Céline Dion

Céline Marie Claudette Dion OC, OQ (born March 30, 1968) is a popular vocalist from Québec, Canada. Her music has been influenced by pop, rock and soul, and from humble beginnings she has risen to become one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with worldwide record sales surpassing 200 million.

Early life and career beginnings

Dion was the youngest of 14 children, born to Adhemar and Therese Dion in Charlemagne, a small town 30 miles east of Montréal, Québec, Canada. This Roman Catholic family often faced material deprivation and austerity, but it was filled with love and music and the family persevered.

Related Topics:
Charlemagne - Montréal, Québec - Canada - Roman Catholic

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Dion honed her musical talents by singing with her siblings from the age of five in the small club belonging to her parents. On weekends, the entire family performed and entertained the local population. At 12, together with her mother and one of her brothers, she composed her first song "Ce n'etait qu'un rêve" ("It Was Only a Dream"), which her brother Michael sent to René Angélil, a manager, whose name he had found on the back of an album by Ginette Reno, a popular Francophone singer. Angélil was brought to tears by Dion's beautiful voice and immediately decided to make her an international success.

Related Topics:
René Angélil - Ginette Reno - Francophone

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Angelil mortgaged his home to help finance her career and in 1981, they released her first record in her native French language, "La Voix du bon Dieu" ("The Voice of God"), which made her an instant star in Québec as it became a local #1 single. This recognition would soon spread worldwide, as the following year she won the gold medal at the Yamaha World Song Festival in Tokyo, along with the Musician's Award for Top Performer. In 1983, she became the first Canadian ever to receive a Gold Record in France.

Related Topics:
Mortgage - 1981 - French language - Yamaha - Tokyo - 1983 - France

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Commercial Success

At 18, Dion saw Michael Jackson performing on television and she told Angelil that she wanted to be a star like him. Dion then underwent a physical transformation to remake her image; she cut her hair, and had her teeth capped to cover up the incisors that had caused a Québec humor magazine to dub her "Canine Dion." http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/dion_celine/bio.jhtml She was also sent off to an English language school to polish her language and this would later enable her to break into the anglophone North American market.

Related Topics:
Michael Jackson - Hair - Teeth - Incisors - North America

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In 1987, she produced the album Incognito, which became a huge success in francophone Canada. She enjoyed superstar status, receiving numerous Felix Awards and multiple sales. She was approached by Swiss songwriters Atilla Şereftuğ and Nella Martinetti, and was chosen to represent Switzerland in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, singing "Ne partez pas sans moi". By winning the contest in Dublin on April 30, 1988, she received a large boost to her career in Europe and she also gained recognition in other areas worldwide, such as the USSR, the Middle-East, Japan, and Australia.

Related Topics:
1987 - Felix Awards - Swiss - Songwriters - Atilla Şereftuğ - Nella Martinetti - Switzerland - 1988 Eurovision Song Contest - Dublin - April 30 - 1988 - Europe - USSR - Middle-East - Japan - Australia

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Dion's first English-language album, Unison, released in 1990, expanded her international recognition with the breakthrough top five single, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now". The album also earned Dion her first certification from RIAA as it went platinum in America. However, her real international breakthrough came when she recorded the title track for the soundtrack to the animated Disney hit movie Beauty and the Beast with Peabo Bryson. The song topped the US charts for five weeks and earned her an Academy Award for "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television" and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Shortly after her Unison album was released, Dion acted in a television mini-series called Des fleurs sur la neige (Flowers on the Snow). She portrayed a young woman named Elisa who lived a very difficult, abused life. Dion enjoyed her role and has since expressed interest in acting in a motion picture.

Related Topics:
1990 - RIAA - Platinum - America - Animated - Disney - Beauty and the Beast - Peabo Bryson - Charts - Academy Award - Best Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television - Grammy Award - Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Television - Mini-series

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Dion's 1992 eponymous album also featured the single "Beauty and the Beast." That album produced four more hit singles; "Love Can Move Mountains," "Water From The Moon," "If You Asked Me To" and "Did You Give Enough Love." The album went 2× platinum in America and 6× platinum in Canada, and won her many awards including Juno Awards and the World Music Award for being the "World?s Best selling Canadian Female Recording Artist of the Year".

Related Topics:
1992 - Canada - Juno Awards - World Music Award

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Apart from her rising success, there were also changes in Dion's personal life, as Angelil would make the transition from manager to lover. However, fearful that the public would find the 26-year difference between their ages perturbing, the relationship was kept a secret.

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In late 1993, Dion fearlessly indicated to the public for the first time that she was in love with her manager, René Angélil. In the dedication section of her third English-language album, The Colour of My Love, Dion named Angélil "the colour of love". Eventually, they became engaged, and married in December 1994. The wedding was widely watched on television across Canada. The couple would soon have a son, René-Charles Angélil (born January 2001). The album itself would go on to be certified 6× platinum in America. Hits included a cover of Jennifer Rush's "The Power of Love", which topped the US charts for four weeks, and "When I Fall In Love". In the UK, she received massive success as fans took well to "Think Twice". The song and album stayed at the top of their respective charts for five consecutive weeks, with "Think Twice" spending two more weeks atop the charts. It surpassed the million mark to become the fourth million-selling single ever in the UK, by a female artist.

