Céline Dion (1968-) is a Canadian singer from French-speaking Quebec, notable for her powerful vocal performances across multiple musical genres in English, French and other languages. Like Nana Mouskouri on this website, she is an “interprète” for songs composed and written by collaborators.
She is the youngest of 14 children in a musically-talented family that toured Canada as a family singing group and owned a piano bar where 5-year old Celine developed her chops. In 1980 when she was only 12, she demo’d a song for producer René Angélil, singing into a pencil as if it were a microphone. Angélil immediately signed her to a contract and mortgaged his home to finance her debut album. They eventually married in 1994.
Her first vocal releases until 1990 were in French. She started fast and early and by 1986 had recorded 9 French albums and won many awards and competitions. In 1988, representing Switzerland in the Eurovision song contest, she won first prize and widespread international recognition. In 1992, she sang the theme song in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Her blockbuster recording in 1997 of “My Heart Will Go On” (music written by James Horner) in James Cameron’s movie Titanic won an Academy Award, a Grammy and a Golden Globe. After a short hiatus, in 2003 she launched a series of live shows in residency at Las Vegas but retired in 2014 to deal with health issues of her husband and herself.
Thereafter, she resumed her residency, touring, and recording with episodic postponements and cancellations for health reasons. As of 2023, she had sold more than 220 million albums worldwide and was the best-selling French language artist in history. Her most recent appearance on July 26, 2024 was singing Edith Piaf's song "Hymne à l'amour" at the Eiffel Tower to close the Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics.
Céline Dion Songs:
Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore (So That You Love Me Again)
Hymne à l'amour (Hymn to Love)
On ne change pas (We Don't Change)
S'il suffisait d'aimer (If Loving Were Enough)
She is the youngest of 14 children in a musically-talented family that toured Canada as a family singing group and owned a piano bar where 5-year old Celine developed her chops. In 1980 when she was only 12, she demo’d a song for producer René Angélil, singing into a pencil as if it were a microphone. Angélil immediately signed her to a contract and mortgaged his home to finance her debut album. They eventually married in 1994.
Her first vocal releases until 1990 were in French. She started fast and early and by 1986 had recorded 9 French albums and won many awards and competitions. In 1988, representing Switzerland in the Eurovision song contest, she won first prize and widespread international recognition. In 1992, she sang the theme song in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Her blockbuster recording in 1997 of “My Heart Will Go On” (music written by James Horner) in James Cameron’s movie Titanic won an Academy Award, a Grammy and a Golden Globe. After a short hiatus, in 2003 she launched a series of live shows in residency at Las Vegas but retired in 2014 to deal with health issues of her husband and herself.
Thereafter, she resumed her residency, touring, and recording with episodic postponements and cancellations for health reasons. As of 2023, she had sold more than 220 million albums worldwide and was the best-selling French language artist in history. Her most recent appearance on July 26, 2024 was singing Edith Piaf's song "Hymne à l'amour" at the Eiffel Tower to close the Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics.
Céline Dion Songs:
Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore (So That You Love Me Again)
Hymne à l'amour (Hymn to Love)
On ne change pas (We Don't Change)
S'il suffisait d'aimer (If Loving Were Enough)