Shania Twain Turned Down Working With Prince On 'The Next Rumours'

Shania Twain has revealed that she missed out on the collaboration of a lifetime in a new interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe. Promoting her new album, Queen Of Me, out today, she dished on a significant moment of her career. 

In 2008, Twain told Lowe that Prince called her, asking to collaborate on "the next Rumours". Twain, who was organising her divorce from producer "Mutt" Lange, wasn't ready for what Prince was offering.

"I missed out on that because Prince called me when I got divorced," Twain recalled on Zane Lowe's show per Consequence Of Sound. "We’re on the phone and he said, ‘Shania, why don’t you come to Paisley Park? I want to make the next Rumours album with you.’ And that was the weirdest thing he could have ever have said, because Mutt — his standard of what he thought, where I could live as a standard — was that album, Rumours album."

She added, confirming that she wasn't up to the task, "When Prince said that to me, I’m like, oh man, I’m not even divorced yet. I’m just like, I’ve been dumped, but I’m not, obviously, divorced yet. I’m like, this is way too ironic what you’re saying. Right? And I’m such a major Prince fan. And then on top of it, I hadn’t found my voice yet," Twain said, referencing her battle with Lyme disease. "I was still working on it. I was so far from finding it still."

Then, there were Twain's and Prince's different attitudes towards swearing. "I’m on the phone with him and I’m swearing like I always do. I mean, because I’m just at home and it’s — He said to me, ‘Well, if you do decide to come to Paisley Park, there’s no swearing allowed here.’ I’m like, oh no, I love you so much, but I don’t think I could get through writing and recording an album without swearing, somewhere along the way! 

"What are you going to do to me if I swear? I might have to stand in the corner or something. I wasn’t sure about that. I don’t think I was ready for what all that was going to mean for me. I didn’t give up on it or anything, but then he died." Watch the full interview below.

Today, Shania Twain releases her sixth album, Queen Of Me. Last month, she dropped the single Giddy Up, a song that represents a classic country jive mixed in with some exciting pop elements that scream Shania Twain. Akin to her earlier pop mega-hits like That Don't Impress Me Much or Man! I Feel Like A Woman, Twain is stepping back into the spotlight with a bang.

On the new single, Shania said, "The saying 'Let’s Go Girls!' is such a wonderfully uplifting sentiment now, but it’s just something I said during the recording in the studio and I guess that’s the same for 'Giddy Up!'. These lines come to me when I’m thinking about how to put a little 'pep in my step.' I want people to feel good when they hear the new album.  I want to set a celebratory tone, and 'Giddy up!' is a way to call to the audience and say 'let's get ready for some fun!'"

There is no news on whether or not Twain will tour down under as of yet, but with a packed touring schedule for 2023, Aus fans won't be seeing the country-pop queen until at least 2024.