Shania decided to beautifully put an end to it by getting naked for her latest album. The fans were delighted
The recent release of Shania Twain’s Netflix documentary, Not Just a Girl, opened a floodgate to the newest—and possibly most personal—leg of her career. The country-pop sensation recently announced the impending arrival of her latest album, Queen of Me, along with an accompanying tour. And as the title implies, the record is all about self-love, which is why Shania posed nude in the mud for its artwork.
At 57, the singer wants this album to represent her conquering all the things she was too insecure to do when she was younger. It may be hard to believe considering her high-profile past, but Shania is more comfortable in her skin now than ever.
“I was very insecure woman, girl….I was one of those teenagers that would never wear a bikini at the beach, for example,” she recently told TalkShopLive. “So I’m saying, well, the heck with that. I didn’t do it when I was younger, so I’m going to do it now. I’m going to feel and show that I feel comfortable in my own skin.”
That manifested, partly, as Shania’s muddy photo shoot. She hasn’t shared the photos, but a few album teasers show her bare-skinned behind a horse and wearing a mostly opened button-down shirt. Just because the shots look effortless, though, doesn’t mean they were.
“Trust me, this took courage because I am so not an exhibitionist. It was all about my own message to myself. Just saying, you know, it’s just time to feel comfortable in my own skin and share that with other people and just share those insecurities, shed that skin of insecurity,” she explained.
That also came with a lot of self-assurance, especially when insecurities around aging tried to creep up. “Repeating the message to myself was the beginning, just saying, ‘Okay, I’m fine with the way I look. I’m fine aging. I’m fine and comfortable with myself.’ And this was the final step of saying, okay, I can’t just tell people that. I can’t just say it. I’ve got to live it,” she said.
She continued, adding that she’s “taking responsibility for what I put out there, what I project” by being “less apologetic for how I am, how I look, [and] less affected by other people’s criticism.”
In announcing the album on Instagram, she told fans she hoped her messages of self-empowerment encourage fans to embrace their own.
“Life is short and I want to be uplifted, colorful, unapologetic and empowered. I want to carry a clear message, particularly as a woman, to always remember my power and I hope the songs are a reminder to you, of that same power inside you!” she wrote. “I’ll be Queen of Me—you be Queen of YOU! ”
Queen of Me is out February 3. Now excuse us, we have some royal duties to fulfill!