Shania Twain Talks Stage Fright on ‘Corden’: ‘I Literally Peed Myself’
Even country queens struggle with stage fright.
During last night’s appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden, Shania Twain traced back a longtime case of onstage jitters to a scared, soggy high-school performance in 1981, when she nearly ruined her own performance – as well as her clothing – in front of the study body.
“When I was a teenager, I got up in front of my peers – you know, a bunch of 16-year-olds, in front of the school – and I literally peed myself,” she explains.
A trumpet player in the school band, Twain had agreed to sing one of her original songs during an otherwise routine concert. Her nerves took over before she could sing a word, though, resulting in a bathroom accident that nearly stained her high-school reputation. Thinking fast, Twain figured out a quick solution.
“When I stood up,” she explains, “it just came out, and thankfully I had a glass of water at my feet, and I knocked it over to hide the puddle.”
“You’re like MacGyver!” Corden says approvingly, while the audience giggles.
To the dismay of fans, Twain’s banter with the late-night TV host did not include any reference to a new album, despite her Monday afternoon tweet that read, “Looking forward to talking new music with @JKCorden on @latelateshow tomorrow.” In a Rolling Stone interview earlier this year, Twain laid out a long-awaited plan to begin releasing new material in February, starting with a single and culminating with the May release of her first record in 15 years. While the project appears to have been pushed back to the fall, fans are still hoping for an official announcement.
Later this month, Twain will headline the Stagecoach Festival on April 29th.