Shania Twain Reveals How She & Harry Styles Became Friends ‘Before He Really Blew Up’

Harry Styles completely surprised his fans last April when he brought out the one and only Shania Twain as a guest performer at Coachella. But it turns out, the two go way back.

In a recent appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Twain opened up about how her friendship with the 28-year-old “As It Was” singer began long before their partnership at the music festival. “He was playing a show in New York,” she explained on Wednesday (Jan. 4). “This is before he really blew up.”

“I went backstage to meet him,” she continued. “We became texting friends.”

Later, the “You’re Still the One” musician was asked by Styles to wish his mom a happy birthday over the phone, she recalled. “‘My mom was a big influence on me and why I grew up with your music,’” Twain remembered Styles telling her.

“I called her up and wished her happy birthday,” she added. “Harry and I have been friends ever since.”

Afterward, the 57-year-old singer-songwriter was just one call away for Styles to invite her to perform her hits “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “You’re Still the One” with him in Coachella Valley. The pair wore matching sparkly outfits and danced with each other onstage.

Twain, whose album Queen of Me drops next month, also spoke with Colbert about being an inspiration to some of today’s top artists including Post Malone, Taylor Swift and, of course, Styles. “Things have gone full circle these last 25, 30 years for me,” she said. “These are artists that were kids … growing up to my music. And now, they’re grown up and able to express whatever that inspiration was to me. It feels really, really good.”

Watch Shania Twain talk about her friendship with Harry Styles above.