Related Topics:
1993 - The Colour of My Love - December - 1994 - Wedding - Canada - January - 2001 - Jennifer Rush - UK

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In 1995 Dion recorded a collection of Carole King songs called Tapestry Revisited, In My Life (a collection of Beatles songs in tribute to producer George Martin).

Related Topics:
1995 - Carole King - Beatles - George Martin

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In keeping with her French roots, Dion continued to release French albums between her English language recordings. These include the albums Dion chante Plamondon and Céline Dion à l'Olympia, 1994, and D'eux (known as The French Album in the United States) in 1995.

Related Topics:
English - 1994 - United States - 1995

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In March 1996, the monster hit, Falling Into You, was released. It spawned hits such as the title track, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", a remake of Eric Carmen's "All by Myself", and the chart-topper "Because You Loved Me". The album topped the charts in 11 countries, and won the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the 39th annual Grammy Awards ceremony. It became her biggest selling LP to date; it has been certified 11× platinum in America and has sold about 30 million copies worldwide.

Related Topics:
March - 1996 - Eric Carmen - Grammy Awards - Album of the Year - Best Pop Album

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That year, Dion was also asked to perform at the opening ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympics. She performed the theme song, "The Power of the Dream" accompanied by composer David Foster and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Related Topics:
Olympics - Theme song - David Foster - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

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Dion followed Falling Into You with her 1997 release Let's Talk About Love. Though it was a tough act to follow, Let's Talk About Love actually matched the success of its predecessor. The album was recorded in London, New York and Los Angeles and featured a host of special guests, including some of popular music's greatest vocalists; Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, and world renowned classical vocalist Luciano Pavarotti, as well as many great songwriters and producers.

Related Topics:
1997 - Let's Talk About Love - London - New York - Los Angeles - Barbra Streisand - Bee Gees - Classical - Luciano Pavarotti - Songwriters

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'Let's Talk About Love' was released on the same day as the soundtrack of the 1997 motion picture Titanic. Both albums featured the theme song, "My Heart Will Go On," written by James Horner and produced by James Horner and Walter Afanasieff. At first she was reluctant to record "My Heart Will Go On"; her husband/manager and James Horner had to convince her. My Heart Will Go On became the all-time best-selling Orchestral soundtrack in recording history. The album went on to receive Diamond status in America and won Dion innumerable local and international awards, such as many Juno Awards, and two Grammy's (the song itself won four, but two were presented to the songwriters) in 1999, and three World Music Awards for being the "World's Best Selling Pop Artist of the Year", "World's Overall Best Selling Recording Artist of the Year" and "World?s Best Selling Canadian Recording Artist of the Year". She also received countless awards for her achievements from Europe and Asia. In 1998, she received many honors from her home country; she was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada for outstanding contribution to the world of contemporary music and Officer of the National Order of Quebec. A year later, she was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame.

Related Topics:
Soundtrack - Motion picture - Titanic - My Heart Will Go On - James Horner - Walter Afanasieff - Orchestra - Diamond - Juno Awards - Grammy - 1999 - World Music Awards - Europe - Asia - 1998 - Order of Canada - National Order of Quebec - Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame

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Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Dion participated on a double-CD set in commemoration.

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At her career peak, Dion was asked to perform on VH1's "Divas Live" special with such superstars as Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, and Shania Twain, solidifying her status as one of the biggest divas of contemporary music.

Related Topics:
VH1 - Diva - Aretha Franklin - Mariah Carey - Gloria Estefan - Shania Twain

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Keeping busy in the studios, Dion released the holiday album These Are Special Times in 1998 and it went on to become one of the biggest selling of its kind. The chart topper, "I'm Your Angel", a duet with R. Kelly came from this album, as well as "The Prayer," a duet with Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, wich was recorded for the 1998 animated film Quest for Camelot.

Related Topics:
1998 - Duet - R. Kelly - Andrea Bocelli - Quest for Camelot

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In 1999, Dion released the album All the Way...A Decade of Song. This contained a collection of her previous hit singles, such as "Beauty And The Beast", "The Power Of Love," "Because You Loved Me," "I'm Your Angel,"and the classic "My Heart Will Go On", plus seven new songs including "Thats The Way It Is", a remake of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" , her remake with Frank Sinatra, "All The Way" (which she dedicated to her husband), and "Then You Look at Me" (from Bicentennial Man, also written by Horner and Jennings). An accompanying DVD with videos and live performances was also released. On that album, she also told the public that she was taking an hiatus from the music industry to enjoy her family.

Related Topics:
1999 - All the Way...A Decade of Song - I'm Your Angel - Roberta Flack - Frank Sinatra - Bicentennial Man - DVD

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