Celine Dion

From humble beginnings in a rural French Canadian home town, Celine Dion has risen to international superstardom like a shooting star. The premier contemporary pop vocalist of the 1990's, Celine was presented the World Music Award for the Best-selling Female Pop Artist of All Time in 2004. Over the course of her career, 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 transform herself from a gifted pre-adolescent singer into an international superstar.

Born in Charlemagne (a small town 30 miles east of Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Celine is the youngest of 14 children in 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 to perform live. At the age of 12, together with her mother and one of her brothers, Celine composed a French song, "Ce n'Ètait qu'un rÍve" ("It Was Only a Dream"), which would forever alter the course of her life.

A demo tape containing the song was brought to the attention of RenÈ AngÈlil, a well-respected personal manager. In January 1981, RenÈ, moved to tears by the voice of young Celine and determined to make her an internationally known talent, mortgaged his home to fund her first album, "La voix du bon Dieu."

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 only just begun.

Having sold more than 180 million albums around the world since her American debut in 1990, Celine Dion is one of the most immediately recognized, widely respected and successful performers in pop music history. In addition to numerous US and international gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications, Celine Dion has seen two of her albums -- Falling Into You and Let's Talk About Love -- each achieve RIAA Diamond status in recognition of sales of more than 10 million copies in the US alone (each selling 30 million worldwide). She has been awarded five Grammy Awards including 1992's Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for "Beauty and the Beast"), 1996's Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album (for Falling Into You) and 1998's Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "My Heart Will Go On" [Love Theme from 'Titanic']). Both "Beauty and the Beast" and "My Heart Will Go On" received Best Song Academy Awards for their respective years of release.

On December 17, 1994, Celine Dion and RenÈ AngÈlil were married at Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal.

Blessed with one of popular music's great voices, she has crossed all barriers - including that of language - with her electrifying series of international hits. Given her breakneck pace of recording, video shoots, touring and appearances on TV shows and awards specials, it seems like Celine has time for little else. Not the case when it comes to causes she believes in. Celine has used her talents to further the 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 touching memorial to her niece, Karine, who was taken from her by this disease.

In 2004, after achieving then-total global sales of more than 175 million albums, Celine Dion was presented with the World Music Award for the Best-selling Female Pop Artist of All Time.

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.