Not your grandpa’s country

Shania Twain is going to rock Bulls country with a catchy mix of pop hooks, simplistic lyrics and country twang. This Friday, Twain will perform at the St. Pete Times Forum and will surely please Tampa audiences with her hit singles.

Twain has sold about 35 million copies in the United States and cemented her place as country music’s biggest selling female artist of the last decade. Initially, the diva was supposed to take center stage in April, but that date was canceled at last minute. Assisting Twain during her summer excursion is Emerson Drive. Emerson Drive is an alt-country band, which has just released their sophomore effort, What If.

In 1993, Twain’s self-titled debut made a soft dent on the charts and showed an aspiring artist with strong potential to become the next country superstar. She soon started a music relationship with producer Mutt Lange, a man best known for his work with Def Leppard and AC/DC. The pair began collaborating on a collection of songs with pop appeal but country attitude. Within the confines of the studio, the pair slowly began to fall in love and were married before her second album’s release.

Twain rose to fame with the release of The Woman In Me, which spawned several hits, including “Whose Bed have Your Boots Been Under,” “Any Man of Mine” and “(If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here.” The album proved to have staying power, remaining on the Billboard album charts for about two years and selling more than 12 million copies. Still relatively unknown by the mainstream pop audience, Twain started working on her third album with her husband/producer.

The outcome of the duo’s work, Come On Over, would eventually go on to become the biggest selling album by a female artist, with sales exceeding 19 million copies in the U.S. “You’re Still the One” was a major turning point in her career as the single topped the pop charts as well as country radio. The album assaulted radio with no fewer than 10 singles of the record’s 16 tracks.

Come On Over was also responsible for earning the songstress four Grammy awards and countless other accolades.

After a five-year absence from the music industry, Twain returned with the two-disc, Up! Acknowledging the diversity of her fan base, Twain made the red disc pop/mainstream versions and the green disc was more Nashville safe. The first single “I’m Gonna Getcha Good!” helped the country starlet score her first No. 1 album when Up! opened atop the charts in November of 2002. Up! eventually sold in excess of 10 million copies, becoming Twain’s third consecutive album to achieve diamond status (sales of 10 million or higher) in the United States. Again, Twain landed pop hits with “Forever And For Always,” “She’s Not Just A Pretty Face” and “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing.”

Fans of the singer can expect a night of pop-country songs and racy outfits that should fulfill the expectations of an audience who paid anywhere from $45-$80 for admission.