In the picturesque Swiss town of Corseaux, overlooking Lake Geneva and surrounded by stunning mountains, Shania Twain is making the most of quarantine life. Not only has the singer been busy songwriting, but she and her husband, Frederic Thiebaud, are bonding more by the day.
“You learn so much about each other, but I think more than anything, I’ve learned a lot about myself,” she told ET’s Lauren Zima about spending so much time with her hubby during the pandemic. “We’re closer, for sure. I think we realized through this that we’re definitely going to make it.”
“There’s always those moments where you’re like, ‘Holy cow. How much more time can I spend with this one person?’” Twain confessed. “But you realize as well that it is the right person. You realize a lot about yourself and what you really want, and I would never want to be alone in my life, so it’s a good thing.”
The two wed in 2011 and the country superstar admitted that as they continue to learn new things about each other, they’ve had both great and irritating moments.
“We’ve discovered a lot of wonderful things about each other,” she explains. “We’ve [also] discovered some things about each other that drive us crazy, but those are the moments where it’s like, ‘If I can get through this, great.’ [Things like,] ‘Did you forgot to put your shoes away?’ Socks — all that stuff! If you can get through this together, happy and with more respect for each other, we’ll be together for the rest of our lives.”
Although Twain has found the pandemic challenging on both a “functional and anxiety” level, she noted that years of songwriting and studio time means she’s accustomed to periods of isolation. Of course, it helps that her isolation involves being in a cabin in the middle of nature with her beloved horses and dogs, a scene she describes as “heaven.” The musician is, however, pained by the uglier side of the pandemic, which is why her upcoming music is beaming with positivity.
“With the whole [coronavirus] experience, there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not sad [from] watching others struggle and the difficulties it’s creating for so many people around the world,” she says. “On the other hand, I’m seeing people going out of the way to reflect positivity and find the good in everything, so that’s inspired me to stay more positive with my writing. The album is quite energetic [and] uplifting. This period has encouraged me to tap into my positive nature.”
Doing so has put her on a roll. The 54-year-old singer revealed that she has written so many songs that she plans to release two records back to back, hopefully in the spring.
Fans don’t have to wait until then to see her back in action, though, as Twain collaborated with Orville Peck for the new song, “Legends Never Die.” A music video for the track from Peck’s EP, Show Pony, was filmed just as Twain’s Las Vegas residency shut down and before she went into isolation.
Released on Friday, Twain revived a beloved look from her long-spanning career in the video: leopard-print!
“[Peck’s] a fan of iconic Shania, so I wanted to pay homage to that,” Twain said. “Leopard felt natural. It does feel like a true signature print for me. I remember my very first tour, I wore green leopard in one of my outfits. It’s like having a favorite color, [but] it’s a print.”
Twain is also re-releasing her iconic Woman in Me album to mark it’s 25th anniversary on Oct. 2. “It’s certainly time to celebrate,” she said. “I didn’t really have the time to celebrate the accolades as they were happening because I was just working, working, working.”
Before that, there’s another date to celebrate — her 55th birthday on Aug. 28. “I’ll be with family and enjoy our isolation together,” she said about her plans for the day. “It’s been very bonding and I’ve been enjoying that. We’ll probably just get out on the lake. Watch the sunset.”
One person who she may not hear from on her birthday? Luke Bryan! During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the crooner claimed that Twain once refused to give him her phone number. Well, that don’t impress Twain much — she insists she would never do such a thing!
“It’s not true. I would never refuse Luke Bryan,” she says. “He can find me. I will reach out to him now specifically to give him my number. I don’t want to call him a liar, but I never did refuse him, so I’ll make sure we get on a call real soon, get it all straightened out. I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but I’m going to find out. That I promise you.”
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While chatting with 360aproko, Twain also opened up about her friendship with John Travolta and the tragic recent death of his wife, Kelly Preston.
“She was a lovely, sweet lady and it’s just too soon,” Twain muses. “I’m very sad for her suffering and now the suffering of her family having to live without this wonderful lady. I have an ongoing friendship with John and I’ve met his children a few times and Kelly as well. They were adorable together. John’s very strong, but there’s no easy way to deal with this loss — especially for families like that, who I’ve personally seen are very close.
