Jul 29, 2022 - News

Shania Twain documentary now streaming

Shania Twain performing.

Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images

A Netflix documentary released this week traces Shania Twain’s journey from a small mining town in Ontario to the heights of superstardom.

  • "Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl" is a 90-minute celebration of her trailblazing talent.

Why it matters: Twain is one of the most consequential artists in country music history, and her influence touches nearly every aspect of the genre today.

  • The pop and rock elements that rippled through songs like "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Any Man of Mine" have now become the norm on country charts.

Zoom in: The documentary uses interviews with Nashville executives and behind-the-scenes footage to show how she pushed her career into the upper echelon.

By the numbers: Twain is one of only two women to have three albums reach diamond status with the Recording Industry Association of America. The other is Whitney Houston.

  • Twain's album "Come On Over" is the top certified album by a solo female artist in RIAA history, with 20 million shipped in the U.S.

What they’re saying: "She paved the way not only for women in country, but for musicians everywhere," Orville Peck said in the documentary.

  • "I do not think that I would have the career that I have and the career that I want to continue to have had Shania not been Shania," Kelsea Ballerini said.

Our take: Twain's sales are staggering, and her influence is undeniable. She is the dotted line connecting Dolly Parton to modern crossover stars such as Taylor Swift.

  • But, perhaps because of her breaks from the industry and relatively small catalog, she somehow seems underrated.
  • "Not Just a Girl" makes a fine case for her place on country's Mt. Rushmore.
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