Celine Dion: biography, best songs, interesting facts

Celine Dion

The very fate favored Celine Dion to become a world famous singer. To begin with, she gave her excellent vocal abilities and made it possible to be born in a musical family, where the girl was strongly supported and helped to open up. Then she gave a meeting with Rene Angel and ... the whole world. It is difficult to call a place where her lyrical soprano, full of feelings and emotions, would not be heard. We propose to follow the path of Celine Dion with us and find out how she was able to reach such heights.

A short biography of Celine Dion and a lot of interesting facts about the singer read on our page.

short biography

On March 30, 1968, the fourteenth child, little Celine, appeared in the family of Dion, which had French-Canadian roots. This event took place in the small town of Charlemagne, which later became part of Montreal - the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was here that the childhood of the future star passed. It was here that she took the first steps towards a global career. And her parents helped her in this.

Ademar and Teresa Dion were the owners of a small bar. The institution not only brought a small income, but also allowed the whole family to feel like a single musical group. While the father played the accordion, and his mother the violin, the children sang. Such concerts were held every Sunday, allowing little Celine to hone her skills and join the stage.

Needless to say, Celine lived in music and dreamed of a singing career? We think not. Her passion was supported by the entire large family. So, with the help of her mother and brother Jacques, she recorded her first French-language song. Demo version of the song was sent to audition the manager René Angelila. Rene was so moved by the vocal abilities of the young person that he stated with confidence that she would make a real star. To promote the first album "La Voix Du Bon Dieu", he laid down his own house. The risk was justified: the disc becomes a hit, and 12-year-old Celine - a local celebrity.

Childhood quietly disappeared, giving the rights of an adult self-sufficient life, full of new accomplishments. About a year later, Celine won the Tokyo Song Festival, and a year later her album received gold status in France - none of the Canadian performers had ever achieved this before. Great start, right?

A lot of awards, high sales of albums, concerts and the love of fans in their homeland - this was the result of Dion's work on his 20th birthday. But this ambitious girl was not enough. She wanted her songs to be heard all over the world.

Eurovision was the first step towards winning world glory, in which she gave Switzerland a victory in 1988. Selin literally sang for almost the whole world: the opportunity to enjoy her singing was an opportunity for people in Europe, the Middle East, the USSR and Australia. She proved that her voice is great and proceeded to record the debut English-language album "Unison". In 1990, he enters the rotation of American radio stations and brings Celine fame. Especially popular was the track "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", which ranked fourth in the charts.

The next breakthrough occurs in a year. Canadian recorded with the American soul singer Peeb Bryson the title track to the animated film "Beauty and the Beast." A beautiful and romantic soundtrack became the main hit of the season and presented his performer with an Oscar and a Grammy. Celine included the track in her second English album, thus supporting her own success.

While enjoying the popularity and relevance in the US market, Celine did not forget about the Canadian public. The new album "Dion chante Plamondo" was recorded special for the French-speaking population of Canada. But he was waiting for the international fate and recognition in France.

But what about personal life? She also developed rapidly after a musical career. The man who managed to win the heart of the Canadian, was her manager Rene Angelil. The age difference between them was 26 years. But this did not become an obstacle to the emergence of a sincere and pure feeling. There were a lot of rumors about their novel, but the woman didn’t want to publicize her relationship: she was afraid of misunderstanding. And in vain. After a heart attack that happened to Rene in 1992, the couple began to openly talk about their love and accept the congratulations of the fans. Two years later, Celine and Rene got married.

In the mid-90s, Celine Dion's career reached a dizzying success. She continues to record albums for French and English publics, repeats the success of The Beatles, taking the top lines of the British charts for 5 weeks, actively touring. And at the peak of fame, in 1999, leaves the stage to devote his life to family and motherhood. To this decision, her spodvig throat cancer, which was diagnosed in Rene, and the desire to become a mother. The following year, as a result of IVF, a couple born son Rene-Charles.

Celine returned to music after 3 years with the album "A New Day Has Come" and was again able to take the top lines in the American, Canadian and British charts. It seemed that her magnificent voice did not disappear from the scene.

The endless series of recordings of new songs, albums and staging concerts continues to this day. Only two events in her life were able to interrupt this movement: the birth of twins in 2010 and the death of Rene in 2016. The departure of her husband left a deep impression in the singer's soul. For his sake, she continues to sing and delight the public with new songs, powerful vocals and colorful performances.

