Shania Twain has said she hopes to ride on horseback to her set at Glastonbury on Sunday.
The Canadian country-pop star light-heartedly told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday: “I love horses. I love all animals. I’m going to go see if there’s a horse around I can borrow – maybe I could go riding, that would be awesome.”
Asked if she would bring a horse on stage, she answered: “I could bring a horse to the stage. I don’t even know if I’m allowed to do that. I’d have to find out – if it’s allowed, I’ll do it.”
The Guardian has contacted Glastonbury festival for comment on her plans.
Twain is known for her love of horses. She shares footage on TikTok of her horseriding, and in 2012, rode down the Las Vegas strip in a 40-strong group of horses to announce a concert residency at Caesars Palace. She rides on horseback in the music video for 2005 single Don’t!, and in 2020 released a video in which she performed acoustic versions of Honey I’m Home and Man! I Feel Like a Woman to a remarkably attentive horse. Her most recent tour featured a stage prop of a horse-shaped motorbike.
The singer, 58, is booked for Glastonbury’s traditional “legends” slot which is held on Sunday teatime each year, and generally attracts one of the largest crowds of the weekend. Previous performers have included Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross and Tom Jones.
Twain’s music career stretches back to 1993, but her UK breakthrough was in 1997 with her Top 5 hit Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You). That was the first of five Top 10 singles from the album Come On Over, including That Don’t Impress Me Much and You’re Still the One, and her next album Up! (2002) also produced three Top 10 hits. But while her UK singles chart success has waned, her fandom endures and her two most recent albums Now and Queen of Me have both reached No 1.
Touring the latter album last year the Guardian gave her Glasgow gig a four-star review, calling it “two full hours stacked with hits, zany cowboys and aliens staging, and towering self-confidence”.
She told BBC Breakfast she wouldn’t be shying from crowdpleasers: “I’d love to be able to sing with everyone, sing along, and be a part of the journey of the crowd. So I’m going to do everything familiar, I wanna do the hits, I wanna do what they know.”
Twain also said she was “thinking about which wellies I should bring – I’ve got several pairs at home”, though she’ll be cheered by the news that the weather forecast is for mostly fine and dry conditions on the often-rainy Worthy Farm site.
She also dispensed advice regarding tents: “Don’t be a hero. Just get a pop-up.”
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
