Twelve years ago today, on June 2, 2011, Shania Twain‘s celebrity status reached a new level. It was on that date that the singer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, celebrating almost two decades of success in the music industry.
Twain’s star was unveiled by President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Leron Gubler and model and actress Bo Derek. Twain, who has sold more than 75 million albums, admitted that she was humbled by the accomplishment. She thanked her sister Carrie and her husband Fred, calling them “her foundation,” before acknowledging how surreal the moment was for her.
“Why is a girl from Timmins, Ontario, standing here, getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? I really don’t know,” Twain said during the ceremony. “Where I come from and where I am today, it’s a small miracle, to be honest, that I am standing here. But I am here to accept an incredible honor and to give thanks for my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s so surreal.”
Twain also read excerpts from her autobiography, From This Moment On, during the ceremony. The Canadian-born country star cited an example from the pages about when her son Eja first realized his mother was famous, as well as from the section about her realization that her voice was not performing as well as it had been in the past.
Twain revealed in 2011 that she had been diagnosed with dysphonia, a vocal condition that caused the muscles in her throat to squeeze her voice box. Although she was unsure if she would be able to sing again, she made a full recovery and enjoyed a two-year residency, Shania: Still the One, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, from 2012 to 2014. She’s also mounted two tours since then, and released a new album, Now, in 2017. In Dec. 2021, Twain launched her second Las Vegas residency, Let’s Go!, at Zappos Theater with 38 dates scheduled through Sept. 2022.
Twain is one of several country artists, including Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Kenny Rogers and Rascal Flatts, who have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.