Shania Twain arrived at this year’s 2022 People’s Choice Awards to perform her ’90s country-pop smashes, “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” The Canadian country superstar also received the Music Icon award for her record-breaking hits and immeasurable impact on generations of artists.
“Reba’s brand was ‘somebody should leave,’ Trisha’s was a little ‘please don’t leave’ and Faith had ‘no one would ever leave me, obviously,’” singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose once told Rolling Stone, “but Shania’s brand was, ‘I will take no shit and all of your money, thanks!’ and it worked. Nobody stepped on Shania, especially not the men in her songs.”
Sporting a shock of pink hair, Twain owned the stage in an ever-changing backdrop of leopard prints, desert light show and fire. Her performance also included her 1995 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Any Man of Mine” and her latest single “Waking Up Dreaming” – her first new music since 2017, when she released the Number One album Now.
When accepting her award from Billy Porter, the icon delivered a heartfelt speech about how her fans have helped her feel loved since the passing of her mother.
“I always miss my mother right now at these moments in life. She would have loved watching her little girl living this moment right now,” said Shania. “But my fans, my friends, my team – you are the ones who really fill that space. Not my mother’s space, but you’re here with me and you’re celebrating, we’re celebrating together, and you’ve made me feel loved and special my whole working life. And I will always be grateful for that, thank you.”
She also shared words of advice for her fans: “Embrace your individuality and your crazy ideas. Just be brave. Let’s remember, there is power in numbers, we are in this together, love is love, and when a door slams in your face, take a freaking run and leap at your door and kick it down! You won’t regret it.”
Twain will release her sixth studio album Queen of Me on Feb. 3. The country icon will also embark on a global arena tour spanning 49 dates, including stops at Nashville’s Geodis Park on June 7 and at New York’s Madison Square Garden on July 11.