SHANIA TWAIN TO PLAY 2017 GREY CUP HALFTIME

OTTAWA – Country music superstar Shania Twain is coming back to the Grey Cup.

The five-time Grammy Award winner from Timmins, Ont., was announced on Thursday as the halftime performer at this year’s Canadian Football League championship in Ottawa on Nov. 26. Twain also performed at the 2002 Grey Cup in Edmonton.

“It’s an absolute honour to return to the Grey Cup stage in the nation’s capital during Canada’s 150th birthday,” Twain said. “I’m thrilled to be coming home and being a part of the country’s biggest annual party.”

Twain has sold more than 90 million albums worldwide with U.S. sales topping $34.5 million, making her the top-selling female country artist of all time. This year’s Grey Cup performance will follow the release of her fifth full-length studio album “Now,” out Sept. 29. Solely written and co-produced by Twain, “Now” is her first album release since 2002’s “Up!”

“Shania is a massive Canadian icon and a global superstar, so we are so excited that she will help us cap off such a significant year for our country at the 105th Grey Cup in Ottawa,” said CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie. “This promises to be a fantastic event and a special performance for our fans and viewers across Canada and all around the world. I can’t wait to get the party started at my first Grey Cup as commissioner.”

Twain revealed in May that she’s battling complications from Lyme disease as a result of a tick bite over 10 years ago. She says that contracting Lyme disease led to a vocal cord disorder for which she’s had to have physiotherapy.

It’s the second major sporting event Twain will be performing at to promote her new album. She will also perform Aug. 28 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at the opening ceremony of tennis’s U.S. Open.

(Canadian Press)