Céline Marie Claudette Dion -A Woman Of Destiny
Celine Dion, Credits: ama_lia
Céline Dion was born on March 30, 1968, in Charlemagne, Québec, a little town 50 kilometers from Montréal. She was the 14th child of Thérèse Tanguay and Adhémar Dion. The Dion family was a humble one of modest means, but never lacked for love. The house was jam-packed with children, and Céline’s mom even had to lay her littlest one to sleep in a drawer.
Already, the legend had begun…
The entire family shared the same passion: music. The parents and children even formed a group that performed concerts in the area. From her earliest childhood, Céline would join in. Thérèse swiftly noted her baby’s remarkable talent. All of her children were gifted, but Céline was exceptionally so.
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| Celine Dion at Childhood Credits: Edmonton Journal |
At the age of 12, she wrote her first song, with the help of her mother and her brother Jacques: Ce n’était qu’un rêve. But it certainly was not just a dream! And thanks to her mother, that dream would start to become a reality. Thérèse sent a cassette of the song to impresario René Angélil. She chose him because he had managed the career of the family’s idol, Québécois singer Ginette Reno. In fact, Reno had just informed Angélil that she would no longer require his services. He was about to realign his career when he heard the cassette that would change his destiny. And the destiny of a young girl from Charlemagne.
He invited her to an appointment in his office, handed her a pencil and said, “Here’s your microphone. Now sing as though you were in front of a sellout audience.” Céline sang. On the spot, René became her biggest fan. It was the beginning of the most wonderful artist-manager relationship in the history of show business.
1981-1985
On June 19, 1981, Céline Dion sang on TV for the first time, on Michel Jasmin’s talk show. The Québécois audience immediately adopted her. Everyone was convinced that she would go far, but no one could have imagined what was to come.
René Angélil believed so completely in his young protégée that he mortgaged his house to finance her first album. It was the finest bet the great gambler ever made. Lyricist Eddy Marnay, who had worked with some of the world’s greatest vocalists including Édith Piaf, Yves Montand and Barbra Streisand, agreed to write songs for Céline. The first time Marnay heard Céline sing, he exclaimed: “It’s the voice of the Good Lord!” La voix du bon Dieu would become their first hit.
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| Dion with one of her numerous awards, Huffington Post |
Next, she made her first appearance on TV in France, on famed program Champs-Élysées hosted by Michel Drucker. To this day, the entire country recalls the moment when the host announced to his audience: “Remember her name: Céline Dion!” In 1983, she became the first Canadian to be awarded a gold album in France. It would not be her last.
That same year, at the ADISQ gala recognizing the finest in Québécois music, she won her first 4 Félix Awards. She has won a record 43 to date.
On September 11, 1984, in Olympic Stadium in Montréal, an audience of 60,000 watched Céline sing Une colombe in front of Pope John Paul II. A moment of grace. Two months later, she performed in the Olympia in Paris, opening for fanciful singer Patrick Sébastien for five weeks. In 1985, she launched a major tour of Québec. From show to show, the young singer was evolving into a true performer.
1986-1992
And then, she and her manager decided the time was right to take a break. An artist on the rise, Céline withdrew from live performance for 18 months. It was another daring gamble. Would she be forgotten like so many child stars before her, never able to recapture the success of their debut? In fact, the opposite was true.
When she returned, her audience met a Céline transformed, more solid than ever, having perfectly mastered English, topping the charts with the album marking her metamorphosis: Incognito. The title track was written by Luc Plamondon, a talented lyricist in tune with his era. Céline was no longer a child singer – she was the voice of her time. Incognito sold over a half-million copies. It was the first album produced with her new record label, CBS, which would become Sony; the same label as Michael Jackson. Céline was in the major leagues.
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| Céline Dion with her husband, René Angelil Credits: By Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22910241 |
In 1988, in Dublin, Ireland, she won the prestigious Eurovision contest before an audience of 600 million TV viewers. That moment was the beginning of her global conquest.
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| Celine Dion in one of her live performance! Credits: Nepal24Hours |
In the autumn of 1991, she launched the album Dion Chante Plamondon, certified gold on the day of its release.
With her career unfolding like a fairytale, the singer made her own American dream come true thanks to the theme song for a Walt Disney film. Beauty and the Beast, performed as a duet by Céline and Peabo Bryson, hit #1 on charts worldwide, winning a Grammy Award and an Academy Award. On March 30, 1992, her 24th birthday, Céline sang with Peabo during the Oscars broadcast.
The day after the Oscars, Céline launched her second English-language album on The Tonight Show. The Wall Street Journal proclaimed Céline as a “once-in-a-generation voice.”
