Shania Twain is a major superstar whose name is known worldwide. However, her life was not always as glamorous as one would assume. It is always fascinating to know more about your favorite celebrity’s childhood.

She might dominate the charts and travel the world now, but that did not always happen. She did not always have an easy life.

Keep reading to know more about the singer’s childhood, which might surprise you.

Born to a family grappling with poverty in Timmins, Ontario, she had a tough start to her life. Her stepfather’s low-paying reforestation job and her mother’s depression made things even harder. She was just one of five children and had to learn early on to do without.

She began to sing in bars and perform; however, soon, she would have a lot more responsibility on her shoulders than just having some gigs every now and then. Soon she was left to be responsible for her siblings.

Since her family always struggled with money, she knew how to be without even essentials such as food, heating, and electricity.

She realized her life was different to that of her classmates when she would be without lunch and look at her peers during lunch, hoping they would leave some of their food uneaten so she could take it.

The young girl would usually tell her teacher that she had left her lunch in her locker or at home. She began to focus on music as a way to escape the harsh realities of her life.

She would go to the forest with her guitar, light a small fire, and then lose herself to her music. The music she played helped her forget the harshness of her real life where her responsibilities and poverty weighed her down.

Her mother was able to see her talent and began to take her to gigs at local bars when she was just 8 years old. She would perform after midnight when patrons would already have their alcohol served to them since she legally could not be in a place where alcohol was actively being served at that age.