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Biography
From humble beginnings in a rural French
Canadian home town, Céline Dion has risen to international superstardom
like a shooting star. Céline has been called the premier contemporary
pop vocalist of the Nineties. She has earned music industry accolades
from around the world: Grammy Awards in the US, Juno and Felix Awards in
Canada, and World Music Awards in Europe. The entire world has seen Céline
Dion literally transform herself from a gifted pre-adolescent into an
international superstar.
Born in Charlemagne (a small town 30 miles east of Montréal, Québec,
Canada), Céline is the youngest of 14 children of a highly musical
family. Her parents, both musicians, operated a small club, and on
weekends, the entire family performed and entertained the local
population. From the tender age of 5, Céline sang with her siblings and
quickly acquired the ability to perform live. At the age of twelve,
together with her mother and one of her brothers, Céline composed a
French song which would forever alter the course of her life.
The demo tape containing the song was brought to the attention of René
Angélil, a well respected personal manager. In January 1981, René was
so taken by the voice of the young Céline, that he became determined to
make her an internationally known talent - he even mortgaged his house
to finance the recording of Céline's debut album!
Céline began to receive recognition for her talent in 1982, winning the
Gold Medal at the Yamaha World Song Festival in Tokyo, along with the
coveted Musician's Award for Top Performer. In 1983, she became the
first Canadian ever to receive a Gold Record in France.
The streak of recognition had only just begun.
By 1988, Céline had established a strong name for herself in her native
province of Québec, where she was enjoying superstar status, receiving
numerous Felix Awards and racking up platinum albums. That same year, Céline
won the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland, where
she performed live before a television audience of 600 million viewers
throughout Europe, the USSR, the Middle-East, Japan, and Australia.
In September 1990, Céline released 'Unison' - her first
English-language album and her first for Sony Music - and scored a
breakthrough US hit with the Top 5 single "Where Does My Heart Beat
Now".
Céline's international breakthrough came when she recorded the title
track for the soundtrack to the animated Disney hit movie 'Beauty and
the Beast'. The song went to number one and garnered an Academy Award
and a Grammy Award. "Beauty and the Beast" formed the
cornerstone for Céline's second English language album, called simply 'Céline
Dion'. That album produced four more hit singles including "Love
Can Move Mountains," "Water From The Moon," "If You
Asked Me To" and "Did You Give Enough Love." In Canada,
the album went six times platinum and set the stage for an incredible
streak of Juno Awards.
On December 17, 1994, Céline Dion and René Angélil were married at
Notre Dame Basilica in Montréal.
At this time, the Céline juggernaut started rolling at a momentous pace
in the UK. British fans took extremely well to "Think Twice,"
a ballad on 'The Colour Of My Love.' For five consecutive weeks, the
song and album stood on top of the respective British charts, an
achievement not replicated since 1965 and the heyday of The Beatles.
"Think Twice" remained at number one for two more weeks,
surpassing the magic million mark to become only the fourth
million-selling single ever in the UK by a female artist.
With 'D'eux,' Céline achieved what everyone thought was impossible -
introduced French music to the upper reaches of the British charts. The
world had truly discovered Céline Dion.
Blessed with one of popular music's great voices, she has crossed all
barriers - even that of language - with her electrifying series of
international hits. With her breakneck pace of recording, video shoots,
touring and appearing on TV shows and awards specials, it seems like Céline
has time for little else. Not the case when it comes to an important
cause. Céline has used her talents to further the cause of the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In fact, one of Céline's most emotional
songs ("Vole," from the 'D'eux' album, later translated into
English as the song "Fly," which appears on the 'Falling Into
You' album) is a touching memorial to her niece, Karine, who was taken
from her by this disease.
Released in March 1996, 'Falling Into You' became the best-selling album
released that year; topped the charts in 11 countries, and was voted
Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards
ceremony. The album has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.
'Let's Talk About Love' is the follow-up to Céline's double Grammy
Award-winning album. Recorded in London, New York and Los Angeles,
'Let's Talk About Love' features a host of special guests including some
of popular music's greatest vocalists, songwriters, and producers.
'Let's Talk About Love' was released on the same day as the soundtrack
of the motion picture 'Titanic'. Both albums featured the much-loved
Titanic movie's theme song, "My Heart Will Go On," written by
James Horner and produced by James Horner and Walter Afanasieff.
"My Heart Will Go On" quickly became the wedding song of
choice for Céline's fans.
In a stunning back-to-back achievement, 'Let's Talk About Love' went on
to match the 27 million worldwide sales of its predecessor; 'Titanic'
also sold over 27 million copies worldwide. It is the all-time
best-selling orchestral soundtrack in recording history. Céline sang
"My Heart Will Go On" on the worldwide telecast of the 70th
Annual Academy Awards, live from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los
Angeles. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song -- the
second Oscar for a song sung by Céline Dion, following "Beauty And
The Beast".
A new French album, 'S'il suffisait d'aimer,' recorded in February 1998,
was officially released worldwide on September 8. The first featured
single, "Zola sourit" received rave responses on the radio all
over the world. Céline first introduced her fans to the album's title
track during her Let's Talk About Love World Tour.
Céline's next album, 'These Are Special Times,' featured sixteen songs
for the holiday season, including the Christmas pop classics "Blue
Christmas" and "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An
Open Fire)"; and such traditional religious favorites as "O
Holy Night" and "Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye
Faithful)". In addition, 'These Are Special Times' produced the No.
