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music industry. Her incredible talent and unforgettable singing ability have allowed her to attain the stardom status she aspired for at such a young age. Her remarkable voice had earned her several Grammy and Juno Awards.

Céline Marie Claudette Dion was born March 30, 1968 in Charlemagne, Québec, Canada. She was the youngest of 14 siblings. Music was a great part of the Dion family as the siblings would often perform at their parents' piano bar "The Vieux Baril". At the young age of 12, Céline wrote her first song, "Ce N'était Qu'un Rêve" ("It Was Only A Dream"), with the help of her mother and brother. The song was sent to music manager René Angélil (manager of Ginette Reno) who realized the incredible potential of the young singer who brought him to tears with her performance. He was so taken by her voice that he mortgaged his own home in order to fund the recording of her first album.

La Voix Du Bon Dieu (The Voice of God), was her debut album making Dion a number one selling local star in Quebec. In 1982, she was a top competitor in the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo claiming the gold medal as well as the Musician's Award for "Top Performer". The following year, she was the first Canadian artist to receive a gold record in France, also winning several Felix awards for Best Female Performer and Discovery of the Year. Following her accomplishments, Celine underwent several physical appearance makeovers in order to shed her young image and transform into a young woman.

In 1987 her success expanded into Europe winning the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" ("Don't Go Without Me"). Wanting to penetrate the American market, Dion was sent to École Berlitz in 1989 to improve her English communication skills. A year later she released her first English debut album, Unison. The soft rock influenced album was viewed as a successful crossover attempt by many critics. One of the album's singles "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming her first song to hit the US charts.

In 1991, Celine collaborated with Peabo Bryson to record the title track for the Disney Film Beauty and the Beast. The song became her second US Top Ten hit and marked the beginning of her success in the Anglophone market earning an Academy Award for Best Song as well as a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The song also appeared on her self-titled album in 1992. Other singles off of this album, "Love Can Move Mountains", "If You Asked Me To", and "Did You Give Enough Love" also helped further Dion's presence in the US.

Celine's personal life was also taking a turn during her newly discovered success, she and manager Angélil had developed a romantic relationship which was kept secret for several years as they feared they would be criticized for the 26 year age difference. In 1993, she declared her love to René publicly by stating in the liner notes of the album The Colour of Love that he was in fact "the colour of my love". They eventually married in Montreal in December of 1994.
The Colour of Love proved to be another successful English album. Her song "The Power of Love", a remake of Jennifer Rush's 1985 hit, became the number one single in the US. The singer was gaining much popularity, particularly in the UK. Even though she was becoming a prominent figure in the Anglophone market, Dion continued to release Francophone albums reassuring her French fans that she had not forgotten her roots. Her album D'eux (a.k.a. The French Album in the US) became the best selling French album of all time. Falling into You was the album that gained the singer worldwide commercial success. The 1996 album presented a new sound of musical style variation sometimes combining African and Spanish flavour into the tracks. The popular "Because You Love Me" which was also featured on the Up Close and Personal soundtrack reached number one in Canada for two weeks and number one in the US for 6 weeks. Falling Into You won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Album and Album of the Year.

The mass success continued with the following album, Let's Talk About Love in 1997. This record featured many collaborations with major artists such as Barbara Streisand, the BeeGees, Luciano Pavarotti, Carole King, Diana King and Sir George Martin. The most critically acclaimed single on the album "My Heart Will Go On' received much attention as the theme song in the film Titanic. It debuted as number on the Billboard charts becoming one of the greatest hits of the decade.

Dion took a two year break in 2000 as difficult times were taking over her emotions. René had been diagnosed with throat cancer and Céline wished to take a break from her career to focus on her husband's health and to start a family of their own. On January 25, 2001 she gave birth to her son René Charles Angélil. She returned to the music in March of 2002 with her album A New Day Has Come. The new record significantly embraced the singer's new beginnings and new life. Motherhood brought more commercial success to Céline as the album topped the charts in seventeen countries. Later on that year she announced her three year, 600 show contract with Caesers Palace in Las Vegas Nevada. She signed a deal to perform her show A New Day...Live in Las Vegas five days a week. The entertaining show, combines dance, music and visual effects and has been sold out since the day it opened in 2003.

In 2005, she released a French greatest hits album, On Ne Change Pas, which features a duet with Il Divo entitled "Je Crois En Toi" ("I Believe In You"). Celine continues to be an active supporter of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as the National Celebrity Patron. She is also an enthusiast of World Children's Day which raises money to support the funding of children health organizations.