Celine Dion



Céline Marie Claudette Dion,  CC OQ  (French pronunciation: [selin djɔ̃] ( listen); born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Born into a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec,[4]  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.[5]  In 1990, she released the English-language album Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world.[6]

Dion had first gained international recognition in the 1980s by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest where she represented Switzerland.[7] [8]  Following a series of French albums in the early 1980s, she signed on to CBS Records Canada in 1986. During the 1990s, with the help of Angélil, she achieved worldwide fame after signing with Epic Records and releasing several English albums along with additional French albums, becoming one of the most successful artists in pop music history.[9] [10] However, in 1999 at the height of her success, Dion announced a hiatus from entertainment in order to start a family and spend time with her husband, who had been diagnosed with cancer.[10] [11]  She returned to the top of pop music in 2002 and signed a three-year (later extended to almost five years) contract to perform nightly in a five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada.[12] [13] [14]

Dion's music has been influenced by genres ranging from rock and R&B to gospel and classical. Her main singing languages are French and English, but she also sings in Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Japanese and Mandarine Chinese. While her releases have often received mixed critical reception, she is renowned for her technically skilled and powerful vocals.[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Elysa_16-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cove_17-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17] Dion is the best-selling Canadian artist of all time,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]  is the second best-selling female artist in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  and is the only female artist to have two singles sell more than a million copies in the UK.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  In addition, her 1995 album D'eux, is the best-selling French-language album of all time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23]  In 2004, after surpassing 175 million in album sales worldwide, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award at the World Music Awards for becoming the best-selling female artist of all time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]  According to Sony Music Entertainment, Dion has sold over 200 million albums worldwide.

Childhood and early beginnings
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The youngest of 14 children born to Adhémar Dion and Thérèse Tanguay, both of French-Canadian descent,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]  Celine Dion was raised a Roman Catholic in a poverty-stricken, but, by her own account, happy home in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CNNN_10-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated12_28-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  Music had always been a part of the family (Dion was named after the song Céline, recorded by French singer Hugues Aufray two years before her birth <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29] ). On 13 August 1973, (at the age of five) the young Céline did her first public appearance at her brother Michel's marriage, and performed Christine Charbonneau's song <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  Du fil des aiguilles et du coton.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  Then after, she grew up singing with her siblings in her parents' small piano barcalled Le Vieux Baril. From an early age Dion had dreamed of being a performer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated6_32-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  In a 1994 interview with People magazine, she recalled, "I missed my family and my home, but I don't regret having lost my adolescence. I had one dream: I wanted to be a singer."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]

Dion at the age of 18<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">At age 12, Dion collaborated with her mother and her brother Jacques to compose her first song, "Ce n'était qu'un rêve" ("It Was Only a Dream").<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated12_28-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  Her brother Michel Dondalinger Dion sent the recording to music manager René Angélil, whose name he discovered on the back of a Ginette Reno album.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Jam_5-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]  Angélil was moved to tears by Dion's voice, and decided to make her a star.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated12_28-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  In 1981, he mortgaged his home to fund her first record, La voix du bon Dieu ("The Voice of the Good God"), which later became a local number-one hit and made Dion an instant star in Quebec. Her popularity spread to other parts of the world when she competed in the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan, and won the musician's award for "Top Performer" as well as the gold medal for "Best Song" with "Tellement j'ai d'amour pour toi" ("I Have So Much Love for You").<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Jam_5-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">By 1983, in addition to becoming the first Canadian artist to receive a gold record in France for the single "D'amour ou d'amitié" ("Of Love or of Friendship"), Dion had also won several Félix Awards, including "Best Female performer" and "Discovery of the Year".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Jam_5-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated20_34-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  Further success in Europe, Asia, and Australia came when Dion represented Switzerland in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Ne partez pas sans moi (Don't Go Without Me) and won the contest by a close margin in Dublin, Ireland.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]  However, American success was yet to come, partly because she was exclusively a Francophone artist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated18_36-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  At eighteen, after seeing a Michael Jackson performance, Dion told Angélil that she wanted to be a star like Jackson.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  Though confident in her talent, Angélil realized that her image needed to be changed in order for her to be marketed worldwide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated12_28-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  Dion receded from the spotlight for a number of months, during which she underwent dental surgery to improve her appearance, and was sent to the École Berlitz in 1989 to polish her English.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Enc_6-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In 1989, during a concert on Incognito Tour, Dion injured her voice. She consulted the otorhinolaryngologist William Gould.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bombardier_2009_172.E2.80.93173_38-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Germain_p._279-280_39-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]  He gave her an ultimatum: have surgery on her vocal cords, or not utilize them at all for three weeks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bombardier_2009_172.E2.80.93173_38-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  Dion chose the latter and underwent vocal training with William Riley,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bombardier_2009_172.E2.80.93173_38-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Germain_p._279-280_39-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]  because, according to Gould and Riley, she "doesn't know singing, she made a bad use of her vocal cords".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bombardier_2009_172.E2.80.93173_38-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Germain_p._279-280_39-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]

