Shania Twain on Her Parents’ Shortcomings Growing Up

Shania Twain is a chart-topping songwriter with humble beginnings. In her memoir From This Moment On, the artist described a childhood marked with domestic violence and the “perpetual undertow of financial instability.” Here’s what we know about the “That Don’t Impress Me Much” musician.

Who were Shania Twain’s parents and siblings?

Shania Twain (born Eilleen Regina Edwards) was the child of Sharon Morrison. According to Hollywood Life, the “That Don’t Impress Me Much” singer was one of five children in her home. 

The website states, “two sisters who were born to her mom and biological father, a half-brother born to her mom and stepdad, and an adopted brother, who her mom and stepdad took in after his father died.”

Although she never knew her biological father, Twain lived with her stepfather, Jerry Twain, who legally adopted the singer, and her siblings. The family was constantly moving due to financial instability, and Twain’s childhood was marked with several emotional challenges. 

Shania Twain detailed her childhood in ‘From This Moment On’ 

In her memoir From This Moment On, Twain detailed moments of domestic violence in her home, mostly resulting from her mentally ill stepfather. There was even one moment when young Twain and her siblings saw him hit her mother’s head against the bathroom sink. Even if there were moments of poverty, Twain said her parents wanted the best for their children.

“My parents were conscientious people with good intentions,” Twain wrote. “If they were alive today to reflect on the years when my brothers and sisters and I were growing up, they might not feel that they’d lived up to their good intentions.” 

“There were plenty of times when the Twain family didn’t have enough to eat, lacked warm clothes in the frigid Northern Ontario winters, and lived in cramped, rented apartment or house with no heat,” she noted. 

Twain worked at McDonald’s as a teenager. Other family members felt the strain for instability — predominantly her mother. 

“The perpetual undertow of financial instability took its toll in other ways, as it usually does,” Twain added, “compromising my parents’ love for each other at times and no doubt feeding my mother’s recurrent bouts of depression.”

As a result, Twain often felt “anxious and insecure” growing up. At 22 years old, the songwriter’s mother and stepfather died of a car accident. This was around the same time she released her first album.

Where did Shania Twain grow up?  

Twain was born in 1965 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. She moved houses over a dozen times throughout her childhood, although she often stayed linked to her Canadian roots. According to Hello Magazine, in addition to her Las Vegas residency, “Shania also has properties in Geneva, Canada, and the Bahamas.” 

Now, music by Twain is available on most major streaming platforms.