Celine Dion Essay, Research Paper
Celine is a proud Canadian, that is why she has sung our national
anthom at countless events, that is why she financially supports
numerous Canadian organizations, that is also why she continues to make
french and english albums. She is a healthy role model for young and
old people all over the world, and it is an honour to say she is
Canadian.
Celine Dion was born in Charlemagne, Quebec, on March 30, 1968 and was
the youngest of 14 children in a large musical family. Celine Dion was
named after a song her mother was singing while pregnant. She was
discovered singing in the family owned restaurant, at age 12, but had
been singing there ever since age five, along with her other siblings.
It was a small restaurant and club where the children could often
showcase their musical talents where her father would play the
accordian and mother the violin. At only five years old, she had
already began to develop as a singer and entertainer, so it makes sense
she had the talent and capability to produce her very first recording
at only age twelve with her mother and her brothers. Celine was
discovered by Montreal Impresario, Rene Angelil, who later became her
husband, in 1981. Celine’s mother had found Rene’s address in an album
of Ginette Reno, a popular french singer. Rene had heard the demo-tape
containing the songs Cel! ine had written (In particular “Ce N’etait
Qu’un Reve”-or in english, “It was Only a Dream”), and he was
immediatly taken by the voice of young Celine that he became determined
to make her an internationally known talent. When he first heard her
sing live, he cried because it was so beautiful. Rene had so much
faith in Celine, that he even mortgaged his house to finance the
production of Celine’s debut album. Her only obstacle for success
beyond Canada and France was her French lyrics.
Record companies, as it turned out, were less enthusiastic of investing
in a low-class preteen than Rene Angelil was. The financial support
they needed to make Celine a success was not being produced, so they
created a low budget Christmas album, “Celine Chante Noel,” (Celine
Sings Christmas), and another album, “Voix du bon Dieu,” (The Voice of
God). Celine released these singles at the young age of 13, yet they
proved to be very successful. Even though these were low budget, people
gave the albums a chance, and soon Celine had become the teen sensation
of Quebec. Her early years also brought a string of awards, allowing
her to relize her true talent, especially when she won a gold medal at
the Tokyo Song Festival in 1982. Soon after, she became the first
Canadian ever to recieve a Gold Record in France. Celine Dion was
French Canada’s most popular singer within five years.
Most child performers have problems transforming themselves into
‘respected’ adult entertainers, rather than forgotten teeny boppers,
but not Celine. The young diva grew more and more popular with each
and every love song. In 1988, when she won the Annual Prestigious
Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland, (where she performed live
in front of 6 million television veiwers- what she says was the most
“terrifying and rewarding” experience of her life) she decided to learn
English. Some consider this Celine’s greatest career move, allowing
her to reach French and English speaking audiences all at the same
time. Without making this wise career move, she may not have ever
gotten the notice of her neighbour to the south, the United States.
Popularity in America almost garaunteed her popularity in every country
of the world- USA being the entertainment base of the world, setting
music trends for many other countries. The Top 10 song that broke
through with American audienc! es was “Where Does My Heart Beat Now.”
Since that American breakthrough, Celine has risen to worldwide
superstar status with a string of hits on pop and adult contemporary
radio. She managed to master English within three monthes at a langauge
course in Quebec. She released her first anglophone (english) album,
‘Unsion,’ in 1990 and it included the first of a
international hits.
“Where Does My Heart Beat Now,” a series of film soundtrack recordings
(An American Tail, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepless in Seatle) were all
successful and generated her first Grammy Award in 1993. “Beauty and
the Beast,” recorded with Peabo Bryson, is known as her international
breakthrough, earning her a number one position in 16 countries and
nominations for an Acadamy Award as well as a Grammy Award “The Colour
of my Love,” (1994) became the most successful album ever released by a
canadian female pop singer, selling 11 million copies worldwide.
“Because You Loved Me,” which was featured in Robert Redford’s Up Close
And Personal, gave Celine Dion much needed television exposure,
allowing people to put a face to the voice they had heard and loved.
Celine was no longer as stranger to the world.
“I always sang about love, yet I had no love in my life,” laughs Celine
in an interview with Glamour Magazine. Her endless recordings,
contests, and touring left little time for Celine to date, but Rene
Angelil managed to solve that problem as well. He began a romantic
involvement with his greatest client shortly after she turned 19 years
old. Angelil, who had been married three other times in the past, 26
years older than Celine Dion, decided it would be best for both of them
to keep their affair a secret for a few years, fearing fans would find
the entire thing a bit bizzarre. However, when the couple finally
married in 1994 at Montreal’s grand Notre Dame Basilica, Canadian fans
treated it like a very respectable, royal wedding.
Celine Dion became a phenomenon in Great Britain during 1995 when “The
Colour of my Love” and “Think Twice” topped the UK Album and Singles
Chart simultaneously for over a month- the first time the feat had been
achieved since The Beatles in 1964. She also was a smashing success
still with French-Canadians because of her francophone bestseller
“D’Eux,” and recieved prestigious Medaille des Arts et Lettres from the
french government.
Celine Dion’s opening performance at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
proved that she was now a world-wide sensation. She sang “The Power of
a Dream,” a song co-written for her by Linda Thompson, Babyface, and
David Foster (whom she has worked with on every one of her English
albums.) Dion’s fourth english album “Falling into You,” was released
in 50 countries in March 1996 and immediatly topped the charts.
In 1997, Celine was awarded at the Grammy Awards for Album Of The year
and Best Pop Album. The next CD by Celine, Let’s Talk About Love, was
released in November, ‘97 and was followed with a world tour. Celine is
joined on the CD by the Barbra Streisand, Bee Gees, Luciano Pavarotti,
Corey Hart, Carole King, and will include the theme to the film,
Titanic, “My Heart Will Go On.”
People were impressed by the release of “Let’s Talk About Love.” In
addition to “My Heart Will Go On,” she had another 15 love-inspired
tracks, often sung with other big time stars. The most fantastic
pairing is in the song “Tell Him,” a duet with the famous diva Barbra
Streisand. When they were scheduled to sing “Tell Him” together at the
Grammy awards, Barbra Strisand backed out last minute, leaving Celine
no choice but to sing the Titanic theme song solo. Dion didn’t slow
down in 1998, she became even busier. In April an appearance with
other powerful female vocalists Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Aretha
Franklin, and Shania Twain on VH1’s Diva’s Live specail, further
solidified her as a true canadian ‘Diva.’
In September ‘98, Dion released her fourth French Album, “S’il
Suffisait D’aimer” in Canada (the album came out in the USA in
October), and in November, Dion’s first Holiday Album, These are
Special Times, arrived. By this time, she had already booked a tour of
Japan, England, and Europe, which will keep her busy until July 1999.
Celine Dion is taking time out of her career to start a family now. Although it has some fans worried Celine promises she will be back, and when and if she decides to return to the music business, I beleive she will be successful once again.