Legendary singer Shania Twain announces she’s working on a new film biopic and musical
HER life has had more ups and downs than a Hollywood blockbuster – and now Shania Twain is set to be the subject of one.
The Canadian superstar returned on Friday with her first solo single in five years, Waking Up Dreaming, and sat down with Bizarre to talk about stripping off for her art and performing with Harry Styles, as well as hinting at plans to bring her life story to the big screen.
That could be particularly explosive, from growing up in a violent home, her parents being killed in a car crash and then her husband cheating on her with her best friend.
And it would all be set against the backdrop of her incredible rise to fame, including making the best-selling female solo album to date, 1997’s Come On Over.
Quizzed on the prospect of a biopic and a musical featuring megahits such as That Don’t Impress Me Much and Man! I Feel Like A Woman!,
Shania said: “Yes. Both of those things are possibly in the future.
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“All sorts of things are in the pipeline. I’m writing songs all the time and the Netflix documentary [Not Just A Girl, released in July] has been a huge talking point in my life and career.
“There’s all sorts of things coming up but things I probably can’t talk about right now. But I’ve got a very busy few years ahead of me.”
For now, she is having fun with her new music, which she says is her most upbeat ever, and work on her as-yet- untitled sixth album.
She said: “I’m really excited about cheering people up.
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“This album is very chirpy and I’m very frank with my lyrics on it, so it’s not a fluffy, lyrical album. It’s a happy album.
“I had a very productive songwriting pandemic period and as much as we were isolated, it was almost like I wanted to cheer myself up, and that just came out in the music. It’s so danceable.”
Shania is having fun with her image too and went topless for the single’s artwork — and this photo.
She said: “I styled that photograph myself. It was all about taking off the bra, taking off the shirt, tying the shirt around my waist.
“This is a statement of being comfortable in my own skin and just being really myself.”
Having fun
And while artists such as Madonna get flak for dressing in a certain way, Shania, 57, has learned to take no notice of similar criticisms.
She said: “You have to be strong. I never really get angry with criticism. You can’t please everybody, that’s normal.”
One person who certainly is a fan of Shania is Harry Styles, who begged her to join him on stage at Coachella festival in California in April.
She said: “Harry and I text, and he said, ‘Do you wanna come sing with me at Coachella?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m not anywhere near LA, I’m really far away right now’.
“We were back and forth like that, then I wasn’t doing it, and then closer to it he said, ‘I really think you should do the first weekend, please do it’.
“There was no big production about it and it ended up being such an enormous, lasting moment for all of us.”
Among Shania’s other forthcoming projects is ITV singing contest Starstruck, which she has joined as a judge for its new series next year.
She said: “I wanted to have some fun without pressure, and what really takes the pressure off with Starstruck is the lack of competitiveness.
“What are they getting out of it? £50,000, yes, but they’re not getting a record deal or the promise of being a star.
“If anything, just by doing the show, they’ve lived their dreams, so you’re not ruining anyone’s dream by them not winning.”
Shania also spent a long period in London working on the new album, but for now she has ruled out a move here.
She said: “If I could live at the stables in Hyde Park, I would. I just want to live next to the horses each morning.
“That’s been my dream for many, many years and I’ve asked a lot of people but I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Lewis’s dream job
LEWIS Capaldi already has a lot on his plate this year as he prepares to release his hotly anticipated second album.
But the Forget Me singer has admitted there is another string he wants to add to his bow – taking over from Marcus Bentley as the voice of Big Brother when it returns next year, this time on ITV.
Lewis said: “I would relish doing the voiceover for Big Brother. And I would love to be on it. I am a huge fan.”
During an appearance on Kiss FM, the Scottish superstar also said he was keen to make pals with the rest of One Direction after becoming best mates with Niall Horan and befriending Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson.
He added: “Niall is my favourite member of One Direction.
“I would date all of One Direction, just in a pile. I met Louis in a bar in LA once and that was good fun. And then I know Niall obviously and I have met Liam Payne but the other two have eluded me.
