Shania Twain on Glastonbury's Legends slot, Taylor Swift, and why Harry Styles is the Brad Pitt of today

Read on for our full chat with the star.

Is playing the Glastonbury Legends slot an honour, or a Greatest Hits award when you have new music still to make?

I see it as an accolade. Other people who have played the slot, like Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton, are musicians I’m heavily influenced by and look up to. So, it’s definitely an honour.

How did the gig come about when you’ve never even been to Glastonbury?

I’d been hearing about it for years. My manager said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if that comes up,” but it’s an invite that feels like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I was on the edge of my seat until it became a reality. I’m excited but nervous. I’m going as a fan, too: I want to cheer on my fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne, and I’ve never seen Cyndi Lauper or Coldplay live.

You’ve been successful in the music industry for a long time — how hard was it to navigate when you started out?

I began my career on a live stage so young – my first gig was when I was eight – that by the time I got my deal in Nashville, I was fearless about the music industry. I didn’t open myself up to intimidation, but I recognise it is intimidating for most women. The industry is mostly men, not just in the higher positions, but also musicians. Not many women pursue touring band jobs, but we need to show younger girls it’s possible.

You exerted your independence through your early videos, which made your songs hits…

I wasn’t a threat or that important yet, so they didn’t over-babysit me, and took a chance letting me do my own thing. It was never in the control of the industry heavyweights, and that was for the betterment of the work.

Is it easier for women to be heard now and for new voices to come through?

I don’t think we can convince people who don’t want us there to change their minds – it’s about inspiring those coming up to think differently. That’s where change will happen. Taylor Swift has done a really good job hammering away and demanding respect as an artist. She’s someone who I imagine is inspiring others.

In the 1990s, you made the crossover from country to pop. How do you feel about Beyoncé doing the reverse?

My struggles were different. I was taking a giant risk, maybe losing what I’d built up, but I had to go for it. Beyoncé already has the status and is using her power to voice a new interest. Everybody has the right to explore whatever they want. I’ll always push my own boundaries. I’m writing a new album and the goal is to show another side of me.

How has social media changed your relationship with your fans?

I know so much more about them now. I used to wonder why so many people aged 20 knew the songs from [1995 album] The Woman in Me. Now I know they were kids in the back of their parents’ car learning my songs – they grew up with me.

Which new artists excite you?

Teddy Swims is an extraordinary vocalist. He covered You’re Still the One and it felt like the song was his.

You immortalised Brad Pitt in That Don’t Impress Me Much. Who would it be if you recorded the same song now?

Well, Harry Styles is up there – he’s the Brad Pitt of today.

• Tickets to see Shania Twain at BST Hyde Park are on sale now

Glastonbury 2024 coverage airs across the BBC from Friday 28th June – Shania Twain's performance can be watched live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 3:45pm on Sunday 30th June.

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