Shania Twain. E! Entertainment/NBC
She’s still the one! Shania Twain received a standing ovation while accepting one of the biggest honors at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards on Tuesday, December 6.
The “That Don’t Impress Me Much” songstress was honored with The Music Icon Award while attending the fan-voted event in Santa Monica, California.
“Oh, my gosh. This is such a privilege and a dream. Thank you so much for presenting me with this award and highlighting my work as having a significant impact,” she said. “I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to say, but I feel like that’s always my wish to inspire people with my music.”
The Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration star continued: “I always miss my mother right now at these moments in my life. My fans, my friends, my team, you are the ones who really fill that space — you’re here with me. You’ve made me feel loved and special my whole working life and I will always be grateful for that.”
Shania Twain. E! Entertainment/NBC
Twain concluded her speech by telling her fans to “giddy up” and stand together. “Embrace your individuality and your crazy ideas. Just be brave. Let’s remember, there is power in numbers. We are in this together. Love is love,” she added. “And when a door slams in your face … just run and leap at that door and kick it down. All I have to say is, be the queen of you.”
The honor also marked Twain’s return to the PCAs stage for the first time since 2005 when she won Favorite Country Female Singer. The Canadian musician previously announced that she would be singing “Waking Up Dreaming,” which is off her upcoming sixth studio album, Queen of Me, which drops in February.
Twain kicked off her medley with “Any Man of Mine” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” only pausing for a quick wardrobe change. she showed off her signature cowgirl style throughout the performance, including wearing leather.
“OK, so you’re Ryan Reynolds … that don’t impress me much,” she sang subbing in the 46-year-old Deadpool star’s name instead of her usual shout-out to Brad Pitt. The fellow Canadian star playfully mouthed back, “Who, me?” from the audience.
Twain proceeded to wow fans with snippets of “Waking Up Dreaming” and her biggest hit, “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” The crowd was on its feet from start to finish.
“I’m so incredibly honored to be named Music Icon,” the “Forever and Always” singer said in a press release in October of her 2022 PCAs moment. “I have some of the greatest fans in the world. They have supported me since the early days, and it’s their love and passion that keeps me going.”
Twain added: “I’m thrilled to go back on tour and bring my new music and fan favorites to them, and what better way to start than at the People’s Choice Awards!”
The “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” songstress revealed in October that she would be bringing her music to approximately 50 concert venues all across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as part of her Queen of Me Tour.
The first show is set for April 28 in Spokane, Washington. Twain is bringing along fellow female powerhouses Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsay Ell, Haley Whitters, Mickey Guyton, Priscilla Block and Robyn Ottolini on different legs of the tour. Breland will also be an opener.
“These days, I’m feeling very comfortable in my own skin – and I think this album reflects that musically,” Twain wrote via Instagram at the time. “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!”
The five-time Grammy winner has been vocal throughout her career about empowering female singers and songwriters — which is evident in her tour opener lineup.
“I want to see women come together and support each other more in the music industry,” Twain exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2017. “Country music has a particularly low ratio of female artists. Let’s go, girls!”