1993-2000
As 1993 opened, Céline sang The Power of Love for President Clinton at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. And the power of love was what drove the Dion-Angélil duo. In November, upon the release of the album The Color of My Love, Céline revealed to her audience that she was in love with René.
The single The Power of Love remained at #1 on the Billboard charts for 4 weeks. In England, both the single Think Twice and the album Held the #1 spot on the hit parade for 5 weeks, equaling a record held by The Beatles. The Color of My Love was certified as a diamond album in Canada for racking up sales of over one million copies.
On December 17, 1994, Céline married the love of her life, René Angélil, in Notre-Dame Basilica in Montréal. It was a wedding fit for a princess, as spectacular as it was sincere. The legend rolled on; so did the honeymoon with her audience.
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| Céline Dion and René Angelil's Wedding, Dec 17, 1994 |
D’eux also included the moving song Vole, dedicated to the memory of Karine, Céline’s niece, who died at the age of 16 after a long struggle with Cystic Fibrosis.
In February 1996, Céline triumphed at the Victoires de la Musique, the French version of the Grammy Awards, winning the Victoire awards for Song of the Year (Pour que tu m’aimes encore) and Female Vocalist of the Year.
In March of the same year, Céline launched the album Falling Into You. It would go on to become the biggest-selling album of 1996 worldwide. Hitting #1 in 11 countries, the album went on to win two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Falling Into You has sold over 30 million copies.
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| Celine Dion Modelling for Fans after a show |
In March 1997, Céline Dion became the first artist to perform two songs during the Oscars. She sang her own hit Because You Loved Me, theme song from the film Up Close and Personal, and replaced an ailing Natalie Cole at a moment’s notice, performing I Finally Found Someone, theme song from the film The Mirror Has Two Faces. The woman has nerves of steel.
In November 1997, Céline released her 18th album, Let’s Talk About Love, featuring collaborations with Luciano Pavarotti, Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Carole King and Sir George Martin. What a constellation of stars! Let’s Talk About Love also included the momentous single My Heart Will Go On, theme song from the mega-production Titanic. The song would become the jewel of Céline’s repertoire.
She performed it majestically during the 70th Academy Awards. My Heart Will Go On won the Oscar for Best Original Song. The original soundtrack to Titanic became the best-selling soundtrack in history, selling 30 million copies, equaling the sales of the album Let’s Talk About Love, which also included the hymn to Jack and Roses’ love affair. A titanic feat.
In February 1998, Céline launched the album S’il suffisait d’aimer, created with her close collaborator Jean-Jacques Goldman. The title song became an instant classic in the francophone repertoire. Just before the end of the year festivities, she offered her fans a gift: the album These Are Special Times. The same year witnessed the publication of her first official biography, written by George Hébert-Germain.
The Let’s Talk About Love world tour was a massive triumph, culminating in two evenings at Stade de France, à Paris, attended by 180,000. René, now battling cancer, missed the events. Céline paid tribute to him during the show, receiving a towering ovation. René beat the disease and was onstage at the Centre Molson in Montréal on December 31, 1999 to kiss his sweetheart in the last seconds of the millennium. The extraordinary concert was the last before Céline took a well-deserved rest.
2001-2009
On January 25, 2001, Céline achieved the most important role of her life: mother! René-Charles Angélil was born at 1 a.m., weighing 6 lbs., 8 oz.
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| Baby Rene-Charle Angelil with parents |
And then René, the visionary, made another gamble, one only Céline could win. He created a new show in Las Vegas in a 4000-seat theater specially conceived just for her in Caesars Palace, presenting it as a residency, five nights a week, for a minimum of three years. A spectacle including dancers and special effects directed by Franco Dragone, the renowned creator behind 10 Cirque du Soleil productions. The show, A New Day…, is a revolution. It forever changes the face of the entertainment capital.
The premiere was held on March 25, 2003, the farewell almost 5 years later, on December 15, 2007. Over 700 sold-out performances for 3 million spectators! Once again, the gamble paid off. The DVD Celine Dion Live in Las Vegas became the only triple-platinum certified music DVD in Canada.
During her residency in Vegas, Céline somehow found the time to release the albums One Heart, Une fille & 4 types, the live album A New Day… Live in Las Vegas, the concept albums Miracle and D’elles, the compilation On ne change pas, and Taking Chances.
She also managed to appear as part of the Oscars on February 25, 2007 for a 5th time, participating in the tribute to one of the greatest of film composers, Italy’s Ennio Morricone.
