Celine Dion…Superstar!

Some people are born to sing…and it seems that Celine Dion is one of them.  Her biography almost reads like a fairy tale.  Today she is one of the richest women in the world, but she certainly didn’t start out that way.   

Born on March 30, 1968, in the small village of Charlemagne, east of Montreal, Quebec, Celine Dion’s parents thought children and music were the most treasured things in the world. Celine was the youngest of the Dion family’s 14 children. Her parents owned a small restaurant and club and the children often performed there. Their father accompanied them on his accordion and their mother played the violin. Celine added her vocal talents when she was only five years old.

By the time Celine was 12 years old, she had written her first song. Her mother and brother helped her find a way to record a demo of the song and sent it off to an address they found on the back of an album by a popular French singer, Ginette Reno. The demo tape ended up in the hands of Rene Angelil, a manager at the record company and the man who would eventually become Celine’s future husband. After hearing her tape, Angelil immediately called the young girl to his office and when she sang in person for him, he cried when he heard the clear beauty of her voice.

Angelil was determined to have Celine produce a record, but the company was not confident that a 12 year old girl was worthy of the investment. Angelil was so certain that Celine would become a star, however, he mortgaged his home and paid for her debut album himself. It was the best investment he would ever make.

The next few years began Celine’s spiraling rise to stardom. Her first two albums made her the darling of the teen set. She won several awards and the first place gold medal at the Yamaha World Song Festival in Tokyo. When she was only 15 years old in 1983, she became the first Canadian singer to have a gold record in France. Her popularity grew and spread throughout Canada and Europe, though the United States was slower to embrace her.

In 1990, Celine released her first English language record. Then, in 1991, she recorded “Because You Loved Me”, the theme song for the Walt Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. Americans fell in love with her voice. The song earned a Grammy and earned an Oscar. The hits kept coming and Celine Dion became a household word in the US. In 1997, she won the Oscar for best song with her rendition of “My Heart Will Go On”, the theme song for the movie Titanic. After a hiatus to start a family, Celine became one of the biggest stars performing in Las Vegas. Her show at Caesar’s Palace ran for nearly five years and sold out almost every night.

Now, Celine Dion is back on tour. If you get the opportunity to see this dynamic show, don’t pass it up. It will be an unforgettable night. Look for Celine Dion at a venue near you in the upcoming months.