“But I am going to get them.”
While Zayn Malik may still be off-limits, Lewis went on to concede that he had drunkenly messaged Harry Styles in a bid to make friends.
He added: “Oh I once sent Harry a video at five o’clock in the morning and I don’t know what it was.
“I was hammered . . . Still to this day I don’t know what that video contained. I could have sent an unsolicited picture of my . . . phone . . .”
Amelia back to her x
X Factor star Amelia Lily has launched a podcast digging into the truth about reality TV.
Amelia, who appeared on Simon Cowell‘s show in 2011 and now hosts The Talent Factory: Inside The Music Machine, told me: “Some stories are more positive than others.
“For me it was eye-opening. Since my audition aired, my life has never been the same. It was a lot to get my head around, not just for me but for my family who struggled.
“It was intense. Sometimes I don’t remember half of it as it was so full on.”
Despite her concerns, Amelia said she doesn’t regret signing up to the once-popular ITV series.
She added: “It is tough when you hear about others who had bad experiences.
“I think people can talk about their experiences but I just hope that it doesn’t turn into too much drama around it.
“I hope X Factor still has some positive impact as it has changed many lives for the better, like myself.”
Robbie’s a red devil to his son
BACK in 2006 Robbie Williams masterminded annual charity match Soccer Aid with his pal Jonny Wilkes.
But while he has since hung up his boots, the Lost singer has admitted his son Charlton is convinced the singer is a pro footballer.
Robbie explained: “My son Charlton thinks I’m a footballer. I don’t know why.
“The other day he told a person that I play for Manchester United.”
Rob, who has new album XXV, out now, is back living in the UK with his wife Ayda and their three other kids.
And Robbie admitted he had Ayda to thank for keeping him on the straight and narrow after a lifetime of excess.
Speaking to Vanity Fair Italy, he added: “I’m lucky because I’m with the best person I could be with. Ayda is so smart, nice, kind.
“She has good taste, empathy, she makes me laugh, I’m proud of her. I’ve met so many women and none can compare with my wife.
“And parenthood is beautiful. I like it so much, I feel like the universe is telling me, ‘Here is a level of life that you didn’t know existed and now that you can experience it, isn’t it fantastic you have chosen to do it?’ ”
I hear you, Rob.
Coxon blurs back in
GRAHAM COXON will join his old bandmates when Blur announce their comeback next year
The guitarist has revealed he wanted the band to struggle after he was dumped from the sessions for 2003 LP Think Tank following a struggle with alcoholism.
Graham said: “I’d been trained up in The Priory to avoid jumping straight back into people, places and things you associate drink with. I felt I had a duty to tell them that I didn’t think that I could commit to touring.
“They were kind of horrified but it didn’t really go anywhere. Then I got the call from Chris Morrison, our manager, and he said, ‘Look, the guys don’t want you to come into the studio today. In fact, they don’t want you to come into the studio at all. Go home and we will let you know.’”
He added: “I did want them to fail, of course.
“I did want them to miss me. I wanted fans to miss me. I said some stuff I didn’t mean.”
Blur went on hiatus in 2007 and Graham rejoined them in 2009 for a handful of shows.
He added: “that bitterness wore off, especially when I knew how bloody hard it was for them.
“When they did stop in the end, I did feel bad.
“Honestly, we needed it. It wasn’t great how it came about but we needed a break.”
An unlikely lad
PETE Doherty’s autobiography A Likely Lad lifted the lid on the singer’s wild past – including his drug addiction and romance with Kate Moss.
But the Libertines star says the book would have been packed with a lot more scandal if his mum Jacqueline had not got involved.
He said: “My book was supposed to put smiles on people’s faces but when my mum read it, she said, ‘Anyone who reads this is going to kill you or break a leg.
“She insisted on taking a load of things out. Most of the funny bits as well”
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Fans could be hearing new tunes, as Pete revealed Carl Barat has organised a working holiday for the band.
Pete added: “He’s booked us ten days in Jamaica. So that will be a slog!”