Shania Twain fans are only just realising her very ordinary real name
Country music icon Shania Twain, much like other legendary performers such as Elton John and Joe Strummer, chose a stage name that would resonate with fans worldwide.
Her debut album, which shares her now-famous moniker, introduced her to the world, yet many might not know that she was born with a different name altogether.
The star, who is set to perform at Glastonbury later this month and has a night of programmes devoted to her on Saturday, 22 June on BBC 2, was originally named Eilleen Regina Edwards when she entered the world in Canada on August 28, 1965.
After her parents split, her mother remarried Jerry Twain, who adopted Shania and her sisters Jill and Carrie Ann, leading to her taking on the Twain surname, despite the lack of a blood connection.
For Shania, Jerry's role in her life was significant and has expressed deep gratitude towards him in the past. In a heartfelt 2019 statement, she shared: "My father (Jerry) went out of his way to raise three daughters that weren't even his."
Shania continued, "For me to acknowledge another man as my father, a man who was never there for me as a father, who wasn't the one who struggled every day to put food on our table, would have hurt him terribly."
Emphasising the unity within her household, she added, "We were a family. Step-father, step-brothers, we never used that vocabulary in our home."
"To have referred to him as my step-father would have been the worst slap across the face to him."
Despite growing up and singing in bars as Eilleen Twain, the singer changed her name to Shania Twain in the early 1990s, with her first name being an Ojibwa word meaning 'on my way. '
Shania is set to take to the small screen this Saturday (20 June) for a BBC special of programmes dedicated to her, including archive performances.
A big month for the star, she is also set to take the Legend's slot during Glastonbury, which is hailed as one of the most prestigious sets in music. Acts such as Coldplay, SZA and Dua Lipa will all be performing during the weekend of music.
