She Grew Up Poor And Took Care Of Her Siblings After Her Parents Died But Now She’s A Global Superstar

Country-pop superstar Shania Twain is pulling back the curtain on the painful struggles that shaped her life long before she became one of the best-selling artists in music history.

The 60-year-old singer, best known for hits like “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “You’re Still the One,” revealed in a candid interview how the tragic loss of her parents forced her into a role most teenagers could never imagine.

**Sudden Responsibility**

In 1987, her mother Sharon Morrison and stepfather Jerry Twain were killed in a devastating car crash. At just 22, Shania suddenly found herself raising her younger siblings.

“It was touch and go for me at that time,” she admitted. “I didn’t have the right clothes for the weather, I got frostbite more than once. I hauled water from the river, washed clothes by hand, and chopped wood. The pressure was overwhelming—and I barely slept.”

Those early years of survival left deep scars but also built the resilience that carried her to global stardom.

**From Struggle to Stardom**

Twain contrasted her humble beginnings with the dramatic lifestyle shift fame eventually brought. “I went from sleeping in cars to flying first class. It’s only now that I can really say I’m enjoying it all.”

This weekend, Twain will perform at Glastonbury Festival’s coveted “Legends” slot, previously filled by icons like Dolly Parton and Diana Ross. “To be asked to follow in their footsteps is surreal,” she told the BBC.

**Wearing Her Scars Proudly**

Growing up in poverty in rural Canada, Twain’s household was plagued by instability, violence, and scarcity. She leaned on songwriting to cope. “I write down my feelings in the rawest way possible. They become healed experiences—scars with a story.”

On the *How To Fail* podcast, she reflected: “I have scars from working in the bush, from cooking, and from emotional wounds. My childhood was tough, and later I went through throat surgery. But all of it made me who I am, and I wear those scars proudly.”

For Twain, every step—from childhood hardship to global superstardom—has been about survival, growth, and reinvention.