7 Things You Didn’t Know About Celine Dion and How She Rose to Fame 

Being one of the greatest artists to have graced this planet, there is hardly any part of this world that the name Celine Dion has not been heard, but a significant number of people do not know how she became so popular, this article aims to even that odd by bringing you 7 facts about Celine Dion that you most likely did not know as well as the story behind her rise to international fame.

How She Rose to Fame 

The amazing singer’s rise to fame began when she was introduced to her manager, Rene Angelil at the tender age of 12. She had composed and recorded her first song Ce n’était qu’un rêve with the help of her mother and her brother, Jacquel. The latter sent his sister’s recording to Angelil and after hearing her perform, Angelil not only accepted to be her manager but also sold his home to fund her first album, La voix du Bon Dieu in 1981. The song made her an instant star in Quebec.

In 1982, she became even more popular when she competed in the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival held in Tokyo, Japan and won the musician’s Top Performer award as well as a gold medal for “Best Song” with her song, Tellement j’ai d’amour pour toi.

The following year, she received a gold record in France for her single D’amour ou d’amitié, becoming the first Canadian performer to do so, she also won her first sets of Felix Awards, the first of several that would eventually follow.

Her popularity grew further when she represented Switzerland in Dublin for the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest and won with her song Ne partez pas sans moi.

By the time she turned 18, Celine Dion who had recorded nine albums in French language and received some awards for them decided with her manager to take an eighteen-month long hiatus from the spotlight. In that period, she learned to speak English and had vocal training with Professor William Riley.

After her break, Celine Dion went international when she released her first English album Unison in 1990 and one of the singles from that album peaked at no. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first major hit in the US.

Dion’s big break in the English speaking world, however, came when she sang the title track of Disney’s 1991 animated musical film Beauty and the Beast, with American soul singer Peabo Bryson, a feature that earned the duo a Grammy award, Dion’s first. In 1992, she released her second English album entitled after herself, Celine Dion with Beauty and the Beast as the album’s lead single. Celine Dion was an even bigger success than her debut album Unison as it went on to receive a diamond record in Canada and went double platinum in America.

In 1997, she released Let’s Talk about Love, the album which sold over 50 million copies worldwide with over 10 million copies sold in the United States alone is the fastest-selling album of her career. The album’s lead single, My Heart will go on which was recorded as a theme song for the 1997 blockbuster film, Titanic, brought her to the notice of the global audience. The song bagged four awards – an Academy and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and two Grammys under the categories “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance” and “Record of the Year”. The song remains Celine Dion’s signature song to date.

Celine Dion has released 53 albums including studio, live and compilation albums; 153 singles, has gone on over 15 concert tours and has received numerous awards and accolades in recognition of her staggering success.

7 Facts About Celine Dion You Didn’t Know 

You may have listened to Celine Dion’s music numerous times but there is more to the singer than just her songs. Below are a few facts about Celine Dion that you probably never knew.

1. She was named after a song

Celine Dion’s music-loving parents named her after Hugues Aufray’s song titled Celine, which was recorded two years before she was born.

2. She had her first public performance at age 5.

Her family owned a small piano bar in Quebec called Le Vieux Baril (The old barrel), there she had her first open performance when she sang Du fil des Aiguilles et du Coton, a song by Christine Charbonneau at her brother’s wedding.

3She took a popular singer’s manager at age 12.

René Angélil was managing Canadian singer Ginette Reno who was already popular at the time before he became entranced with Dion’s voice and opted to become her manager.

4. Dion became influenced by Michael Jackson at age 18

After watching a performance by the when she was 18, Celine Dion got inspired to become a star like him.

5. Her idols became her Partners 

Dion has worked with all the celebrities she listed as her idols including Anne Murray, , , Charles Aznavour, , and the Bee Gees.

6Multilingual singer

Dion has flawlessly done a good number of songs in several foreign languages including Japanese, German, Spanish, Latin, Neapolitan, and Mandarin.

7. Net worth

One of the most interesting facts about Celine Dion and indeed other celebrities that have her/them constantly making the headline is her finance. According to Forbes 2019 list of Celebrity 100 Earnings, Celine Dion had an earning of $37.5 million as of 7/9/19 and this contributed to her net worth of $450 million which placed her on the 46th spot on the magazine’s list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women 2019.

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