Shania Twain blasts 'ageist' country music stations
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Shania Twain has slammed “very ageist” country music radio stations for not playing songs by older female artists such as herself, Reba McEntire and Patty Loveless.
The 54-year-old singer told USA Today that she’s had enough of stations editing out music by older singers.
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“I don’t hear Reba (McEntire) on the radio anymore; I don’t hear Patty Loveless on the radio anymore. I don’t hear Shania Twain on the radio anymore in country! So that’s got to change,” the Windsor, Ont.-born musician said. “Thankfully with technology, we do have other outlets of getting our music out there and radio isn’t the end all be all of somebody’s success today. But it’s very frustrating and it’s a disservice not only to the artist, but to the public, that they can’t turn on the radio and hear all the best music that’s being made right now.”
Adding that the stations are being “very ageist,” Twain said she’s hoping that her remarks, and the stances of her peers including Jennifer Nettles and Miranda Lambert, will prompt a change in the industry.
“There’s a lot of good female talent out there, and they’ve been more vocal about the resistance at radio to include them more equally in airplay,” she said.
“I’m hoping that does start to make a change because there are many female artists with strong songs that belong in the Top 40 on country radio that are just not there.”
Elsewhere in her interview, Twain reflected on the feud between Taylor Swift and her former record label Big Machine Records, after it was alleged the label had prevented Taylor from performing some of her earlier hits at the upcoming American Music Awards.
“I don’t know a lot about the details of that, but I’m a big supporter of Taylor,” Twain said. “I think she’s just incredibly brilliant. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about it and I don’t really know where everybody is coming from, but I’ll always support the artist and their access to their own music.
“It seems a bit ridiculous to not have that.”
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