Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ), OC, OQ (born March 30, 1968) is a Canadian singer, and occasional songwriter and actress. Born to a large, impoverished family in Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record. Encyclopedia/D/Dion_Celine.html" target="_blank">Celine Dion Biography. "Canoe Jam!." Retrieved September 13, 2007 In 1990 she released the anglophone album _Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world.
Dion first gained international recognition in the 1980s after she won the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. Bliss, Karen. "25 Years of Canadian Artists." Canadian Musician. March 01, 2004. pg. 34. ISSN: 07089635 Following a series of French albums in the early 1980s, she signed on to Sony Records in 1986. With the help of her husband, she achieved worldwide success with several English and French albums, ending the decade as one of the most successful artists in pop music. Taylor, Chuck. "Epic/550's Dion offers Hits." Billboard. November 6, 1999. pg 1 "blank">The Ultimate Diva". _CNN. October 22, 2002. Retrieved September 13, 2007 However, in 1999, at the height of her success, Dion announced a temporary retraction from entertainment in order to start a family and spend time with her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Celine Dion. "Interview with Celine Dion." Peter Nansbridge. The National. With Alison Smith. CBC-TV. March 28 2002. Transcript. "blank">The Ultimate Diva". _CNN. October 22, 2002. Retrieved September 13, 2007 She returned to the music scene in 2002 and signed a four-year contract to perform nightly in a five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. "story/304:149/1/Celine_Dion.htm" target="_blank">Celine Dion Biography." _The Biography Channel. September 13, 2007. Helligar, Jeremy. "Celine Dion livin' la vida Vegas!." Us. March 31, 2003.pg 56.
Dion's music has been influenced by genres ranging from pop, soul and rock to gospel and classical, and while her releases have often received mixed critical reception, she is renowned for her technically skilled and powerful vocals. Alexander, Charles P. blank">The Power of Celine Dion". _Time. March 07, 1994 Gardner, Elysa. Review: Falling Into You. Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, Calif.: November 16 1997. pg. 68) In 2004, after accumulating record sales in excess of 175 million, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award from the World Music Awards show for becoming the "Best-selling Female Artist in the World." blank">Chart Attack.com "Céline Dion Named Queen of the World." Monday September 13 2004. Retrieved November 21 2006 "World Music Award Show." _American Broadcasting Company. New York. September, 2004. In April 2007 Sony BMG announced that Celine Dion had sold more than 200 million albums worldwide.