1990–92: Unison, Dion chante Plamondon and Celine Dion
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Two years after she had learned English, Dion made her debut into the Anglophone market with Unison (1990), the lead single having originally been recorded by Laura Branigan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Jam_5-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5] She incorporated the help of many established musicians, including Vito Luprano and Canadian producer David Foster.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated5_40-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  The album was largely influenced by 1980s soft rockmusic that quickly found a niche within the adult contemporary radio format. Unison also hit the right notes with critics: Jim Faber of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Dion's vocals were "tastefully unadorned", and that she never attempted to "bring off styles that are beyond her".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic declared it as, "a fine, sophisticated American debut."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  Singles from the album included "(If There Was) Any Other Way", "The Last to Know", "Unison", and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", a mid-tempo soft-rock ballad which made prominent use of the electric guitar. The latter became her first single to reach the top-ten on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number-four. The album established Dion as a rising singer in the United States, and across Continental Europe and Asia.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In 1991, Dion was also a soloist in Voices That Care, a tribute to American troops fighting in Operation Desert Storm. Dion's real international breakthrough came when she duetted with Peabo Bryson on the title track to Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated8_43-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]  The song captured a musical style that Dion would utilize in the future: sweeping, classically influenced ballads with soft instrumentation. Both a critical and commercial hit, the song became her second U.S. top-ten single, and won the Academy Award for Best Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Time1_15-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]  "Beauty and the Beast" was featured on Dion's 1992 self-titled album, which, like her debut, had a strong rock influence combined with elements of soul and classical music. Owing to the success of the lead-off single and her collaboration with Foster and Diane Warren, the album was as well received as Unison. Other singles that achieved moderate success included "If You Asked Me To" (a cover of Patti LaBelle's song from the 1989 movie Licence to Kill) which peaked at number-four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the gospel-tinged "Love Can Move Mountains", and "Nothing Broken But My Heart".

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">As with Dion's earlier releases, the album had an overtone of love. Also during this time, Dion released the Francophone album Dion chante Plamondon in 1991. The album consisted mostly of covers, but included 4 new songs, which included "Des mots qui sonnent", "Je danse dans ma tête", "Quelqu'un que j'aime, quelqu'un qui m'aime" and "L'amour existe encore". It was originally released in Canada and France during the 1991–1992 period, but then got an international release in 1994, the first French Celine Dion album to do so. "Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)" became a smash hit in France, reaching number-two and being certified gold. In Quebec, the album was certified Gold the day it was released.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">By 1992 Unison, Céline Dion, and media appearances had propelled Dion to superstardom in North America. She had achieved one of her main objectives: wedging her way into the Anglophone market and achieving fame.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated18_36-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  However, while she was experiencing rising success in the U.S., her French fans in Canada criticized her for neglecting them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Time1_15-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated21_44-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  She would later regain her fan base at the Félix Award show, where, after winning "English Artist of the Year", she openly refused to accept the award. She asserted that she was—and would always be—a French, not an English, artist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Enc_6-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45]  Apart from her commercial success, there were also changes in Dion's personal life, as Angélil, who was twenty-six years her senior, transitioned from manager to lover. However, the relationship was kept a secret as they both feared that the public would find their relations inappropriate.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated22_46-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]

