Shania Twain & Taylor Swift: The Evolution of Pop-Country Music

Watching Shania Twain and Taylor Swift re-enact "Thelma & Louise" at the 2011 CMT Awards is like watching a mother and daughter play dress-up. While not related at all, these two women are the epitome of the pop-country music surge that has taken over the music industry. Artists like Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, and Rascal Flatts all have platinum record sales in a genre no one could have predicted 30 years ago. Shania Twain paved the way, as the first major success story in pop-country music, and her glory is matched only by the current career of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Twain, the Canadian-born pop-country singer and songwriter, became a household name in the 1990s. With albums "The Woman in Me" (released in 1995) and "Come On Over" (1997), Shania became one of the biggest names in music and the winner of five Grammy awards. She redefined two genres of music, blending country twang with upbeat, fun pop sounds. By introducing mainstream music culture to the styles of country music, she built a gateway for both genres to mix and play together. In addition to her massive success as a performer, Twain has earned 27 BMI Songwriter awards, proving her abilities as a successful songwriter as well as singer.

Current pop-country princess Taylor Swift is known for her writing and guitar-playing abilities as much as her platinum sales and sold-out concerts. The chart-topping performer writes about her own life and has captured the hearts of young girls across the world. Wit! h major airtime on both pop and country music stations, Swift is one of the most successful musicians on-air today. In under five years, she has sold over 20 million albums and 34 million singles worldwide. Billboard and Nielsen Soundscan has named her the most successful artist in pop-country history, the genre made famous by her predecessor Shania Twain.

These two women clearly define the concept of pop-country crossover. What is fascinating, though, is the very different type of songs that made them such huge stars. Twain forged a road from country to pop with fun-loving, upbeat tracks like "Any Man of Mine" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman." Her stronghold in the mainstream pop world was solidified by her sexy, alluring music videos. Quite in contrast, Taylor Swift has succeeded with personal stories of heartbreak and teen angst, with songs like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me." Swift's turbulent love life has been strewn across her songs, and her videos play like home movies of girl slumber parties and taped messages to her ex-boyfriends. Despite the different subject matters and personas, both of these artists have had extraordinary success straddling the two genres. With millions of album sales and shelves full of awards, both have proved to be major forces in music -- one creating a genre, the other catapulting it to a new level of success.

With country music's stronghold on mainstream culture -- Grammy wins by Lady Antebellum and a very country "American Idol" winner, Scotty McCreery -- it is clear that country has gone far beyond its Nashville roots. There is no doubt that Shania Twain blazed the trail towa! rd the e xplosion of country music in the world, and her "Thelma & Louise" partner in crime Taylor Swift is making sure that pop-country music goes further than even Shania could have ever imagined.