Interesting Facts

• The full name of the pop star is Celine Marie Claudette Dion.
• In the name of Celine lies the love of her parents for music. After all, this is the name of the song of the French musician South Ofre, which the singer's mother sang when she was pregnant.

• The French-speaking singer remembers well her first performances for her huge family. A five-year-old girl delighted loved ones with songs by American rock singer Janis Joplin, standing on the kitchen table. The concert image consisted of a handmade dress and old shoes, which the mother’s girls painted white — the family had no money for a new pair.
• The choice of Rene Angelil as the future manager of Celine was somewhat random. The mom of a 12-year-old girl just saw his name on the cover of the album of the popular singer Ginneth Renault in Canada and decided to turn to him.
• In school, young Celine was not popular. Her classmates laughed at a very thin girl with an improper bite, they were rude to her, they called her names and threw snowballs at her. The singer herself hardly forced herself to go to school, which she hated with all her heart. She could not wait for the lessons to end so she could be at home faster and play music.
• By fashion Celine has a special passion. Deprived of beautiful dresses in her childhood, she more than fills the gap: she dresses at world-famous couturiers, changes up to 7 costumes per concert, is removed for fashion houses and pleases fans with her own collections of accessories. So, in 2017, she presented more than 200 variants of bags, belts and suitcases. Celine also owns a line of perfume fragrances. Elegant, stylish and gorgeous - people compliment her with such compliments. However, sometimes the work of her stylists and makeup artists is condemned by the press and the army of fans.

• The difference in age with Rene affected their desire to have children. After marriage, Celine was set to give birth to a baby. There were other tasks in Rene's priorities, besides health problems at the age of 52 were making themselves felt. The conflict of interests led to the fact that the woman began to lose weight and get sick more often. The culmination was Celine’s attempt to poison herself with exhaust fumes in a closed garage. A series of adverse events, including René’s throat cancer, led to a reassessment of values ​​and the mutual desire of the couple to become parents.
• In August 2015, Celine Dion launched an interesting contest for her fans. She asked them to send songs of her own composition for her. The request was met with enthusiasm: the singer received about 4,000 songs. Among them was chosen the track "À la plus haute branche", which was a tribute to the memory of the spouse and manager of the actress.
• No pop singers - that was the main demand that James Cameron presented to the performer of the title song of the movie "Titanic". But James Horner, the composer of the film, gave him to listen to Celine's demo tape. The result is known to all. Before inviting Celine to perform the soundtrack, Horner described the content of the film to the woman. It so touched the singer that she wept and without hesitation agreed to come to the studio to record the song.

• After several concerts in a row, the performer gives her voice a break. She just stops talking for 1-2 days, tries to laugh and cough so as not to strain the ligaments. Communication is carried out through a notebook. Such a “treatment” was prescribed to her by doctors back in 1989, after a woman lost her voice on the stage. A three-week silence or a cross on the singer's career - such a verdict was put forward by experts. And Celine fell silent to sing with a new force.
• In 2008, Celine had to cancel the concert in her native Canada. The reason for such a radical decision was the criticism of local journalists, who unflatteringly spoke about the singer's show. Such disagreements with the Canadian public were not the first time. At the dawn of American popularity, in 1992, Celine won the English Artist of the Year Award. But she had to give up the reward in order to prove her love to French-Canadian fans.
• In the mid-90s of the last century, Celine helped organize the Canadian Foundation for the fight against cystic fibrosis. To this step, she was led by the death of Karin’s niece, who died of this disease. She herself Dion dedicated a very lyrical and touching song "Vole".
• Celine admires the vocal abilities of the Scottish singer Annie Lennox, Barbra Streisand, Adele. Her development as a performer was influenced by the work of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder. If we talk about French-speaking artists, it was Jacques Brel and Ginetette Renault.
• In the early 2000s, Celine’s autobiography titled “My Story, My Dream” could be found on the shelves of bookstores.