1993–95: The Colour of My Love and D'eux
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In 1993, Dion announced her feelings for her manager by declaring him "the colour of [her] love" in the dedication section of her third English-language album The Colour of My Love. However, instead of criticizing their relationship as Dion had feared, fans embraced the couple.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated4_47-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  Eventually, Angélil and Dion married in an extravagant wedding ceremony in December 1994, which was broadcast live on Canadian television.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">As it was dedicated to her manager, the album's motif focused on love and romance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated23_48-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48]  It became her most successful record up to that point, selling more than six million copies in the U.S., two million in Canada, and peaking at number-one in many countries. The album also spawned Dion's first U.S., Canadian, and Australian number-one single "The Power of Love" (a remake of Jennifer Rush's 1985 hit), which would become her signature hit until she reached new career heights in the late 1990s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated18_36-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  The single "When I Fall in Love", a duet with Clive Griffin, achieved moderate success on the U.S. and Canadian charts, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards, winning one. The Colour of My Love also became Dion's first major hit in Europe, and in particular the United Kingdom. Both the album and the single "Think Twice" simultaneously occupied the top of the British charts for five consecutive weeks. "Think Twice", which remained at number-one for seven weeks, eventually became the fourth single by a female artist to sell in excess of one million copies in the UK,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49]  while the album was eventually certified five-times platinum for two-million copies sold.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[50]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion kept to her French roots and continued to release many Francophone recordings between each English record.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated15_51-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  Generally, they achieved more credibility than her English-language works.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated21_44-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  She released À l'Olympia, a live album that was recorded during one of Dion's concerts at the Paris Olympia in 1994. It had one promotional single, a live version of "Calling You", which peaked at seventy-five on the French Singles Chart. She also recorded a bilingual version of Petit Papa Noël with Alvin and the Chipmunks for the 1994 holiday album A Very Merry Chipmunk. D'eux (also known as The French Album in the United States), was released in 1995, and it would go on to become the best-selling French-language album of all time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated15_51-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  The album was mostly written and produced by Jean-Jacques Goldman, and amassed huge success with the singles "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" and "Je sais pas". "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" reached number 1 in France and stayed at the top position for twelve weeks. It was later certified Platinum in France.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]  The single also reached the top ten in the UK and Ireland, a rare accomplishment for a French song. The second single off the album, "Je sais pas", reached number-one on the French Singles Chart as well and was certified Silver in France.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[53]  These songs would later become "If That's What It Takes" and "I Don't Know" on Dion's next English album, Falling into You.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">During the mid-1990s, Dion's albums continued to be constructed on the basis of melodramatic ballads, but also with up-tempo pop and adult contemporary themed music.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54]  She collaborated with talented craftsman such as Jim Steinman and David Foster who helped her devise more adult contemporary songs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[55] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-time.com_56-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56]  While critical reviews fluctuated, Dion's releases performed increasingly well on the international charts, and in 1996 she won the World Music Award for "World's Best-selling Female Recording Artist of the Year" for the third time. By the mid-1990s, she had established herself as one of the best-selling artists in the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Inter_57-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[57]

1996–99: Falling into You, Let's Talk About Love and S'il suffisait d'aimer
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Falling into You (1996), Dion's fourth English-language album, presented the singer at the height of her popularity, and showed a further progression of her music.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated22_46-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]  In an attempt to reach a wider audience, the album combined many elements, such as complex orchestral sounds, African chanting and elaborate musical effects. Additionally, instruments like the violin, Spanish guitar, trombone, the cavaquinho and saxophone created a new sound.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated17_58-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  The singles encompassed a variety of musical styles. The title track "Falling into You" and "River Deep – Mountain High" (a Tina Turner cover) made prominent use of percussion instruments; "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (a remake of Jim Steinman's song) and a remake of Eric Carmen's "All by Myself" kept their soft-rock atmosphere, but were combined with the classical sound of the piano; and the number-one single "Because You Loved Me", which was written by Diane Warren, was a ballad that served as the theme to the 1996 film Up Close & Personal.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Inter_57-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[57]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Falling into You garnered career-best reviews for Dion. While Dan Leroy wrote that it was not very different from her previous work,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59]  and Stephen Holden of The New York Timesand Natalie Nichols of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the album was formulaic,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_61-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[61]  other critics, such as Chuck Eddy of Entertainment Weekly, Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAMG and Daniel Durchholz, lavished the album as "compelling", "passionate", "stylish", "elegant" and "remarkably well-crafted".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated17_58-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  Falling Into You became Dion's most critically and commercially successful album: it topped the charts in many countries and became one of the best-selling albums of all time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[63]  In the United States, the album reached number-one,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mtv.com_64-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64]  and was later certified 11x Platinum for over 11 million copies shipped.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[65]  In Canada, the album was certified diamond for over one million copies shipped.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[66]  The IFPI certified Falling into You 9x Platinum, an accolade that has been given to only two other albums in history, with one of the two being Dion's own album, Let's Talk About Love.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[67]  The album also won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Album, and the academy's highest honor Album of the Year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated2_68-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[68]  Dion's status on the world stage was further solidified when she was asked to perform "The Power of the Dream" at the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[69]  In March 1996, Dion launched the Falling into You Tour in support of her new album, giving concerts around the world for over a year.

