Yesterday, the new Shania Twain documentary, Not Just A Girl, dropped on Netflix. So naturally, I ran home as fast as I could after work to watch!
For an hour and a half we get an overview of Shania’s career up to this point. We learn about where she came from and how she got into singing, the beginning struggles of her career, her highest accomplishments, and her lowest points.
“Not Just A Girl is the story of a woman who wanted to make her own way, completely independent of anyone else; the story of an artist who took enormous risks,” Netflix said in a press release about the documentary. “Among the guest voices in Not Just A Girl are Lionel Richie, Diplo, Avril Lavigne, and Orville Peck. “She was a trailblazer,” says Lionel Richie. Orville Peck: “She paved the way for musicians everywhere.” The film traces her emergence as a crossover artist, defying the stereotypes of what it took to be a country star, and takes viewers through her vision during Come On Over to become a global pop phenomenon.”
After absorbing every moment of the Shania Twain documentary, reliving some moments from my childhood, and a few tears, I’ve got my top 5 takeaways from Not Just A Girl.
Violent Household
Growing up in Canada, Shania explains that music was her escape from the violence in her home. Sadly, her parents both passed away in a car accident before her career took off.
Singer Shania Twain performs during halftime of Super Bowl XXXVII between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Meeting Mutt
Mutt Lange, a famed rock producer, helped to take Shania’s music to a new level after her first album. Along the way they fell in love. They met, dated, got engaged, got married and worked on an album together all in the span of 6 months.
LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 03: Shania Twain performs at the Staples Center on August 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Fashion Icon
As Shania’s fame started to rise, her music videos became a huge component of her artistry. She worked with famous directors like John Derek and had a huge hand in the fashion choices and editing of her work.
Singer Shania Twain performs on stage at VH1’s Big In 2003 Awards on November 20, 2003 at Universal City in Los Angeles, California. VH1’s Big in 2003 Awards will air in the U.S. on Sunday, November 30 at 9:00pm pst/et and will air in the U.K. on Friday, December 5 at 2100hrs.
Lowest Point
Shania’s stage shows became like giant rock shows with pyrotechnics and huge bands! But at the height of touring, she started to have side effects on stage and in her voice from a tick bite that she later learned gave her Lyme disease. On top of this, her husband Mutt had an affair with Shania’s best friend and their marriage came to an end.
Fighter
Shania Twain was afraid after Lyme disease that she would never get her voice back. But through vocal work, encouragement from friends and family, and after mourning the end of her marriage, Shania entered her comeback era. She’s made new music and even hit the stage again with giant shows in Las Vegas!
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 28: Shania Twain performs during the opening ceremony on Day One during the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 28, 2017 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images for USTA)
