Country music icon Shania Twain, whose hits include 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!' and 'That Don't Impress Me Much', has made a bit of a comeback of late. Her performance alongside Harry Styles at last year’s Coachella, a festive turn as Mrs Potts in the 30th anniversary live special of Beauty and the Beast and a new album and tour coming up in 2023 remind us that ‘You’re Still the One’, Shania. But where does the top-selling female country singer of all time call home?
With record sales in excess of 100 million, the 'Come On Over' singer is said to be worth a cool $450 million (£365m) which, according to Smooth Radio, is more than the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Mick Jagger, and a world away from her traumatic childhood growing up in poverty in Ontario. The award-winning singer now has multiple homes across the globe, including properties in Las Vegas, Canada, the Bahamas and Geneva, where she spends most of her time. So, let’s take a look….
Born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario on 28 August, 1965, she was the second of three daughters born to railway worker Clarence Edwards and wife Sharon. After her parents divorced when Shania was two, her mother relocated to Timmins, Ontario, where she met Shania’s stepfather, Jerry Twain. Of Ojibwa heritage, Twain adopted the three girls, who changed their surname to his. The couple had a son together, Mark, and adopted Jerry’s baby nephew after the death of his sister.
Twain had a traumatic childhood; her mother struggled with depression, while her stepfather battled mental health issues and alcoholism, and was violent. In a deeply personal interview with The Guardian, she said she channelled this pain into her song-writing. Money was tight so from the age of eight Shania was already writing and performing songs at local bars to help put food on the table.
Her talent was apparent at Timmins High and Vocational School where, aged 13, she made her first television appearance on the Tommy Hunter Show in 1980. She sang with a top 40 cover band called Longshot while still at high school and, after graduating in 1983, was invited to join the band Flirt, before moving to Toronto when she was 21, to try her luck singing in bars.
On the verge of a breakthrough in 1987, the 22-year-old's parents were killed in a car accident, forcing Twain to put her burgeoning music career on hold so she could look after her siblings. Performing in a Las Vegas-style show at the nearby Deerhurst Resort for six years to support her family, she was finally signed by Mercury Nashville in 1992 to record her first album, changing her name to Shania, which in her stepfather’s Ojibwa language means “on my way.”
Soon afterwards, she hooked up (both romantically and professionally) with Robert John "Mutt" Lange, a successful producer who'd made his name recording smash hits for Def Leppard, Bryan Adams and Michael Bolton. The couple were married in December 1993, less than six months after they first met. Two years later, Twain hit the big time when her second album, The Woman in Me, sold more than 18 million copies, earning her a batch of awards, including a Grammy for Country Album of the Year.
The newlyweds bought this property in Ontario in 1994 for $3,250,000 (£2.6m) and set about constructing their 28,000-square-foot dream home and recording studio on the shores of Dexter Lake. Surrounded by forest and mountains, the isolated estate seemed the ideal spot for the fiercely private couple. Following the success of The Woman in Me, Shania released her third album, Come On Over, in 1997, which is still the world’s biggest-selling album by a female solo artist.
It took nearly two years to transform the Craftsman-style property, with the couple dismantling and then reassembling key architectural features, including fireplaces, doors and windows. Twain’s memories of the place are not all happy, however. According to reports, the singer suffered a stalking crisis here which resulted in a man going to jail. Perhaps keen to be rid of the memories, Shania sold the house in the late 2000s for half its $9 million (£7.3m) asking price.
The couple had one son, Eja (pronounced "Asia"), who was born in August 2001 and followed his parents into the music business. Although Eja has no interest in the country sound and specialises in electronic dance music, his mother revealed on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan that they had been working in the studio together. “You never know, maybe someday we’ll come up with something really great,” she said.
Having now scored global hits and established herself as one of the first and most successful crossover stars, Twain and her husband were now able to buy homes anywhere their hearts desired. The queen of country pop opted for the incredible Château de Sully in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland, which they owned until 2006. Originally built by Baron Bertrand Boucheporn in 1882 and designed by architect Emile Reverdon, the fairytale castle sits on beautifully manicured lawns, surrounded by hills and trees. While living here, Shania released her fourth studio album, Up, in November 2002, which became her third successive Diamond Album.
At the height of her career in the early 2000s, Shania suddenly disappeared from the limelight, and wouldn't release another album for 15 years. Unbeknownst to her fans, the singer was battling Lyme Disease after being bitten by a tick while horseriding, suffering nerve damage to her vocal cords as a result. No wonder she and Lange purchased this isolated lodge in New Zealand, the perfect location to recuperate.
Located on the South Island and comprising several cottages and bedrooms, as well as a helipad, stables, swimming pool and spa, the pair bought the property in 2004 for $21.5 million (£17.4m) the same year she released her Greatest Hits album. The property has since undergone significant renovations carried out by Burgess Construction, and is available to rent as the ultimate getaway location.
In her 2011 memoir, From this Moment On, Shania revealed that she put her “heart, soul and dreams” into the property. “I dreamed of riding horses across the vast plains, along winding riverbanks and through golden tussocks,” she writes in the New York Times best-seller, adding that “every year Mutt, Eja and I would go there for several months, living in a small caravan … while our home was being built."
Her singing career was in crisis, but so, too, was her marriage. In 2008, after 15 years together, Shania discovered her husband was having an affair with her close friend and personal assistant, Marie-Anne Thiebaud. Shania fell into a deep depression, later telling Oprah Winfrey, “I didn’t want to live anymore." But love was just around the corner...
