Celine Dion

Celine Dion (born 30.3.1968)

Celine Dion is a Canadian pop vocalist, as well as an actress and songwriter.

Celine Dion: Childhood

Celine Dion was born in Quebec, Canada, to French-Canadian parents. Her father is Adhémar Dion and her mother is Therese Tanguay.

Celine often sang with her family, at her parents' piano bar and at the age of 12, she wrote a song called 'Ce n'etait qu'un reve' ('It Was Only A Dream'), with her brother and mother. Her brother sent a recording of the song to the music manager Rene Agelil, who was reportedly moved to tears by Dion's voice. He self-funded her first release, 'La Voix du bon Dieu' which quickly propelled Celine to stardom in her native Canada.

In 1983, Dion became the first Canadian artist to be awarded with a gold record in France. Five years later, she represented Switzerland in the Eurovision song contest with 'Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi' ('Don't Go Without Me'), winning the contest.

At the age of 18, Dion professed a desire to be as popular as Michael Jackson and to crack the American market. She underwent dental procedures to improve her appearance, as well as taking English lessons to broaden her appeal to the American market.

Celine Dion: Pop Music Breakthrough & Career

Celine Dion's English language debut came in 1990, with the release of Unison, which was largely comprised of soft rock music that became popular on mainstream radio. Her first single to reach the Billboard Hot 100 was 'Where Does My Heart Beat Now?' The following year, Celine Dion performed a duet with Peabo Bryson for the Disney animation Beauty and the Beast. The song was a huge commercial hit and won an Oscar for Best Song, as well as a Grammy Award. 'Beauty and the Beast' then became one of the tracks featured on Dion's second, eponymous album. She worked with the songwriter Diane warren for this release, which, again, proved to be a massive global success.

Dion also released a French-language album in 1991, entitled Dion Chante Plamadon, which consisted largely of cover versions. It became her first French album to receive an international release and has sold over 1.5 million copies globally.

Celine Dion's third English-language album, The Colour of My Love, was released in 1993, on which she publicly declared her feelings for her long-time manager, Angélil. The album became a phenomenal success, selling over 8 million units worldwide. The biggest hit from the album was 'The Power of Love', a re-recording of a 1985 Jennifer Rush hit. The album also contained a duet with Clive Griffin, entitled 'When I Fall In Love'. Dion's popularity in the UK was cemented with the success of 'Think Twice', which was number one for seven weeks in Britain.

Dion continued to alternate between French and English language albums, with the next French release being A L'Olympia. She took some of the songs from this album and translated them, to become 'If That's What It Takes' and 'I Don't Know' for the English album Falling Into You, which featured covers of Tina Turner's 'River Deep, Mountain High' and Eric Carmen's 'All By Myself'. The Diane Warren-penned 'Because You Loved Me' was a number one hit and was used in the soundtrack to Up Close and Personal.

In case Dion's celebrity status was in any doubt, she was then chosen to perform at the opening ceremony for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where she sang 'The Power of the Dream'.

1997 saw Dion release Let's Talk About Love, which featured a number of vocal guests, including Luciano Pavarotti, the Bee Gees and Barbra Streisand as well as appearances from Carole King, Sir George Martin and Diana King. The biggest-selling single from the album was 'My Heart Will Go On', composed by James Horner. The song was famously featured on the soundtrack to Titanic, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.

In the late 1990s, Dion released a Christmas album, 1998's These Are Special Times (featuring a duet with R. Kelly) and the 1999 album All the Way.. A Decade of Song. The latter album featured a number of cover versions, including Roberta Flack's 'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face' as well as a duet with Frank Sinatra, entitled 'All the Way'. She also appeared on a VH1 special, entitled Divas Live, which also featured Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Aretha Franklin and Gloria Estefan.

In 2002, Dion returned to music after a break. The album A New Day Has Come debuted at number one, though many critics gave it a lukewarm response. The following year, she released One Heart, which was a move into dance music - a first for Celine Dion. She also recorded a cover of Cyndi Lauper's 'I Drove All Night' for a Chrysler commercial.

Miracle, another English language album, was released in 2004. It focused on the theme of motherhood and contained a number of lullabies and expressions of maternal love, as well as covering Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World' and John Lennon's 'Beautiful Boy'.

In 2003, Celine Dion performed a string of 4000-seater shows at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, earning a reported $76 million.

Four years later, Celine Dion released the Taking Chances album, which featured songwriting from Linda Perry, Ne-Yo and ex-Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody.