Top 10 All Time Facts About Celine Dion
There's a lot more to the songstress than you thought. With over 200 million albums sold worldwide, Celine Dion is one of the best-selling artists of all time. Her voice is recognizable nearly anywhere, and many of her songs have made musical history.
Top 10 All Time Facts About Celine Dion
While you may be familiar with her musical oeuvre, here are some things you probably didn't know about the icon. Here is the top 10 Interesting fact about celine dion
Content Summary
- She is the youngest in a family of 14
- She was destinated for stardom
- Her family own a piano bar
- She made a first record deal at age of 12
- She sang for a prop as a teenager
- Michel Jackson inspired her to be a global stardom
- She lost her voice at her first America tour
- Her song “my heart will go on” almost never happen
- The song was actually recorded in one take
- She had a honourary degree
1) CELINE DION IS THE YOUNGEST OF 14 CHILDREN.
According to Celine: The Authorized Biography of Celine Dion, Celine's mother, Thérèse Dion wanted to be done having kids after her twins (the 12th and 13th children) were born. Then 41 years old, she was ready for some time to herself (fair enough!).
She was planning on finding a paying job and taking trips with her husband. But when she found out she was pregnant again, all her plans went out the window.
Her life, and her husband's, and the lives of all her children would be changed, writes author Georges-Hébert Germain.
2) SHE WAS DESTINED FOR STARDOM.
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Celine's very large family was certainly a musical bunch—her parents created the group Dion's Family, which toured Canada while Celine was just an infant.
3) HER FAMILY OWNED A PIANO BAR.
The Dions opened up piano bar called Le Vieux Baril (The Old Barrel) in Charlemagne, Quebec—and they even lived on the premises. Celine started singing at the lounge at age 5.
It didn't take long for customers to notice her majestic voice, and they began making requests for her to perform.
Celine's childhood home was demolished in 2014, but was replaced with a building that now houses her charity, Fondation Maman Dion.
4) SHE SCORED HER FIRST RECORD DEAL AT AGE 12.
She recorded her first song, Ce N'était Qu'un Rêve (It Was Only a Dream), before she even became a teenager.
Celine's brother Jacques sent the demo to Canadian producer René Angélil, who managed Canadian star Ginette Reno at the time.
Along with the demo, Celine's mother wrote a note: This is a 12-year-old with a fantastic voice. Please listen to her. We want her to be like Ginette Reno.
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However, Angélil didn't listen to the tape for weeks; it was Celine's brother, Michael, who eventually met with him and urged him to listen to it—once he finally did, he invited her to Quebec for an audition. While I was singing, he started to cry, Celine has said of the audition. I knew then I had done a good job. Angélil signed her immediately. (Of course, the two went on to marry in 1994.)
5) SHE SANG FOR THE POPE WHEN SHE WAS 16.
In September 1984, she performed Une Colombe, a popular French song, for Pope John II during his visit to Quebec. The concert took place at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, with an audience of 65,000.
6) MICHAEL JACKSON INSPIRED HER TO ACHIEVE GLOBAL STARDOM.
Michael Jackson and Celine Dion
FRANK MICELOTTA ARCHIVE; JASON SQUIRESGETTY IMAGES
By the time she was 18 years old, Celine had already won several awards and released nine French albums. Then she saw superstar Michael Jackson perform on television, and she told Angélil that she wanted that level of success.
To make it happen, Angélil had Celine take a year off. She got a complete makeover, learned English and started work on her first English language album, Unison, which was released in 1990.
7) SHE LOST HER VOICE DURING HER FIRST AMERICAN TOUR.Celine Dion
While she was touring for Unison, she lost her voice during a concert. After an earlier bout with laryngitis—not to mention fatigue from a packed schedule—Celine's vocal cords became inflamed, leaving her unable to perform, forcing her to cancel shows.
In order to avoid vocal cord surgery, she followed doctor's orders and remained absolutely silent for three weeks. After that, she began a strict routine in order to take better care of her voice.
8) MY HEART WILL GO ON ALMOST NEVER HAPPENED.
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Celine's most popular song is, of course, My Heart Will Go On, the theme song to Titanic. The power ballad is one the best-selling singles of all time, and the Recording Industry Association of America named it one of the songs of the century, but it was almost never recorded.
Celine didn't like the song at first and didn't want to sing it. I wasn't sure. I did another song for a movie before and it was very successful, and I thought we were pushing our luck, she told talk show host Jonathan Ross.
9) THE SONG WAS RECORDED IN ONE TAKE.
Despite Celine's reluctance, Angélil persuaded her to record a demo for the song. The demo, which was done in one take, actually ended up becoming the version the world fell in love with. The demo is actually the real recording, I never sang the song again. Except three million times after that live, Celine has said.
10) SHE HAS AN HONORARY DOCTORATE.
As of August 2008, Celine became Dr. Dion when she received an honorary doctorate from Laval University in Quebec. The singer, who never graduated high school, said the distinction was a a very great honor for a little girl from Charlemagne. She dedicated the award to her husband for his role in her massive career. René passed away in January 2016 from cancer. During his funeral, she said, My career was in a way his masterpiece, his song, his symphony.