Céline Dion on stage with her dancers performing "River Deep – Mountain High" on the Taking Chances World Tour in September 2008.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion followed Falling into You with Let's Talk About Love (1997), which was publicized as its sequel.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated13_70-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70]  The recording process took place in London, New York City, and Los Angeles, and featured a host of special guests, such as Barbra Streisand on "Tell Him"; the Bee Gees on "Immortality"; and world-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti on "I Hate You Then I Love You".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated22_46-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-archives_71-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[71]  Other musicians included Carole King, Sir George Martin, Bryan Adams and Jamaican singer Diana King, who added a reggae tinge to "Treat Her Like a Lady".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[72]  As withFalling into You, Let's Talk About Love was a major success for Dion, reaching number-one all over the world, attaining platinum status in twenty-four sales territories, and becoming Dion's fastest selling album of her career.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[73]  In the United States, the album topped the chart in its seventh week of release,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-74" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[74]  and was later certified 10x Platinum in the U.S. for over 10 million copies shipped.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[75]  In Canada, the album sold 230,212 copies in its first week of release, which became, and still is, a record.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-76" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[76]  It was eventually certified diamond in Canada for over 1 million copies shipped.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-77" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[77] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-78" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[78]  The most successful single from the album became the classically influenced ballad "My Heart Will Go On", which was written and composed byJames Horner and Will Jennings, and produced by Horner and Walter Afanasieff.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated2_68-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[68]  Serving as the love theme for the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic, the song topped the charts across the world, and became Dion's signature song;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated19_79-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[79]  as well as winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[80]  The song also gave Dion two Grammy Awards for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" and the most coveted "Record of the Year", (the song itself won four awards, but two were presented to the songwriters).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[81]  "My Heart Will Go On" and "Think Twice" made her the only female artist in the UK to have two singles to sell more than a million copies.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-jealous_82-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[82]  In support of her album, Dion embarked on the Let's Talk About Love Tourbetween 1998 and 1999.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[83]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion ended the 1990s with three more extremely successful albums—the Christmas album These Are Special Times (1998), the French-language album, S'il suffisait d'aimer, and the compilation album All the Way... A Decade of Song (1999).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated4_47-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  On These Are Special Times, Dion became more involved in the writing process. She co-wrote the song, "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day" along with Ric Wake and Peter Zizzo.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[84]  The album was her most classically influenced yet, with orchestral arrangements found on virtually every track.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-85" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85]  "I'm Your Angel", a duet with R. Kelly, became Dion's fourth U.S. number one single, and another hit single across the world. All the Way... A Decade of Song drew together her most successful hits coupled with seven new songs, including the lead off single "That's the Way It Is", a cover of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", and "All the Way", a duet with Frank Sinatra.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated4_47-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  The album itself was also extremely successful worldwide, reaching number-one in the United States for three weeks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mtv.com_64-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64]  The album was later certified 7x Platinum in the U.S. for 7 million copies shipped.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-86" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[86]  ''All the Way... A Decade of Song also topped the charts in the UK,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-87" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[87]  Canada,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Jam.21_Showbiz_88-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[88]  and Australia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-89" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[89]  Her last French-language studio album of the 1990s, S'il suffisait d'aimer, was very successful as well, topping the charts in every major French-speaking country, including France,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-90" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[90]  Switzerland,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-91" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[91]  Belgium Wallonia,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-92" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[92]  and Canada.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Jam.21_Showbiz_88-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[88]  In France, the album was certified diamond, selling 1.5 million copies.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-93" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[93]  By the end of the 1990s, Celine Dion had sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, and had won a slew of industry awards.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated3_94-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[94]  Her status as one of the music industry's biggest pop divas was further solidified when she was asked to perform on VH1's Divas Live'' special in 1998, with superstars Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain and Mariah Carey.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-95" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[95]  That year she also received two of the highest honours from her home country: "Officer of the Order of Canada for Outstanding Contribution to the World of Contemporary Music"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gg.ca_96-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[96] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gazette.gc.ca_97-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[97]  and "Officer of the National Order of Quebec".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ordre-national.gouv.qc.ca_98-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[98]  A year later she was inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame, and was honoured with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-99" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[99]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">During this time, the pop rock genre that was more noticeable in her earlier releases, was replaced by a more adult contemporary feel.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated13_70-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70]  However, the theme of "love" remained in most of her releases, which led to some critics dismissing her music as banal.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated24_100-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[100]  Other critics, like Elysa Gardner and Jose F. Promis, praised her vocals during this period, describing it as a "technical marvel".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[101] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[102]  However, others, like Steve Dollar, who reviewed These Are Special Times, stated that Dion is a "vocal Olympian for whom there ain't no mountain—or scale—high enough."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[103]