With her Las Vegas farewell barely over, Céline embarked anew on global conquest. Her tour opened on February 14, 2008 in South Africa, then rolled through Asia, Australia, Europe, Canada and the U.S. 5 continents, 23 countries, 93 cities, 3 million spectators. The 2nd most profitable North American tour of 2008. A film, Celine: Through the Eyes of the World, immortalized the world tour, presenting it as a family trip. We follow Céline and her loved ones through every stop. Thee DVD landed at #1 on the charts in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.
On August 22, 2008, Céline triumphed in front of 250,000 fans assembled on the Plains of Abraham for a unique concert unique as part of the festivities surrounding the 400th anniversary of Québec City. She performs many duets with each and every one of her special guests but above all, she finally gets to sing with one of her all-time favorite idols, Quebec’s own larger than life diva, Madame Ginette Reno.
2010-2015
The biggest-selling female singer in music history took a break for her second pregnancy. And since she never does anything by half measures, on October 23, 2010, she gave birth to twins: Nelson and Eddy! They were baptized on March 5, 2011, in Las Vegas, just 10 days before her highly anticipated return to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
Céline returned to her theater to present a brand-new show directed Ken Ehrlich, the producer of the Grammy Awards. Las Vegas got its diva back. The entire city walked just a little taller. Her second residency in the Colosseum broke all box office records. The show landed at the top of the rankings in the Billboard Boxscore, the North American concert bible.
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| Dion, Celine. Grammy Awards, Photo Source: Kyle Rover, Daily Mail |
In 2013, Céline launched the album Loved Me Back To Life, eagerly awaited by her fans all over the world. It held the #1 spot on the iTunes charts in 44 countries and reached #2 on the Billboard Top 200.
In July 2013, Céline returned home, presenting the concert-event Céline une seule fois on the Plains of Abraham in Québec City.
And then at the end 2013, shocking news: René had to renew his battle against cancer. In June 2014, he named Aldo Giampaolo associate manager of Céline. René had long planned to have Giampaolo take the reins when the time came; and now, the moment had arrived. A veteran showbiz man who had worked with legendary hockey team the Montréal Canadiens, innovative organization Le Cirque du Soleil and the Québecor media empire, Aldo shares the same values as René, and they had planned out a number of successful adventures together. Now more than ever, Aldo is part of the family. The transition was based on continuity and respect.
A few months later, Céline announced that she was postponing all her engagements to stay close to her husband, who was once again battling cancer. Céline went home to take care of her man and her family.
After spending a few months by René’s bedside, her sweetheart asked her for a favor: he wanted to see her onstage again. He wanted to hear her sing again. And so Céline re-started her concert series in Caesars Palace. Diva by night; mother, wife and caregiver by day.
2016-
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| René Angélil's funeral, Montreal, Canada, January 22, 2016. Photo source: Metro |
On January 22, Angélil was buried after a national funeral in Notre-Dame Basilica in Montréal, the very same place where, 22 years earlier, Céline and René had been united, for better or for worse, until death do us part.
The evening before, during the lying in state, Céline had received condolences from thousands of fans. Every decision René had made regarding Céline’s career was guided by his concern and desire to please her audience. Respect for the audience respect is the greatest legacy this great man has bequeathed to the artistic community. And Céline burns with that same flame.
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| Celine Dion at Disney's Beauty and the Beast Premiere in London, February 2017 |
And that is why, on February 23, 2016, several weeks after the death of her husband, Céline took the stage of Colosseum again. She knows that her fans count on her to illuminate their lives, and she counts on them to illuminate hers. The opening of the concert, relayed on the Internet, captured the heart of the online world.
On May 22, at the Billboard Music Awards, Céline sang The Show Must Go On and was presented with the lifetime achievement Icon Award by her son, René-Charles. Rarely has there been an award presentation so moving, so full of tender and sincere emotion.
On May 24, she launched the first single from her upcoming francophone album. Written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, it is a tribute to René, entitled Encore un soir. The song rocketed to #1 on every chart in the French-speaking world.
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| Billboard Awards on May 22nd, Celine Dion on stage |
A woman of destiny, following her path.
After 35 years as a performing and recording artist, Céline Dion has become a legend of popular music, one of the most powerful and moving voices ever heard. According to a poll conducted by international market research firm YouGov, she is the 6th most admired woman on the planet. And the source of that admiration is the life as much as the work, the music. An honest woman who sings from the heart. It’s as simple and true as that – as simple and true as Céline.
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http://www.celinedion.com/about
https://www.biography.com/people/celine-dion-9542132
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Ang%C3%A9lil
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References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_Dionhttp://www.celinedion.com/about
https://www.biography.com/people/celine-dion-9542132
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Ang%C3%A9lil
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