She famously sang That Don’t Impress Me Much. But Shania Twain pulled out all the stops to impress us at the weekend, putting in an incredible performance at Glastonbury, and proving she’d more than earned the right to fill the festival’s Legends slot. And while revellers and TV viewers danced and sang away to the singer’s most celebrated hits, there was someone else further afield who was equally in awe: Shania’s biggest fan, Harry Styles.
According to insiders, while Harry didn’t make an appearance at this year’s Glastonbury, he made sure to watch one of his longtime idols in action, and, having previously credited her for inspiring him as a child, he’s now making sure she knows just how much she means to him. As an artist, as an icon, and – on the off-chance that she ever finds herself single again – as a potential love interest.
We’re told the As It Was singer is doing all he can to cement a bond with Shania, who’s 28 years his senior, and having sung together in the past, is hoping they’ll collaborate further in the future. She, meanwhile, is duly flattered by his attention and is equally keen to collaborate again – all the while making it clear that, while their chemistry is electric on stage, she might just be one of the few women left in this world who doesn’t want to take things further with Harry.
“Harry is in awe of Shania,” says an insider close to the 30 year old, who famously invited the country singing legend to the stage during his Coachella set in 2022 to sing duet versions of two of her biggest hits: Man! I Feel Like A Woman and You’re Still The One. “Obviously, she’s a very happily married woman, and he’s respectful of that, but he can’t help but flirt with her.
"Shania is also very taken with Harry and says he’s a lovely and talented young man who deserves all the success he’s had. They talk a lot more than people realise about everything from songwriting to fashion, and they even give each other career advice. There’s a real spark between them when it comes to the way they see music and life in general, and Harry always talks about how stunning and sweet she is. He fully admits that he’d love to find someone like her.”
Last week, Shania had teased the possibility of reuniting with the former One Directioner for her highly-anticipated Glastonbury set, after their duet at Coachella two years ago took the world by storm. Speaking before the festival, she said, “I was Harry’s guest at Coachella, so if he attends Glastonbury, then I will make him come up with me. If he attends, that is. If he’s not there, it’s really hard to get in there just to show up, so I’m not going to hold it against him.”
To fans’ disappointment, Harry didn’t storm the stage after all, but that has set the ball rolling for future projects together – especially since they clearly have a powerful dynamic on stage together that is hard to beat. Speaking previously, Shania called their Coachella collaboration, “One of the highlights of my career”, adding, “We’re just very easy together…it’s like we’ve known each other for a very long time.”
Harry, meanwhile has never shied away from admitting just much he idolises Shania, saying, “In the car, with my mother as a child, this lady [Shania] taught me to sing”, before jokingly adding, “She also told me that men are trash!” We’re told that, though they couldn’t make Glastonbury work this time around, he’s now doing everything he can to lock her in for something special in the near future.
“It will happen soon – they both had so much fun together on stage and want to do it again,” says our source.
“It might have come off as some sort of publicity grab when she hopped on stage with him that first time, but they genuinely are good friends. Their friendship was all Harry’s doing; he totally poured on the charm the first time he met Shania and told her all about how much influence her music had on him.
"He basically went into complete fan mode, telling her how much used to love watching her music videos, and admitting to crushing on her growing up. Shania was actually shocked he even knew who she was; she figured he was way too young and in such a different genre, but of course she was very flattered. He was so giddy about meeting her, and didn’t put on any rockstar attitude, which impressed her. Shania loves down to earth people.”
As for a romantic connection, it’s unlikely that anything will ever happen between them – not least because Shania is very happily married to her husband of 13 years, French executive Frédéric Thiébaud. What’s more, at 58, she doesn’t see Harry as anything other than a much younger, very good friend – who’s actually closer in age to her son, Eja, 22, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Robert John Lange.
Still, there’s no denying that Harry has always enjoyed dating a slightly more mature woman. At 17, he dated a then 31-year-old Caroline Flack; he also dated actress Olivia Wilde, who was 10 years older than him, for two years, until their relationship ended in 2022. Up until recently, he was seeing actress Taylor Russell, but insiders have reported their 14-month relationship ended in May, making Harry available again.
“Shania doesn’t see Harry as anything more than a sweet kid, but Harry isn’t shy about throwing out the compliments,” our insider reveals. “She does look half her age, and Harry’s always had such a thing for older women, so it’s not really a big shock he’s still crushing on her. She’s a babe!”
We're told Harry knows that – as things stand – he doesn’t have a serious chance with Shania; but who knows what could happen in the future? If her circumstances ever change, he's making it abundantly clear that she’s Still The One for him.