• In 2003, the singer signed a contract according to which she was to give 600 concerts in Las Vegas. Performances lasted for 5 years, 5 times a week.
• Celine loves to play golf and tennis, as well as swimming.
• If not for music, where would we see Celine now? On the podium. Career mannequin was a backup option in case of failure in the music world.
• The singer considers her 5-cent coin as her talisman. She found it before her first victory in Tokyo.
• Celine plays the piano and sings in five languages. True, in Spanish, Japanese and German infrequently.
• Canadian is often compared to Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand and Lara Fabian. Many parallels are associated with the latter. Both are of French origin, both have chic vocals, and both have tried to conquer the American public. They even performed at Eurovision in one year. Only Celine took the first place then, and Lara - the fourth.
• Andrea Bocelli, Barbra Streisand, Patrick Bruel, Ar Kelly, Pebe Bryson, Luciano Pavarotti - this is just a small list of names with which Celine sang a duet.

Best Celine Dion songs

Among the 146 singles to choose the best is difficult. Even star fans are lost at the request to name their idol's favorite songs. But there are songs that instantly pop up when the name of Celine Dion sounds.

• "My heart will go on". Perhaps, the soundtrack received no less popular than the film to which it was written. The single took a leading position in the charts of different countries and gained status from gold to diamond.

"My heart will go on" (listen)

• "The power of love"- Jennifer Rush's song, which Dion acquired a different sound. When arranging the track, emphasis was placed on the strength of the Canadian vocal, and not on the instrumental accompaniment. The result was a beautiful, heartfelt song.
• "Because you loved me"entered the rotation in 1996 and conquered the American, Canadian public. This is a touching and tender composition, which sings about the gratitude of a man for his strong love and support.

"Because you loved me" (listen)

• "A new day has come"In addition to the beautiful vocals, the single is distinguished by a lively and light musical accompaniment. It was with this song that she returned after the birth of her first son.
• "Un amour pour moi"- an example from the early work of the singer in French. This composition is remembered for its beautiful lyrics and romantic music, which is characteristic of love songs.

"Un amour pour moi" (listen)

Films about Celine Dion and her participation

All films about the pop singer are mainly devoted to her concert activities during the tour. You can watch how she speaks, hear her live performances, recharge your batteries with the energy of the hall thanks to the following films:

• "Celine: the world through her eyes" (2010);
• "Tous ... pour la musique" (2007);
• "Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas: A New Day ..." (2007).

Find out what lives pop artist in addition to the scene, offers the director of the film "Celine: 3 Boys and a New Show". It shows the family idyll of the singer and rehearsals for new performances in Vegas.

They invited the singer and television shooting in the role of herself. Celine appeared in episodes of the comedy series “Nanny”, the dramatic “Angel Touch” and “All My Children”.

A separate chapter in her career is taking part in various talk shows. Famous TV presenters such as Oprah Winfrey, Jimmy Fallon and Larry King tried to learn the secrets of her personal life.

Celine Dion music in films

Creativity of the Canadian performer is inseparably linked with the film "Titanic". But this is not the only picture, the soundtrack for which is performed by Dion. In total, this list includes more than 100 films, television series and shows. We list the most famous.

Celine’s voice can be heard on Dr. House, Supernatural, Turkish for Beginners, etc.

Features of creativity

15 French-language albums, 11 English-speaking, dozens of hits around the world, 12 concert tours, record sales of CDs, performances at famous venues and popularity that you can only dream of. What is Celine Dion was able to win a multimillion crowd of fans? First of all, a powerful voice, which she herself defines as mezzo-soprano. But many refer her to the lyric soprano. Range - 5 octaves. Her vocals are notable for sonority, purity and volume. Therefore, singing Celine causes "goosebumps" and causes the heart to contract.

The voice of the pop singer is her pride and at the same time the subject of discussion by music critics. Her vocals seem to many to be mechanical, cold and devoid of emotional intensity. And if there are no emotions, then Selin sings for commercial success. In fact, the singer takes the choice of songs very seriously, passing them through herself: her repertoire is not without sincerity. Otherwise, to achieve such popularity in her hardly happened.

If we talk about the musical direction, the work of Dion belongs to pop music. At the same time, English-language compositions are distinguished by a lighter, more dancing character. Songs for the French audience have a depth and variety.

But the main success of the Canadian performer lies in the fact that she sings of love. Most of the tracks that were popular had the word "love" in their titles. We think comments are unnecessary.

Those who worked with Celine Dion call her a real workaholic. She is ready to exhaustion to take the right note, achieving the perfect sound. And she does this not only for her fans, but also for herself. After all, she always dreamed of becoming a singer, about which the whole world is talking.