Teaming up with Shania Twain, Hoda Kotb is certainly impressing us much.
NBC’s “Today” show co-anchor joined Twain onstage Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York to present her with a double-diamond platinum record for her 1997 breakthrough album “Come On Over.” And she ended up singing a few bars from the album’s hit song “You’re Still the One.”
The unexpected duet — a manifestation of karaoke duet dreams — came after Twain, who is on her Queen of Me tour, sat for an interview with her longtime friend and styled the famed broadcast journalist in her own wardrobe ahead of Tuesday night’s concert.
“I was in Shania’s hands now and suddenly found myself headed out onstage in front of 20,000 screaming Shania fans,” Kotb said on Wednesday’s “Today” show.
The Queen of Country Pop welcomed Kotb onto the stage, praising her good friend with whom she was delighted to reunite.
“Before this next song, I want to introduce someone I’ve loved for many years. We’ve been good friends for a long, long time,” Twain said. “We text about all kinds of things staying in touch, but there’s nothing like being in person together. Please welcome to the stage, my good friend Hoda!”
Kotb tried to surprise the “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much” singer with the double-diamond platinum record (meaning it sold more than 40 million copies), but Twain one-upped her by revealing that she was reissuing “Come On Over” on Aug. 25 for its 25th anniversary. (The musician described the album Wednesday on Instagram as “the best record of my life – no holding back!”)
“It’s really amazing how music can go [through] this full cycle and live through generations, and that’s of course all because of you, thanks to you,” Twain told the audience.
“Hoda, after all these years of knowing you, we’re finally going to sing together,” she added, strumming her guitar as they sang the two-time Grammy-winning song.
The stunned Kotb described her performance later as “a combination of mouthing and panic.”
“As I left the stage I knew that moment — that magic — would stay with me for a lifetime,” she said, adding later, “It was so incredibly moving and beautiful. There are moments you dream about happening … she’s so generous and kind I don’t even know what to say. But I’m touched and I’m moved. It’s a moment I’ll never forget as long as I live.”
Kotb’s fans praised her on Instagram, basking in the epic quality of the moment.
“Omg hoda!!! Amazing!!!” wrote actor-singer Kristin Chenoweth.
“A QUEEN SO DESERVING!!!!” added another Instagram user.
“You made the show sweet HODA! We love you !!!!!! This was such a profound moment,” added another.
Twain’s Queen of Me tour wraps in November at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
