Celine Dion

’s Life And Career Essay, Research Paper

Celine Dion, the youngest of 14 children, was born on March 30th, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada. Charlemagne is on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, on the east end of the Montreal Island. She has Hazel eyes and is 5 feet 7.5 inches tall. Her qualities are self-determination, professionalism and discipline. She is so disciplined that she has actually spent three weeks without making any sound to give her vocal cords a rest. She does have her failings though. She is sometimes impatient, especially in the mornings. Her lucky number is five. She even keeps a five-cent coin that was minted in 1968, that she found on the ground. Her favorite perfume is Channel #5, and her favorite colors are black, white and red. Celine collects miniature cups and crystal objects. She also collects shoes, having over 400 pairs! She enjoys snow and water skiing, and roller blading. Her second career choice would be to be a professional model, and her favorite musical instrument is a piano. Celine s favorite female singers are Natalie Cole, Barbara Streisand, and Ginette Reno, and her favorite male singers are Stevie Wonder and Micheal Jackson. Micheal Jackson even sent her a signed photo stating To Celine with love. , (Http://www.celineonline.com/bio1.html.) and the hat he wore in the Billy Jean clip, which was also signed. Her first name comes from a song (Celine, sang by Hugues Aufray and written in 1966 by Vline Buggy) that her mother was singing while she was pregnant.

Celine has a large family. Her mother is Therese Tanguay Dion, and her father is Adhemar Dion. She also has eight sisters: Denise, Claudette, Liette, Louise, Ghislaine, Linda, Manon, and Pauline. Her five brothers are Clement, Michel, Jacques, Daniel, and Paul. Paul and Pauline are twins. Celine s family is very musical. Claudette, and Michel have both recorded albums, and Michel is part of a band named Le Show. Celine s parents own Le vieux Baril (The Old Barrel), a piano-bar restaurant in their hometown. The children did waitressing and singing for the customers. Adhemar played the accordion and Therese played violin, while the children sang. Celine first stood on top of a table and sang a Ginette Reno song when she was only five! She also sang a song at her brother Michel s wedding. The town s people called her la p tite Quebecoise , or the little Quebecer . When Celine was 12, she and her mother wrote the song Ce n etait qu un reve (It was only a dream). Celine sang and recorded it on a demo tape, and they sent it to Rene Angelil, who was a well-known manager in Montreal. Rene was very impressed by the control and strength of her voice, so he agreed to work with her. He even mortgaged his house to pay for the production of her first two albums!

In 1981 French songwriter Eddy Marnay wrote La voix du bon dieu (God s voice) for Celine Dion. She added some more songs, and created the album La voix du bon dieu. He also introduced Celine to France. Later that year, Celine came out with another album, Celine chante Noel (Celine sings Christmas). She even made a guest appearance on the most watched talk show in Quebec. Celine released another album, Tellement j ai d amour (I have so much love), in 1982. That same year she won a gold metal at the World Popular Song Festival, and the Musicians Prize in Tokyo. In 1983 she sang in the Cannes Music Festival in France. In France she released the album Du soleil au coeur (Some sunshine in the heart), and she recorded two television shows. Her 1982 song D amour ou d amitie (Of love or of friendship), sold more than 500,000 copies in France and Celine became the first Canadian to merit a gold record in that country. Six days later she received a gold record in Quebec for her song Tellement j ai d amour. That same year she released the album Les chemins de ma maison (The paths of my house) in Quebec, and the single mon ami in a quittee (My boyfriend left me) in France. She ended the year with the Christmas album Chants et contes de Noel (Songs and tales about Christmas).

In the beginning of 1984, the largest private television network in Quebec made a one-hour television special on Celine. One of Celines songs was also released in Germany. At the end of August, she launched her Melanie album, and in September she released Les plus grandes succes de Celine Dion (Celine Dion s Greatest hits) album. Later that year she released the album Les ois eaux du bonheur (Birds of happiness), and the single Mon reve de toujours (My everlasting dream) in France. She also sang to Pope John Paul II, and 65,000 people. Celine Dion did her first live recording in 1985 while on tour in Quebec. It was called Celine Dion en concert (Celine Dion in concert). She was also among the artists who recorded Les yeux de la faim (The eyes of the hungry), to fight starvation in Ethiopia. Her eighth Quebec album, C est pour toi (It s for you) is released in Quebec, and as a single in France. In 1986 she took almost 18 months almost completely off, and changed her looks from adolescent to young woman. She also released two new songs in France, Billy and En amour (In Love). In Quebec she released the album Les chansons en or (The golden songs). Celine got a big contract with CBS in 1987. She also launched the album Incognito, and the single Je ne veui pas (I don t want), and in France released the single La religieuse (The nun). She had a television special also later that year. In 1988 Celine won many awards, and put on many shows. She also released some of her older albums from Quebec into France, and Vivre (To live) in Germany. During 1989 she prepared for her international career by taking English classes, and she recorded three duets. They were Can t live with you, can t live without you, Wishful thinking, and Listen to me.

Celine got her first golden record in the United States with the album Unison in 1990. She also sang twice on the Tonight Show. In 1991 Celine sang the song Where does my heart beat now, which stayed on Billboard for 24 weeks. Celine was also invited to present an American Music Award. She was invited to sing in Beauty and the beast by Disney, and recorded with others Voices that care, which was a special song recorded for U.S. troops in the Gulf War. In 1992 Celine launched Celine Dion live at the Tonight Show, her second album in English, with the slogan Remember the name because you ll never forget the voice . It later went gold, making both of her two English albums gold. Celine did an American tour in the spring, and that Fall she did tours in Australia, Europe, and Japan. She also released the songs Love you blind, and Cry Just A Little. In 1993 Celine sang for President Bill Clinton and his wife, and she sang in the soundtrack for Sleepless in Seattle. She also released a new album, entitled The Colour of my Love, and did a Christmas Special for NBC. She also released in Europe an album titled Les premieres annees (The first years).

