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From humble beginnings in a rural French Canadian home town, Celine Dion has risen to international superstardom like a shooting star. Celine 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 Celine Dion literally transform herself from a gifted pre-adolescent into an international superstar.
Born in Charlemagne (a small town 30 miles east of Montreal,
Quebec, Canada), Celine 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, Celine sang with
her siblings and quickly acquired the ability of performing live.
At the age of twelve, together with her mother and one of her
brothers, Celine 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 Rene Angelil, a well respected personal manager. In January, 1981, Rene was so taken by the voice of the young Celine, that he became determined to make her an internationally known talent - he even mortgaged his house to finance the recording of Celine's debut album!
Celine 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 begun.
By 1988, Celine had established a strong name for herself in her
native province of Quebec, where she was enjoying superstar status,
receiving numerous Felix Awards and racking up platinum albums.
That same year, Celine 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.
Celine'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 Celine's second English language album, called simply 'Celine 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.
But it was with the release of 'The Colour Of My Love' that
Celine fulfilled her promise as one of the foremost pop artists
of the era. Again, it included a film theme - she duetted with
the British singer Clive Griffin on the much-loved classic "When
I Fall In Love," which appeared on the soundtrack of the
box-office triumph 'Sleepless In Seattle.' Again it included a
cover version - her marvelous interpretation of Jennifer Rush's
1985 hit "The Power Of Love." And again it proved that
Celine's powerful voice and dramatic style are equally at home
on tender ballads ("The Colour Of My Love") and amid
attacking club rhythms ("Misled.") Needless to say,
the album sold incredibly in Canada.
At this time, the Celine 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.
And with her 'D'eux' album, Celine achieved what everyone thought was impossible - introduced French music to the upper reaches of the British charts. The world had truly discovered Celine Dion.
Blessed with one of popular music's truly 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 Celine has time for little else. Not the case when
it comes to an important cause. Celine has used her talents to
further cause of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In fact,
one of Celine'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 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 in the 39th annual
Grammy Awards. The album, to date, has sold more than 25 million
copies world wide.
'Let's Talk About Love' is the follow-up to her 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.
