Every time Shania Twain steps up to a microphone, it has been a long time coming. She won five Grammy Awards, but her tried-and-true talent transcends the trophy shelf. This week, however, she will perform in the same city where it all started—Nashville, Tennessee. Thursday, September 26th, Shania will host the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards live from the legendary Grand Ole Opry House. Fans can tune in to the NBC and Peacock broadcast for that night of unforgettable performances, big wins, and heartfelt moments as the country music world comes together.
A full-circle moment for Shania
For Shania, stepping back into Nashville is not just another gig; it’s a homecoming. “It’s really a full-circle experience for me,” she said in an interview with Billboard. Shania first launched her career in that city, and now she’s returning to host one of country music’s most anticipated award shows.
To her, the Grand Ole Opry House is special because it has tremendous history in country music. She reflects on her early days as a new recording artist in Nashville, and being part of this show reconnects her to that journey. Hosting also gives her the opportunity to meet new artists as well as old industry friends. “I’m super excited. I’m all access,” Shania adds, thrilled to be at the heart of the action.
Star-Studded Performances and Honorees
There will feature first-time nominees and country music legends facing each other in the People’s Choice Country Awards, one part of the yearly accolades. Country superstars that found themselves on this year’s nomination list include Beyoncé, Kane Brown, Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll, Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, George Strait, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, and so many more. More thrilling for viewers is the fact that it will feature Miranda Lambert receiving the Country Icon Award and Kane Brown receiving the Country Champion Award.
Shania loves the crowd as much as she loves presenting. “I’m here more as a fan than anything,” she says. “It’s the artists that the people want to hear and see.” Among the acts Shania is excited to see live are Parker McCollum, Lady A, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, and Miranda Lambert. She is also eagerly anticipating listening to The War and Treaty, a duo whose voices are utterly fantastic, and Shacorey, whose musical performance always elates.
Beyoncé’s Country Crossover: A Game Changer?
Beyoncé is one of the biggest surprises on this year’s awards list. The pop superstar leads with 17 nominations, just behind Zach Bryan’s 19 nominations. Beyoncé’s last foray into country music came in the form of her album Cowboy Carter, which has sent waves through the airwaves, but no more so than her hit “Texas Hold ‘Em,” a tune she held down at the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 10 weeks. She held the number one slot on the Top Country Albums chart for four weeks, among other things, showing that Beyoncé’s country crossover isn’t just a little side project but a movement.
Shania did not have one negative thing to say about Beyoncé’s impact on the genre. “The impact is indisputable,” she says about Cowboy Carter. “The people are hungry for more diversity in the genre. Beyoncé contributes to expanding the range.
Shania’s country music is also rooted in variety, so Beyoncé would bring some of it back to the mainstream. Shania talks about how she grew up listening to the different kinds of country, from folk to alternative country, and believes we’re seeing that resurface again today.
What She Learned from the Greats: Reba’s Lesson
A lifetime performer, Shania has had more event hosting experiences than she can count, but it’s only when it comes to award shows that she says she looks up to a peer in her own genre. People admire Reba McEntire, a veteran show host for both the Country Music Association Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards, for her approachable and warm hosting style.
Shania really admires the fact that Reba comes with lots of experience, humor, and respect in her performance; she would love to tread that same path.
Hosting an awards show is way beyond reading a script—it is creating the right kind of mood or energy for a certain night, and that is what Shania looks forward to.
Shania has a busy year ahead.
It’s not the only thing Shania Twain is hosting. She is also a contender for inclusion in the concert tour of 2024, according to the Shania Twain website. Come On Over—The Las Vegas Residency—All the Hits! She has been busy at her Las Vegas residency, which she had always promised would be ongoing until early 2025 and is thrilled to see fans flying in from all over the globe to catch her live for the first time ever.
But that’s not all Shania’s been cooking up. Just recently, she guest-starred in a promo for an upcoming medical drama series called Doctor Odyssey, which shows she’s still eyeing other acting roles in the not-too-distant future. She’s thinking about delving deeper into several creative ventures for 2025—creating a new album, penning new music, and even putting together a musical featuring her own tunes.
“I’ll be very, very busy for the next few years,” she says. With all these fantastic projects upcoming, audiences may expect to see Shania venture into new creative adventures and continue marking her presence with the world through music.
Final Thoughts
Shania Twain hosting the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards seems like a fitting tribute to her legacy in the genre. Returning to Nashville, she pays homage to her roots while helping usher in the future of country music as one that will be more inclusive, diverse, and ever-changing. Whether hosting, performing, or catching up on old friends, one thing is clear: Shania still loves country music—and the fans who make it all possible—with every fiber of her being.
