Shania Twain proved exactly why she remains one of country music’s most enduring style icons as she stepped onto the red carpet of the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night in a breathtaking silver gown that instantly turned heads.
The 60-year-old country-pop superstar dazzled in a shimmering strapless dress covered in intricate metallic embellishment, pairing the glamorous look with dramatic opera-length black leather gloves and flowing chiffon ribbons that trailed elegantly behind her.
With her glossy auburn hair styled in soft layers and her signature megawatt smile firmly in place, Shania radiated Hollywood glamour as she prepared to take on a major new role for the evening: first-time host of the ACM Awards.
Held in Las Vegas, the ceremony marked another milestone in the singer’s extraordinary career, coming exactly 30 years after her first ACM wins in 1996.
Ahead of the show, Shania admitted she was already buzzing with excitement long before stepping on stage.
“I’m just naturally energetic,” she told USA Today. “So coffee at all or any kind of caffeine … I got to manage that.”
The “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” hitmaker joked that producers would probably be asking her to “slow down” because she would be fuelled entirely by adrenaline throughout the night.
© Getty ImagesBut despite decades in the spotlight, Shania revealed hosting the prestigious ceremony felt very different from performing one of her own concerts.
“I am representing our genre,” she explained. “I am there to represent the talent, to make them feel comfortable. So I think I’m just going to have a really fun time.”
Fans have long adored Shania not just for her powerhouse vocals and chart-topping hits, but also for her playful personality and quick wit, something she hinted audiences would see more of during the broadcast.
© Getty Images“I’m not a really great joke teller, but yes I plan on being a little funny,” she said. “I like a great sense of humor.”
Still, the Grammy-winning singer confessed she would need some help sticking to the script.
“Of course I need to be prompted so I don’t ramble on or start getting more interactive than I probably should be for the moment,” she laughed. “But I really need to just be myself.”
That philosophy, she said, has guided her throughout her remarkable four-decade career, from her beginnings as a young singer from Ontario, Canada to becoming the best-selling female country artist of all time.
© Redferns“I am what my greatest influences were as a child and that never left me,” she explained, revealing her sound was shaped as much by bluegrass and rock ’n’ roll as traditional Nashville country.
“So that did make me an outsider when I first came into Nashville,” she continued. “But now I think we’re just getting back to more originality, spreading ourselves out stylistically.”
The singer also praised a new generation of artists bringing fresh energy to country music, singling out rising stars Ella Langley and Shaboozey for their individuality.
“Ella brings me back to the early country that I grew up with and was singing as a child,” Shania shared. “I’ve heard a lot of producers and writers say, ‘Well, we don’t want to be too country,’ or, ‘That’s too country.’ And I’m thinking, ‘What is too country?’”
Read the full article here
