes I get free spirited enough to actually say, 'I don't give a shit' – but it doesn't happen often."

So what's next for Shania and company? Last we heard, she and Mutt were in the process of relocating to Switzerland. It appears that even in the hinterlands of upstate New York (her home was in the Adirondack Mountains), Shania could not achieve the level of privacy she seeks. (Next stop, Timbuktu.)

I suppose the privacy issue could turn out to be quite a challenge for Twain since she is quickly becoming the most recognized belly button in the entertainment industry. Love her or not, at least she can sing on key, unlike some of her predecessors, who shall remain nameless (Madonna). Never mind that Shania breaks into a few jumping jacks and squad thrusts, on occasion, in lieu of actually dancing. Just think of it as an exercise tape with some really nice pop music behind it. It's gotta beat the Jane Fonda tapes anyway – I heard she can't sing for beans.

March 1999

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