2000–03: Hiatus, A New Day Has Come, One Heart and 1 fille & 4 types
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">After releasing and promoting thirteen albums during the 1990s, Dion stated that she needed to settle down, and announced on her latest album All the Way... A Decade of Song, that she needed to take a step back from the spotlight and enjoy life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CNNN_10-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vh1_104-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[104]  Angélil's diagnosis with throat cancer also prompted her to hiatus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-105" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[105]  While on break, Dion was unable to escape the spotlight. In 2000, the National Enquirer published a false story about the singer. Brandishing a picture of Dion and her husband, the magazine misquoted Dion, printing the headline, "Celine — 'I'm Pregnant With Twins!'"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-106" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[106]  Dion later sued the magazine for more than twenty million dollars.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-107" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[107]  The editors of the Enquirer printed an apology and a full retraction to Dion in the next issue, and donated money to the American Cancer Society in honor of Dion and her husband. A year after the incident, after undergoing fertility treatments, Dion gave birth to a son, René-Charles Dion Angélil, on 25 January 2001, in Florida.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-108" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[108] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-109" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[109]  Following the September 11 attacks, Dion returned to the music scene, and in a televised performance sang "God Bless America" at the benefit concert America: A Tribute to Heroes. Chuck Taylor of Billboard wrote, "the performance... brings to mind what has made her one of the celebrated vocalists of our time: the ability to render emotion that shakes the soul. Affecting, meaningful, and filled with grace, this is a musical reflection to share with all of us still searching for ways to cope."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-110" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[110]  Dion would perform it again in 2003 during pregame festivities for Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-111" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[111]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In December 2001, Dion published her autobiography, My Story, My Dream which chronicled her rags to riches story.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-112" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[112]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion's aptly titled A New Day Has Come, released in March 2002, ended her three-year break from the music industry. The album was Dion's most personal yet, and established a more mature side of Dion with the songs "A New Day Has Come", "I'm Alive", and "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", a change that resulted from her new-found maternal responsibilities, because, in her own words, "becoming a mother makes you a grown-up."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vh1_104-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[104]  She stated, "A New Day Has Come, for Rene, for me, is the baby. It has everything to do with the baby...That song "A New Day Has Come" represents very well the mood I'm feeling right now. It represents the whole album."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated7_113-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[113]  A New Day Has Come debuted at number one in over 17 countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-114" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[114] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-115" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[115] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-116" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[116]  In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 527,000 copies; marking her first number one debut on the chart.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-117" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[117]  It was eventually certified 3x Platinum in the United States,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-118" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[118]  and 6x Platinum in Canada.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-119" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[119]

