Shania Twain Sets Tongues Wagging

Shania Twain is ready for a change. The country legend is about to wrap up her third Las Vegas residency — a greatest hits show named after her seminal 1997 album, Come on Over — which she kicked off last May, fresh off a two-year world tour for her 2023 album Queen of Me. Although she’s excited to have a little downtime, saying goodbye is bittersweet.

“This residency has been quite nostalgic in a really beautiful way,” she tells Bustle over Zoom from her home in Las Vegas as she gears up for her final week of shows. “When you see a chapter coming to a close, I start feeling like ‘Whoa, it’s going too fast.’ It’s a nice feeling. It’s been so wonderful and so successful.”

Twain has plans to return to the studio, but in the meantime, she’s taking on a surprising new role. She voices a dancing tongue — no, really — in Coffee mate’s first Super Bowl commercial, singing the catchy jingle “Gimme Cold Foam,” which she aptly describes as a “proper boppy poppy song.”

The Coffee mate ad will debut Feb. 9 during Super Bowl LIX, which gives Twain another reason to feel nostalgic. She headlined the 2003 halftime show alongside No Doubt, performing her hits “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “Up!” In the time since, not a single country artist has graced the Super Bowl halftime show stage — but Twain would like to see that change.

Below, the singer discusses her dream Super Bowl performers, the songs she’ll never get tired of performing, and what fans can expect from her new album.

In the spirit of your Super Bowl ad, what do you remember most about your halftime show performance in 2003?

I remember it being chaotic, rushed, and stressful. Getting everything on and off the field in time on live TV is a feat, so we practiced that a few times. I was more worried about everything getting in place in time for the first note than anything else. But it was very exciting. It was a genuinely bigger-than-life event.

Who would you like to see play the halftime show one day?

I want to see Dolly Parton do the entire Super Bowl by herself. No other artists. Just let Dolly Parton own it and give us a real out-of-this-world moment.

A moment between you, Dolly, Taylor Swift — the three generations of country-pop — would be the ultimate.

Maybe I shot myself in the foot when I said it should be only Dolly. I do agree. It should be me, Dolly, and Taylor.

Especially with Taylor already being at the game to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, just put her on stage.

Why didn’t they think of that? OK, we must hurry up and do that while they’re still a couple. Or make sure they don’t break up.

If Taylor were to do the halftime show, what advice would you give her, based on your experience?

I think she realizes the scale of these venues by now because she does so many football stadiums, and she’s been to so many of these games. She has probably already gone through imagining the production it will take. I would say to go into it realizing it’s not like any other show you’ve ever done. No matter how much experience you have on a huge scale, this is unique.

What song will you never get sick of performing?

“You’re Still the One.” It’s gone through so many phases and meanings, so it never gets old. I first wrote it about myself and my ex-husband [producer Robert “Mutt” Lange] and how we were an unlikely couple from opposite ends of the planet. Everybody was very skeptical that this [song] would even make sense to anyone. It was very different for the genre. But I sensed that it would work, and it was going to be magic.

How has that song’s meaning changed over time?

After my divorce and singing it a million times, people started telling me what the song meant to them. It strikes a chord in many people’s lives and stories; it’s all about hanging in there in all circumstances and how even the most unexpected love can prevail. So it remains very true to its core for me as a songwriter, and that’s when [I know] a song just is genuinely timeless.

Is there a song you’re starting to get a little tired of performing?

It was always a huge goal for me to have enough hits that if I ever needed a break from a song, I’d just put another song in. Sometimes, I’ll do “Any Man of Mine” but not “Honey, I’m Home.” For some reason, I feel like they each need a turn.

“Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” is the only one that I feel I can’t not do. It’s like how you can’t have the Super Bowl without the National Anthem; you can’t have a concert without my anthem. It’s the people’s anthem.

What has been your favorite memory from this Vegas residency and tour?

Wearing the “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” outfit from the video. I do that every night here in Vegas, and I will put it back [in storage] for safekeeping.

And I’d say I’m closing a chapter because I’m heading into a new chapter, which is making a new album.

Have you thought about what direction that album is going to take?

Maybe I should do a Taylor Swift sequel album? Just because we were on the Taylor thing. I don’t know, and that's the beauty of it. I am the kind of person that needs to close a chapter and refocus. Right now, all I’ve got are a million ideas, and I need to wander around and explore until I land on where I’m going. I’m hoping it’s something unexpected but embraced by my fans. I want my fans to feel like “Oh my God, this is so Shania, but one that we never knew existed.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.