Global Icon Shania Twain’s Not Just A Girl, a brand new, career-spanning documentary produced by Mercury Studios and directed by Joss Crowley, will be available Tuesday, July 26 on Netflix. Since the ’90s, Shania has led the way as a genre-defying, iconic, and empowered female, who has smashed records, amassed an enormous international fanbase, and generated a catalog of some of the biggest hits that have stood the test of time. Not Just A Girl takes viewers from her humble beginnings in Timmins, Ontario, where she was raised poor and inspired by the story of Dolly Parton, through her initial record label signing in Nashville, and onto her career-defining moment meeting her future husband and rock producer Mutt Lange ahead of writing, recording and releasing her breakthrough album The Woman In Me. Produced by Mercury Studios, the documentary features studio session footage from throughout her career and brand new interviews with Shania at home. The documentary is a definitive look at the making of one of the world’s most adored superstars and fashion-forward female pioneers in pop, country, and rock. The doc brings us right up to the present day and the recording of Shania’s forthcoming sixth record.
Not Just A Girl is the story of a woman who wanted to make her own way, completely independent of anyone else; the story of an artist who took enormous risks. Among the guest voices in Not Just A Girl are Lionel Richie, Diplo, Avril Lavigne, and Orville Peck. “She was a trailblazer,” says Lionel Richie. Orville Peck: “She paved the way for musicians everywhere.” The film traces her emergence as a crossover artist, defying the stereotypes of what it took to be a country star, and takes viewers through her vision during Come On Over to become a global pop phenomenon. Shania took universal ideas of confidence, femininity, and self-discovery and made them relatable. It also touches on Shania’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community and artists across every genre today. “She reached through the stereo and made me feel safe when I was a young kid,” says Orville Peck.
In addition to the documentary, Shania will release a compilation album entitled Not Just A Girl (The Highlights) via Mercury Nashville/UMe, which includes a new bonus title track, alongside some of her biggest hits in order of appearance in the documentary. Not Just A Girl (The Highlights) will also be available digitally on July 26, with physically becoming available on September 2.
Shania will perform at this year’s Boots and Hearts festival (August 4-7) on the closing night of the festival with fellow Canadian female powerhouses Lindsay Ell and Robyn Ottolini. “As a Canadian team focused on representing Canada in the global festival market, we’re honored to host a Canadian country superstar on Canadian soil to celebrate everything she’s done for our genre,” said Brooke Dunford, Director of Booking and Brand Strategy, Republic Live. “For many of our fans and fellow artists, Shania Twain has had a big impact on what we know and love about country music… We’re extremely proud of all the female artists in our line-up, and we’re excited to showcase their talents alongside the Queen of Country. There’s no doubt the theme for 2022 is LET’S GO GIRLS!“
Also in the news, Shania will receive the ACM Poet’s Award, which is given to a Country Music songwriter for outstanding and longstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their career, with special consideration given to a song or songs’ impact on the culture of Country Music, August 24th in Nashville.
Shania Twain is a five-time GRAMMY winner and one of music’s most renowned trailblazers. With five albums released and more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, Twain remains the top-selling female country pop artist of all time. Her albums The Woman In Me, Come on Over, and Up! have garnered over 30 Platinum certifications. Shania has three Diamond-certified albums. From 1993 to 2021, Shania held the title of being the female artist with the most weeks at the top of the charts, with her albums spending a collective 97 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums.
Recognizing her indelible impact and achievements in music, Shania is the first and only female artist to receive CMT’s Artist of a Lifetime Award. She was also honored with the Icon Award at Billboard’s Women in Music ceremony. Twain is currently performing at her second residency in Vegas called “Let’s Go!”. The two-year residency at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino kicked off with a sold-out run and continues to be the hot ticket in Vegas. Twain’s first album in 15 years, NOW, was released in September 2017 and debuted at No. 1 in all major territories. Shania’s hits include “Any Man of Mine,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “You’re Still the One,” and “Man! I Feel Like A Woman.” This year, Shania made a surprise guest performance during Harry Styles’ Coachella set on Friday, April 15. The duo performed two of her biggest hits: “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “You’re Still the One.” She continues to be a cultural icon garnering praise from artists such as Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Kacey Musgraves, Haim, and Avril Lavigne among others.
Mercury Studios present A Mercury Studios Production in association with EMI Records & Universal Music Group: SHANIA TWAIN ‘NOT JUST A GIRL.’ The film is directed and produced by Joss Crowley, while Alice Webb, Scott Rodger, Geoff Kempin & Fred Thiebaud serve as executive producers. Ben Wainwright-Pearce and Tim Woolcott edited SHANIA TWAIN ‘NOT JUST A GIRL. Leila Hebden and Peter Worsley produce.
Mercury Studios is a multi-faceted content studio established to develop, produce, globally distribute and invest in innovative, music-rooted storytelling across a range of media including film, television, podcasting, publishing, and live-streamed performance. Taking its name from the iconic Mercury Records label, Mercury Studios is powered by Universal Music Group and creates an open space for experimentation to unleash and amplify both emerging and established artists. With offices in London and Los Angeles, Mercury Studios harnesses its established relationships with best-in-class talent from music and film, seamlessly bridging the two worlds to create a completely distinctive community of trailblazers driven by original IP, innovation, and collaboration.