In a stranger-than-fiction turn of events, Shania found joy again with Marie-Anne's ex-husband, Swiss businessman Frédéric Thiébaud, who had told Shania of their partners’ affair. Bonding over their shared heartache, the couple fell in love, marrying on the beach at sunset on New Year’s Day in 2011 in Puerto Rico, surrounded by their closest friends and family. Her nine-year-old son Eja walked her down the aisle.
Things were clearly looking up. Later that year on June 2, 2011 she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is seen here posing with her sister Carrie Anne. With more than 57 million albums sold in the US and Canada alone, Twain is the top-selling female country artist of all time.
These days, the singer and husband Frédéric spend most of their time at their stunning home in the town of Corseaux, overlooking Lake Geneva. The couple prize their privacy, and there are few details available about the property, beyond the singer’s occasional social media posts. This image shows Twain cuddling up with one of her dogs by the fire pit, with a stunning view of the lake beyond.
It took the singer nearly seven years, extensive surgery and newfound happiness with Frédéric to find her voice again, returning to the spotlight in 2011 with a new single and announcing a two-year residency in Las Vegas. She does most of her writing and producing these days from her home in Geneva, as seen here. With that view, who wouldn’t feel inspired?
It wasn’t until 2017, however – some 15 years following the release of Up – that her fifth studio album, Now, hit the shelves. A happy home life on the banks of Lake Geneva had clearly given Shania the strength and confidence she needed to move on and reinvent herself on the world’s stage.
Intimate posts like this one, of the couple at home, reveal a tasteful décor of cosy neutral furnishings where her beloved dogs can relax as comfortably as their owners. Also displayed are equestrian artworks referencing her passion for horse riding. She credits her husband for giving her the confidence to return to music, telling People in 2012: “I cannot live without him. He keeps it all in perspective.”
A central feature of her living room in Geneva is her piano, where she can be seen here, with her acoustic guitar and a fluffy rug beneath to add warmth. According to L’Illustré, the singer helped design the wrought iron double entrance doors with their foliage motif, which allow the light to flood into the open-plan living room. Behind her is a portrait of Claude Nobs, the founder of Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival.
Shania is never happier than when out on the lake, enjoying the sunset with her husband and dogs. Speaking to Outsider about her life in Switzerland, Twain said: “It’s a very beautiful region. I like to spend a lot of time boating on the lake. In fact, one of the neighbouring properties is the studio where Queen spent many years writing and recording. Freddie Mercury lived in what is called ‘The Duck House’.”
The star regularly retreats to the calm and serenity of her stunning home in the Bahamas, to recharge between performances. Surrounded by sparkling clear sea and situated on one acre of sandy white beach, the house is part of a gated community on New Providence Island.
According to Hello! Magazine, the property appeared on the market in 2019 for a whopping $10.9 million (£8.8m), reappearing a year later for almost $13 million (£10.5m), but did not sell. The 7,000 square-foot home, which has five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a large media room, was built in 2004 and has panoramic views of the beach and sea, visible from all five bedrooms.
Many of the interior spaces open up directly onto the garden, where a swimming pool and plunge pool can be found. There's also an alfresco dining area, immaculate grounds and several poolside lounges for soaking up the sunshine. And if that isn’t enough, the oceanfront estate is just a skip and a hop to the azure waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Homely, yet sleek and sophisticated, the property is a tranquil haven in the heart of the Caribbean. There are high ceilings and whitewashed walls throughout, creating cool and airy spaces like this one, while a sea-blue and turquoise colour scheme, along with furniture made from reclaimed wood, brings a touch of coastal charm.
Meal times are usually enjoyed alfresco, but there is also an indoor dining room for those rare times when the sun doesn’t shine. A woven rug and wooden furniture help add warmth and texture to the cool contemporary tiled floor, while full-length glass doors open on to the sheltered dining area with the swaying palm trees behind. Bliss!
The singer shared a video from one of the bedrooms inside the house in March 2021, where she is seen emerging from her ivory white and magnolia bedroom and prancing out on to a terrace flanked by two creamy armchairs, with beach views beyond. The residence also has use of a dock slip that has been designed to accommodate a 40-foot boat.
It was here in the Bahamas that Twain and Lionel Richie teamed up in 2012 for a remake of Richie’s 1981 duet with Diana Ross, ‘Endless Love’. Still battling her personal demons, Twain was reluctant to take part initially and, according to reports, Richie had to travel to the Bahamas to convince the singer to do it. The track ended up being a big success and was another big step towards relaunching her career.
In true country star form, Shania purchased her own farm in 2019, and announced her Las Vegas residency would take place at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. While it is usual for artists to stay in the hotels where they are performing, Twain preferred to escape to her farm in the suburbs of Las Vegas until her residency ended in September 2022. “I always have to have my horses with me, and my dogs..” she said on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Twain has been making up for lost time since her comeback. She made her acting debut as John Travolta’s love interest in Trading Paint in 2019, and more recently made a guest appearance on stage with Harry Styles during his headline set at Coachella in April 2022. According to The Mirror, Styles credits Twain for teaching him “how to sing” when he was boy in the car with his mum – and also that “men are trash”.
A Netflix documentary about Twain's life, Not Just a Girl was released in July 2022, and the star played Mrs Potts in a 30th-anniversary special of Beauty and the Beast just before Christmas. “I can now tick 'dress as a teapot for three weeks' off my bucket list,” she wrote in an Instagram post. She wears the teapot well!
Meanwhile, she is gearing up for the release of her forthcoming album, Queen of Me, in February followed by an accompanying tour. “This one's gonna be a big party – no inhibitions, no conditions, let's get a little out of line!!” she wrote on Instagram. The Queen of country pop is back on the road, and we can’t wait to see where her professional and property journey takes her next....
Loved this? We have more celebrity homes for you to explore