1 single "I'm Your Angel," Céline's duet with R. Kelly, who
wrote and produced the song; the Diane Warren-penned title track,
"These Are Special Times"; and "The Prayer," a duet
with Andrea Bocelli.
Also, in 1998, Dundurn Press released the much anticipated biography: Céline...The
Authorized Biography. After travelling with Céline and her entourage
for over a year and spending hours in one-on-one conversions with the
star, Georges-Hébert Germain recounts the story of one of the world's
best loved vocal artists. Céline and Georges-Hébert Germain later
collaborated once again on Céline Dion...My Story, My Dream. Released
in 2000, Céline recounts her story in her own words and straight from
her heart. The autobiography is an exquisitely detailed portrait of Céline
backstage, on the road, and in the recording studio.
'All The Way...A Decade Of Song' is a collection of Céline's greatest
hits, including her chart-topping hit singles "The Power Of
Love," "Because You Loved Me," "I'm Your
Angel," and the Grammy and Academy Award-winning classic "My
Heart Will Go On." Also included are "Beauty And The
Beast," "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"; and "If
You Asked Me To".
Seven brand-new songs, were recorded specifically for this collection,
including the title song "All The Way," a respectful and
loving tribute to one of Céline's all-time favourite singers, the late
Frank Sinatra.
On New Year's Eve 1999, in Montréal, Céline Dion gave her last public
performance before beginning a temporary hiatus from show business to
enjoy her private life... and improve her golf game!
During Céline's hiatus, a compilation album, 'The Collector's
Series...Volume One,' was released in October 2000. Among Céline's
greatest hits and best-loved recordings, the album also includes
"The Power of the Dream" which Céline performed at the
opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games as well as a Spanish
version of "All By Myself".
But the greatest joy for Céline and René came with the birth of their
son René-Charles Angélil, born January 25, 2001 at 1:00 AM, weighing 6
lbs, 8 oz. He was baptized six months later on July 25, 2001, in Montréal's
grand Notre-Dame Basilica.
A new peak in Céline's spectacular career was reached when she released
her new album 'A New Day Has Come' in March 2002, which ended her
two-year hiatus. The album entered number one in more than 17 countries,
including Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Italy, Norway,
United Kingdom, and the United States within two weeks of its debut. It
features new tracks that range from pure 21st century pop, "A New
Day Has Come" to dramatic ballads "Have You Ever Been In
Love" and "I Surrender," from breathtaking dance music
"Sorry For Love" to a pair of pre-rock classics "At
Last;" and "Nature Boy." Other highlights include
"I'm Alive," "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)," and
"Rain, Tax (It's Inevitable)".
The release of the album was accompanied by a blitz of TV specials,
appearances on talk shows and magazine interviews all over the world.
In March 2003, Céline began a three-year commitment to appear five
nights a week at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, a
4000-seat arena designed for her show. A 90-minute event, A New Day...
introduces a new form of entertainment, a fusion of song, performance
art, theatrical innovation and state-of-the-art technology. The show was
created by Dragone Productions, a team led by Franco Dragone, the
creative spirit behind ten of the critically acclaimed productions by
Cirque du Soleil.
On March 25th, to coincide with the opening of A New Day..., Céline
released 'One Heart,' a brand new album featuring an upbeat cover of Roy
Orbison's classic "I Drove All Night" as its first single. The
album also includes songs produced by Ric Wake, Anders Bagge, Kristian
Lundin, Peer Astrom, Max Martin, Mark Taylor, Erick Benzi et Humberto
Gatica.
On October 14th of the same year, Céline released the much anticipated
'1 fille & 4 types,' her first French album in five years. Artistic
director Jean-Jacques Goldman, the power behind 'D'eux' (1995) and 'S'il
suffisait d'aimer' (1998), had come up with an idea to surround her with
three different writer-composers who have made their mark on the French
music scene: Jacques Veneruso, Erick Benzi and master guitarist Gildas
Arzel.
The voice of one or other of these incomparable artists accompanies Céline's
performance throughout the album, produced by Benzi and guided by
Goldman from start to finish. '1 fille & 4 types' debuted as the top
selling in Canada, France and Switzerland in its first week of release.
The first single, "Tout l'or des hommes" also made radio
history by establishing the record for becoming the highest charting
Francophone single on the National CHR Audience chart in the BDS era in
Canada.
On June 14th, 2004, Céline's album 'A New Day...Live In Las Vegas' was
released into stores worldwide. The album, which includes a
behind-the-scenes DVD, features thirteen songs perfomed live on stage
from her Las Vegas show A New Day... and two new studio-recorded tracks:
"You and I" and "Ain't Gonna Look The Other Way".
The live tracks feature Céline's most recognizable songs such as
"My Heart Will Go On" and outstanding renditions including
Barbra Streisand's "If I Could", Frank Sinatra's "I've
Got The World On A String" and Stevie Wonder's "I Wish".
October 11th, 2004, Céline's latest album 'Miracle' officially hit
stores worldwide. This is album is all about the love and bond between a
mother and her child, something which is precious and cannot be
compared. 'Miracle' includes Céline's newest single which has the same
title as the album, and many others including "Bhram's
Lullaby".
 Career achievements
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