Shania Twain and Jake Owen to host USA Network's country music show 'Real Country'
Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain and American singer-songwriter Jake Owen will host a new singing competition this summer on USA Network called Real Country. The competition will highlight certain traditions, songs, and themes of the country music genre.
The show will be filmed this summer in Nashville, where the star duo will handpick fresh country music talents — in solos, duos, and groups — through the eight-part series. The show is being produced by Wilshire Studios, along with Twain, Nicolle Yaron, Stijn Bakkers, and Leslie Garvin, who are set to be executive producers.
In a statement, Twain said that it has been an "incredible year" for her due to her return to country music. "I feel it's time for me to add my own support in finding our greatest undiscovered talent. It's beyond thrilling to be leading the charge with Real Country and I'm on a mission to find artists who will keep country music diverse and dynamic. The kind of diversity that inspired all of us."
Jake Owen, the musician known for his album 'American Love', spoke about country music being the healing factor in a lot of people's lives. "I will always be grateful for music, whether I'm performing or listening, and I want to encourage up-and-coming artists to tell their stories, find their audiences and make their mark in country music with the same guidance that artists have given to me throughout my journey."
On their website, Real Country is defined as a music showcase series "featuring multi-platinum, five-time GRAMMY Award-winning trailblazer Shania Twain, and ACM Award-winning and platinum-selling singer-songwriter Jake Owen." The best artists from each showcase will perform at the grand finale to be country music's next breakout act.
Twain was recently on headlines for claiming that she would have voted for Donald Trump in the presidential elections had she not been a Canadian. In an interview with the Guardian, she had said, "I would have voted for him because, even though he was offensive, he seemed honest. Do you want straight or polite? Not that you shouldn’t be able to have both. If I were voting, I just don’t want bullshit. I would have voted for a feeling that it was transparent. And politics has a reputation for not being that, right?”
Owen will reportedly be on his 'Life's Whatcha Make It Tour' this summer, featuring Chris Janson and Jordan Davis.
The show marks USA’s return to the competition reality space where the network made its mark with another country music-themed series, Nashville Star, which ran on the cable network for five seasons from 2002-07.