Shania Twain’s Message for International Women’s Day: ‘We Can Do It All, Ladies’
Shania Twain acknowledged International Women's Day on Monday (March 8) with a special episode of her radio show, Home Now Radio on Apple Music. In addition to sharing some of her favorite anecdotes, songs and memories from her fellow women of country music, she offered up surprising tidbits about some of country's female legends who also happen to be her real-life gal pals, such as Wynonna Judd.
"Wynonna and I, we text often back and forth," Twain reveals. In addition to being a prolific solo performer, Judd is also one half of superstar mother-daughter duo the Judds alongside her mom, Naomi.
"It's just extraordinary to have a friend like Wynonna. Great lady, incredible life story and one of my favorite voices ever," Twain continues. "You can't talk about country music and not talk about the Judds."
Beyond the female artists she's personally come to know and love, Twain made sure to mention the trailblazers whose iconic songs laid a foundation for feminist anthems in country music. As the star behind anthemic girl power classics like "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" and "That Don't Impress Me Much," Twain has a unique appreciation for the women who came before her and set a precedent for those kinds of songs.
"If you know country music, then you would probably know that 'Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad' is considered one of Tammy Wynette's signature hits. It's been given attention for its strong feminine lyrics," Twain points out during her show. "I remember being very attracted to that element of the song, just her putting her foot down. I just remember thinking, 'Whoa, that's sassy.'"
That song — and others like it — has lessons to share that extend far beyond country music, Twain explains. "I think that women are misunderstood a lot of the time just because we have maybe even so far as to say feminist views, or to say that we stand up for ourselves with courage and defiance almost ... Sometimes we just do have to put our foot down and put it down hard, but that doesn't mean that we don't love the men in our lives, and that we don't need the men in our lives," she says.
"Did you know that we can be beautiful inside and out, and still be smart and talented at the same time? Ha! Who knew?" the '90s hitmaker goes on to say. "We can do it all, ladies. That's what I say. We can do it all."
While Twain was influenced by a number of legendary country women like Wynette, she's become something of a legend herself to younger artists breaking into the genre. Kelsea Ballerini has been especially vocal about what a hero Twain is to her, and the pair even collaborated on a duet version of the younger star's "Hole in the Bottle."
During Monday's episode of Twain's radio show, Ballerini called in to wish Twain a happy International Women's Day and express how much her music has meant to a younger generation of artists and listeners, herself included.
"Ah, that makes my long road to my own success very worth it," Twain says in response. "To be complimented by not only another artist, but another female artist. We need each other, women. We need each other."
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