In 1994 she began advertising for Hudson Bay Company, and had also previously done advertising for Chrysler, Simpsons, and Diet Coke. Celine s song The Power of Love became the 50th biggest hit of all time of Billboards. She also released another live album called Celine a l Olympia (Celine at the Olympia). In 1995 Celine released a French album D eux, which sold 57,000 copies a day in France! It set many world records for album sales. It forced Sony, her producer, to make two new albums, Celine Dion Gold and Celine Dion Gold Album two. Sony said she was the first singer to be both the best seller in English and in French. In the year of 1996, she released singles of Because you loved me, and falling into you. By this time Celine had definitely created a place for herself in Stardom. The only way her albums were being knocked off the top of the charts was by her own newer albums. Her accomplishments from 1996 until now are too many to fit in this research paper.

Celine s only dream was to become a famous singer, and she is living that dream now. Celine s dream now is to become a mother. She wants to hold on to the real things, like her husband and family. The main goals she has set for is to take things a little slower, and enjoy her home life a little more. She also wants to try to stay famous, and keep getting better.

Celine has enjoyed a great relationship with her fans. She has so many of them, and most are very devoted to her. When she started out in Quebec, her fans their absolutely loved her. But as she became more famous, and started singing songs in English, they began to consider her a traitor. The people of Quebec as a whole feel she has abandoned her language and her people. Her fans in the U.S. are very supportive of her, and most feel that Quebec is wrong in their beliefs, but Quebec s loss is the rest of the world s gain. Celine has many fans from all over the world and she works hard to do world tours in as many countries as possible to keep her fans happy.

All these reasons and more are why Celine Dion is a good role model. She has worked hard to accomplish her dreams, made many sacrifices for her career, and she still maintains strong values.

Celine Dion married her manager, Rene Angelil, in December 1994. Celine was then 26, and Rene, who is 26 years older than her, was 52. Celine hates leaving for tours without Rene, and worries that she is causing him too much stress. Celine said It s weird, because I don t care about seeing the beauty of foreign countries if he s not there (People Weekly March 3, 1997 p73+). Celine and Rene are also trying to have a baby, to make them even more of a family .

Celine Dion and Rene are building a new house on Florida s Jupiter Island. The island made the news in 1997 when President Bill Clinton fell and injured his knee after a visit with resident Greg Norman. Celine s new house, which was built in the fall of 1997, is a 1,700 square meter mansion. The eight-million-dollar house will include fountains, waterfalls, and 63 television sets!

Celine and Rene are part owners of Nickels Restaurants. Nickels is a family restaurant with an American 50 s theme. Celine has designed the uniforms for the waitresses, and sometimes appears at one of the restaurants. Walking through the restaurant is like taking a trip back in time with it s vinyl booths, old fashion milk shakes, and homemade apple pies. Nickels started out on December 5, 1990 in St. Laurent, Quebec. There are now many locations throughout Quebec and Ontario, with plans of expanding to include the U.S.

Celine has received numerous awards. Between 1982 and 1998, Celine has won a Yamaha World Song Festival Awards, a Yamaha Symphony Orchestra Award, 33 Felix awards, 20 Juno Awards, two Much Music Video Awards, nine World Music Awards, a Popcorn Award, two Edison Awards. She has also received a CARAS (Canadian Academy for Recording Arts and Science) Award, a VH1 Award, a Cable Ace Award, an Ivor Novello Award, a Billboard Award, a Eurovision Award, two Victoires de la Musique Awards, an IRMA Award (Irish Recorded Music Awards), three MIDEM awards, an Amigo Award, a Billet Platine Award, and an American Music Award. She has also won four Grammy Awards, an Oscar, two Golden Disc Awards, and a Diamond Album Award. Celine was also honored by the Canadian Government with a recognition on Canada s 125th Birthday from the Governor General for her contribution to Canadian culture, and was recognized by as the Officer of the Order of Quebec , and Officer of the Order of Canada .

Celine Dion is the National Celebrity Patron for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF). She has stayed very committed to the cause that she joined because of a real life tragedy. Celine s niece Karine Menard, daughter of her sister Liette, was born with Cystic Fibrosis, and died of the disease at age 16. For many years Celine did what she could to make Karine happy, like taking her shopping and buying her everything she wanted, but by 1993, 16 year old Karine was bed-ridden and in critical condition, barely able to breathe or swallow. One day I had her in my arms, says Dion, and I started to sing softly in her ear, and out of nowhere her eyes closed. I looked at my mom, who was messaging her feet because her circulation didn t work, and nodded, Okay, it s happening. One tear came down Karine s cheek, and then she went (Jeanne Gordon People Weekly March 3, 1997 p73+). Celine believes that no one should have to go through what Karine did, so she has donated huge amounts of money and time to helping the foundation afford to research new ideas for cures and treatments. Celine s popularity has helped the foundation by giving them the money they need, and making people more aware of the disease.

Overall, Celine was and still is a hard-working woman, who even though she is rich and famous, still remembers the struggles she went through to get where she is today, and remembers that it s really your friends and family that give your life meaning.

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