Month: December 2022

With hits like “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” Shania Twain has created some of country music's biggest empowerment anthems for women.

She's doubling down on those themes of self-love and self-acceptance with her upcoming Queen of Me album, a project she says is a statement of self-confidence. “I want to carry a clear message, particularly as a woman, to always remember my power and I hope the songs are a reminder to you, of that same power inside you!” she said when she announced the album.

But the singer didn't always feel comfortable in her own skin. As a kid, she suffered physical and sexual abuse from her since-deceased stepfather, Jerry Twain.

“I hid myself and I would flatten my boobs,” Shania tells The Sunday Times, speaking about how she tried to defend herself from the abuse. “I would wear bras that were too small for me, play it down until there was nothing girl about me. Make it easier to go unnoticed.”

Twain adopted Shania and her four siblings when she was just 4 years old. The family dealt with financial insecurity while she was growing up, and Shania experienced unwanted sexual attention both at home and outside of it. “I was ashamed to be a girl,” she says.

“It was terrible,” she adds in the interview. “You didn't want to be a girl in my house.”

Shania's mother and stepfather died in a car accident in 1987; as a young artist, she performed at a resort hotel to support her family. Confidence didn't come naturally to her after her early trauma, but she slowly found ways to “appreciate” her body, she recounts.

Shania is now the founder of the Shania Kids Can Foundation, which supports children affected by poverty.

If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.

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Eric Church is offering more details on the upcoming opening of his Nashville bar and venue, Chief's.

The barbecue and music venture — which is named for the singer's 2011 Chief album — was first announced last January. Now, with the opening date growing near, Eric is ready to share a first peek into the new hot spot.

Eric is currently hard at work on bringing his vision to life, taking influence from his musical journey and the personal narrative that helped make him the star he is today. Posters from Eric Church concerts will decorate the walls, and the singer's love for music will be at the center of the venture, which includes a ticketed music venue.

He's partnering with James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Rodney Scott for a rooftop iteration of Scott's Whole Hog BBQ. Furthermore, Eric says that real estate and hospitality entrepreneur Ben Weprin has been a big help in bringing the finished look of Chief's together.

“Like everything we do with our music, the same care and consideration has gone into every detail of this place,” the singer notes. “It will be unrivaled downtown. I can't wait to play here.”

The venue will also be home in an in-house studio for the singer's SiriusXM Outsiders Radio channel and will feature an additional wide array of personal touches designed with fans in mind.

Eric is eyeing a 2023 opening date for Chief's.

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Maren Morris' final Humble Quest Tour stop – at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena over the weekend – took place just steps from the city's Lower Broadway honky-tonk and bar strip, but it was a different kind of Broadway Maren had in mind during her set that night.

The singer treated fans to a rendition of “For Good” from the long-running Broadway musical Wicked.

She had a special assist during the performance: Maren brought Kristin Chenoweth, an actor and singer with country ties, to the stage for a duet. “Never getting over this,” Maren gushed after the fact, sharing video from their performance on her social media.

Kristin, of course, is more than familiar with the songs from Wicked. She originated the role of Glinda when Wicked first premiered on Broadway in 2003. Kristin's also a big fan of Maren: She has been a vocal supporter of the country star over the past few months, as Maren opened up on social media about her dreams of acting in the newest Broadway iteration of Wicked.

Over the summer, Maren shared her audition tape for Wicked with her fans, saying that she identifies “heavily” with the character of Elphaba – aka the Wicked Witch of the West.

In August, Maren told fans that she was “in tears” after getting a callback to audition in person. She also thanked Kristin for giving her the courage to pursue her Broadway dream.

“I love Kristin Chenoweth. Thank you, Kristin, for inspiring me to just buck up and just send the self-tape in,” Maren said.

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Dolly Parton is offering up an early Christmas gift to fans: She's now got an official presence on TikTok.

“I have arrived!” the star wrote in the caption of her first TikTok post, a montage of videos of her through the years set to her signature “9 to 5.” A handful of other introductory posts quickly followed, including one where Dolly writes, “Better late than never!” and another where she adds, “Now, let's have some fun!”

Dolly's arrival on the social media platform was widely feted by fans, fellow stars and even TikTok itself – the account wrote “Welcome, Queen” in the comments section of one of her posts.

“Not everyone is a country music fan, but everyone is a Dolly Parton fan,” another user added.

But Dolly's arrival on TikTok isn't the only gift the singer had for fans. She also marked the occasion by releasing a holiday baking-focused track called “Berry Pie” exclusively on the app for users to include in all their holiday posts.

The song is a partnership with SoundOn, which is TikTok's music marketing and distribution arm.

Of course, TikTok fun is just one of the many ways Dolly is celebrating Christmas this year. She's also the star of an NBC movie special, Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas, which aired last week.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.