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From
humble beginnings in a rural French Canadian home town, Celine
Dion has risen to international superstardom like a shooting
star. Celine has been called the premier contemporary pop
vocalist of the Nineties. She has earned music industry
accolades from around the world: Grammy Awards in the US, Juno
and Felix Awards in Canada, and World Music Awards in Europe.
The entire world has seen Celine Dion literally transform
herself from a gifted pre-adolescent into an international
superstar.
Born in Charlemagne (a small town 30 miles east
of Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Celine is the youngest of 14
children of a highly musical family. Her parents, both
musicians, operated a small club, and on weekends, the entire
family performed and entertained the local population. From
the tender age of 5, Celine sang with her siblings and quickly
acquired the ability of performing live. At the age of twelve,
together with her mother and one of her brothers, Celine
composed a French song which would forever alter the course of
her life.
The demo tape containing the song was brought
to the attention of Rene Angelil, a well respected personal
manager. In January 1981, Rene was so taken by the voice of
the young Celine, that he became determined to make her an
internationally known talent - he even mortgaged his house to
finance the recording of Celine's debut album!
Celine
began to receive recognition for her talent in 1982, winning
the Gold Medal at the Yamaha World Song Festival in Tokyo,
along with the coveted Musician's Award for Top Performer. In
1983, she became the first Canadian ever to receive a Gold
Record in France.
The streak of recognition had
begun.

By
1988, Celine had established a strong name for herself in her
native province of Quebec, where she was enjoying superstar
status, receiving numerous Felix Awards and racking up
platinum albums. That same year, Celine won the prestigious
Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin Ireland, where she performed
live before a television audience of 600 million viewers
throughout Europe, the USSR, the Middle-East, Japan, and
Australia.
Celine's international breakthrough came when she recorded the
title track for the soundtrack to the animated Disney hit
movie 'Beauty and the Beast.' The song went to number one and
garnered an Academy
Award and a Grammy Award. Beauty and the Beast formed the
cornerstone for Celine's second English language album, called
simply 'Celine Dion.' That album produced four more hit
singles including "Love Can Move Mountains,"
"Water From The Moon," "If You Asked Me
To" and "Did You Give Enough Love." In Canada,
the album went six times platinum and set the stage for an
incredible streak of Juno Awards.

At this
time, the Celine juggernaut started rolling at a momentous
pace in the UK. British fans took extremely well to
"Think Twice," a ballad on 'The Colour Of My Love'.
For five consecutive weeks, the song and album stood on top of
the respective British charts, an achievement not replicated
since 1965 and the heyday of The Beatles. "Think
Twice" remained at number one for two more weeks,
surpassing the magic million
mark to become only the fourth million-selling single ever in
the UK by a female artist.
With 'D'eux', Celine achieved what everyone thought was
impossible - introduced French music to the upper reaches of
the British charts. The world had truly discovered Celine Dion.
Blessed with one of popular music's truly great voices, she
has crossed all barriers - even that of language - with her
electrifying series of international hits. With her breakneck
pace of recording, video shoots, touring and appearing on TV
shows and awards specials, it seems like Celine has time for
little else. Not the case when it comes to an important cause.
Celine has used her talents to further cause of the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In fact, one of Celine's most
emotional songs ("Vole," from the 'D'eux' album,
later translated into English as the song "Fly,"
which appears on the 'Falling Into You' album) is a memorial
to her niece, Karine, who was taken from her by this disease.
Released
in March 1996, 'Falling Into You' became the best-selling
album released that year; topped the charts in 11 countries,
and was voted Album of the Year and Best Pop Album in the 39th
annual Grammy Awards. The album to date, has sold more than 25
million copies worldwide.
'Let's
Talk About Love' is the follow-up to Celine's double Grammy
Award-winning album. Recorded in London, New York and Los
Angeles, 'Let's Talk About Love' features a host of special
guests including some of popular music's greatest vocalists,
songwriters, and producers.
'Let's
Talk About Love' was released on the same day as the
soundtrack of the motion picture 'Titanic'. Both albums
featured the much-loved Titanic movie's theme song, "My
Heart Will Go On," written by James Horner and produced
by James Horner and Walter Afanasieff. "My Heart Will Go
On" quickly became the wedding song of choice for
Celine's fans.
In a
stunning back-to-back achievement, 'Let's Talk About Love'
went on to match the 27 million worldwide sales of its
predecessor; 'Titanic' also sold over 27 million copies
worldwide. It is the all-time best-selling orchestral
soundtrack in recording history. Celine sang "My Heart
Will Go On" on the worldwide telecast of the 70th Annual
Academy Awards, live from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los
Angeles. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song
-- the second Oscar for a song sung by Celine Dion, following
"Beauty And The Beast."

Celine's
next album, 'These Are Special Times,' featured sixteen songs
of the holiday season, including the Christmas pop classics
"Blue Christmas" and "The Christmas Song
(Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)"; and such
traditional religious favorites as "O Holy Night"
and "Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye Faithful)." In
addition, 'These Are Special Times' produced the No. 1 single
"I'm Your Angel," Celine's duet with R. Kelly, who
wrote and produced the song; the Diane Warren-penned title
track, "These Are Special Times"; and "The
Prayer," a duet with Andrea Bocelli.
'All
The Way...A Decade Of Song' is a collection of Celine's
greatest hits, including her chart-topping hit singles
"The Power Of Love," "Because You Loved
Me," "I'm Your Angel," and the Grammy and
Academy Award-winning classic "My Heart Will Go On."
Also included are "Beauty And The Beast," "It's
All Coming Back to Me Now"; and "If You Asked Me
To."
Seven
brand-new songs, were recorded specifically for this
collection, including the title song "All The Way,"
a respectful and loving tribute to one of Celine's all-time
favourite singers, the late Frank Sinatra.
With each new release, Celine has managed to top her previous
successes and, along the way, has become one of the brightest
stars in the world of popular music. Who would have imagined
that Quebec's best kept secret could have conquered the world
the way she has?
Looking back now, we should have known it all along.
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