Shania Twain Honored with Equal Play Award During CMT Awards

Let’s go girls!

On Sunday night (Oct. 21) at the 2023 CMT Music Awards, Shania Twain was honored with the CMT Equal Play Award. The award recognizes trailblazers who are using their platform to break barriers, speak out against injustices, and challenge the status quo.

Twain received an introduction from none other than Megan Thee Stallion.

“CMT has been a leader in the fight for diversity and inclusion in country music for the past decade,” Megan began. “This year we are recognizing the incredible Shania Twain. Shania isn’t just the biggest-selling country female artist of all time, she shattered ceilings and redefined style and sound in country music and beyond. She has been an outspoken ally against every hate of all kinds, calling out gender cats, and ageism and impacting inequalities against the LGBTQ community. She’s an inspiration to me and millions of others, please welcome this year’s equal play award recipient, Shania Twain.”

Twain took the stage in a purple ensemble and black cowboy hat to accept her award.

“Let me start by saying, ‘Let’s go girls,’” Twain said to a cheering crowd. “When I wrote the phrase ‘Man, I Feel Like a Woman,’ honestly, I had no idea at the time that it would become the undercurrent of a decades-long career. It’s amazing how just one statement can empower so many. Man, I feel like a woman has been adopted by an array of fantastic communities all around the world and become a genuine path of power and progress for women to—women in country music, which brings me so much joy. Thank you to CMT for pushing the equal play agenda and for always supporting me.”

Then Twain added a fun fact near the end of her speech. “You may not know this but the CMT Rising star award was my very first award ever. Thirty years ago that was in 1993, so CMT holds a very special place in my heart.”

She concluded by saying, “I promise I will continue to champion the many outstanding country artists who are not currently played, they are not streamed, toured, signed or awarded at the level they deserve. I believe in an all-inclusive country music. We’re family. This is a genre of music with a rich history that raised and nurtured my own songwriting and performance and recording career from childhood.

“Currently, the industry standard does a real disservice. Let us, the country music industry, do our part to close the gap and provide an equal workspace for all talent. This year I’m taking many amazing artists on the Queen of Me Tour and my hope is this opportunity and spotlight “impresses you much” and lifts up the careers of these very talented people on their journey. I will continue to do my best as a trailblazer and together let’s insure that all our fellow artists get equal play regardless of gender age or race.”

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMT