Shania Twain

Queen of Her Own Actions

Country superstar Shania Twain on what LGBTQ+ allyship means to her

The first time I connected with Shania Twain in 2017, the country-pop music icon didn’t pull any punches, saying “equality should be a no-brainer” as she spoke thoughtfully about her relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. Twain stood firm on that throughout our conversation, speaking out against supremacy (“supremacy of any sort is just poison”) and pledging to be the kind of ally we hope all gay icons will be.

In Twain’s case, she is in the same unique, bridge-building position as someone like fellow country superstar Dolly Parton — they both excite dads and drag queens, but for very different reasons.

If we’re speaking about Twain’s queer appeal, look no further than “Giddy Up!,” the first song off Twain’s sixth studio album, “Queen of Me.” It’s a song that would sound right at home in some Texas yeehaw gay bar but, like her hit “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!,” could just as easily get some conservative, beer-guzzling dad to loosen up as he bellows the country bop’s fun, flirty and frankly very gay hook. (At a Shania Twain show, to which I have been, trust me when I say these things happen.)

Twain recently reconnected with me to talk about the new album, which we did.