You DO impress me much!

Who believes in Christmas magic? Shania Twain surely does and so do I. Shania has a miracle story to tell. She developed vocal cord problems and lost her voice in 2003. Her life revolves around her voice. It turns out she was bitten by a tick while horseback riding and contracted a bacterial infection. Eventually, her doctor diagnosed her with Lyme’s disease and she was forced to take a break from performing. The doctor told her that she might lose her voice forever. So Shania chose to have risky surgery to repair her voice. Luckily, it was successful and she just signed up to extend her Las Vegas residency concert into 2022.  Shania has released over 85 million albums worldwide since her first album debuted in 1993. 

My sister and I were fortunate to hear Shania's voice soar over the sold-out crowd of 7000 fans at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. Shania performed for two hours straight as she danced around the stage with a spunky attitude. The audience wore cowboy hats that glowed in the dark, cowboy boots, and lots of glitter. Shania brought some fans onstage to sit and listen to her country hits in a fancy saloon. A happy couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with Shania at a stage cafe. Shania was so friendly and sweet, hugging fans onstage without a mask. I must admit it bothered my germophobic side. Shania’s slick performance included numerous costume changes, hit songs from country to rock genres with extravagant stage sets. She had a talented team of male dancers in cowboy hats who left their shirts backstage. Man, she feels like a woman!

If you have read any of her four published books, then you know that Shania was a determined singer who grew up in Canada in a large Catholic family. She was born Eileen Edwards, but later changed her name to Shania, which was said to be a native Ojibwe word that means "on my way." She first sang live on Canadian TV at age 13. At age 22, her mother and stepfather died in a tragic car accident. Shania moved back home to take care of her younger siblings and earned money to support them performing at a nearby resort. Twain's first album, ‘Shania’ was released on April 20, 1993, and attracted audiences outside of Canada. Her music attracted the attention of agent Mutt Lange. He became Shania’s manager, husband, and the father of her only child Eja. Her son is now 20 years old and is a songwriter/producer. Shania divorced her husband after 14 years of marriage in 2010 when she discovered he was having an affair with her best friend/former assistant in Switzerland. Shania ended up marrying her best friend’s ex-husband in 2011. This partner swap appears to have worked out for all four of them. Shania recently sold her Nassau, Bahama home and lives with her second husband on a ranch outside of Las Vegas. I wonder how often she ventures onto The Strip and wanders around without being noticed. “The Queen of Country Pop '' has sold over 100 million records now. She has earned her title as the best-selling female artist in country music history. Shania is still ‘on her way to more sold-out concerts, mega-hits, and rockabilly songs. She does “impress me much” and I enjoyed every minute of her upbeat show at the Vegas Zappos Theater! Man, you make me feel like a woman!