Dion performing "God Bless America" with members of the Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, 2002.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">While the album was commercially successful, critical reviews suggested that it was "forgettable" and the lyrics were "lifeless".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-120" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[120]  Both Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone magazine, and Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly, stated that Dion's music had not matured during her break, and classed her music as trite and mediocre.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-121" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[121] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-122" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[122]  Sal Cinquemani of Slant magazine called the album "a lengthy collection of drippy, gooey pop fluffer-nutter."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-123" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[123]  The first single off the album, A New Day Has Come peaked at No.22 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, being an airplay-only release. On the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, however the song spent 21 consecutive weeks at number 1, breaking the record for the longest span at the top.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-124" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[124]  The previous record holders were Phil Collins' You'll Be in My Heart and Dion's own Because You Loved Me, both of which lasted nineteen weeks at number 1. During 2002, she performed for many benefit concerts, the famous VH1 Divas Live, a concert to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, alongside Cher, Anastacia, Dixie Chicks, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper, Shakira and Stevie Nicks.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, Dion released One Heart (2003), an album that represented her appreciation for life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-125" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[125]  The album largely consisted of dance music—a deviation from the soaring, melodramatic ballads, for which she had once been given mixed reception. Although the album achieved moderate success, One Heart was met with mixed criticism, and words such as "predictable" and "banal" appeared even in the most lenient reviews.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-One_126-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[126] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-127" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[127]  A cover of the 1989 Cyndi Lauper hit "I Drove All Night", released to launch her new advertising campaign with Chrysler,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-128" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[128]  incorporated dance-pop and rock and roll. The advertising deal itself, however was met with mixed criticism, with some stating that Dion was trying to please her sponsors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-129" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[129]  However, people like Bonita Stewart, who was the director of Chrysler Group Marketing Communications stated that "Chrysler was taken by how her appeal crossed ethnic lines." She also added, "She brings sophistication, refinement, romance and passion to the brand."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-130" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[130]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">After One Heart, Dion released her next English Language studio album, Miracle (2004). Miracle was a multimedia project conceived by Dion and photographer Anne Geddes, and had a theme centering on babies and motherhood. The album was filled with lullabies and other songs of maternal love and inspiration, the two most popular being covers of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" and John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy". The reviews for Miracle were mixed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-celebr_131-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[131]  Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic.com gave the album three of out five stars, stating, "The worst you can say about the record is that there are no surprises, but the audience for this record doesn't want surprises; they want comfort, whether it arrives in polished music or artsy photos of newborns, and Miracle provides both, which makes it appealing for those expectant or new mothers in Dion's audience.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-celebr_131-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[131]  Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine wrote that the single "Beautiful Boy" was "an unexpected gem" and called Dion "a timeless, enormously versatile artist",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-132" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[132]  Chuck Arnold of People Magazine, however, labeled the album as excessively sentimental,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-133" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[133]  while Nancy Miller of Entertainment Weekly opined that "the whole earth-mama act is just opportunism, reborn".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-134" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[134]  Miracle debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart and number one in Canada, and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-135" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[135]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The Francophone album 1 fille & 4 types (1 Girl & 4 Guys), released in October 2003, fared better than her first two releases, and showed Dion trying to distance herself from the "diva" image. She recruited Jean-Jacques Goldman, Gildas Arzel, Eric Benzi, and Jacques Veneruso, with whom she had previously worked on two of her best-selling French albums S'il suffisait d'aimer and D'eux. Labeled "the album of pleasure" by Dion herself, the album cover showed Dion in a simple and relaxed manner, contrary to the choreographed poses usually found on her album covers. The album achieved widespread commercial success in France, Canada, and Belgium where it reached number one. In France, the album debuted at number one and was later certified 2x platinum after selling over 700,000 copies. Critic, Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that Dion's vocals "are back at top of their game" and that she was "getting back to pop basics and performing at a level unheard in a while."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-136" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[136]

Céline Dion performing in her residency show in "Las Vegas".<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Though her albums were commercially successful, they did not achieve the sales or the reception of her previous works. Albums like The Collector's Series, Volume One (2000), and One Heart (2003) did not perform as well critically.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-One_126-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[126] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-One_126-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[126]  Her songs received less airplay as radio became less embracing of balladeers like Dion, Carey, and Houston, and was focused on more up-tempo, Urban/Hip-hopsongs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-137" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[137]  However, by 2004, Dion had accumulated sales of more than 175 million albums worldwide, and received the Chopard Diamond Award from the World Music Awards for her achievements.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-138" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[138] According to the official World Music Awards website, the award is rare; it is "not presented every year" and an artist can only be presented with the award for selling "over 100 million albums during their career."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-139" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[139]

2003–07: A New Day...
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In early 2002, Dion had announced a three-year, 600-show contract to appear five nights a week in an entertainment extravaganza, A New Day..., at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lavid_12-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] This move was seen as "one of the smartest business decisions in years by any major recording artist".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-140" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[140]  She conceived the idea for the show after seeing O by Franco Dragone early in her break from recording, and began on 25 March 2003, in a 4,000-seat arena designed for her show.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lavid_12-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  Many stars attended opening night including Dick Clark, Alan Thicke, Kathy Griffin, and Justin Timberlake, who hosted the television special.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-141" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[141]  The show, put together by Dragone, was a combination of dance, music, and visual effects. It included Dion performing her biggest hits against an array of dancers and special effects. Reviewer Mike Weatherford felt that, at first, Dion was not as relaxed as she should be, and at times, it was hard to find the singer among the excessive stage ornamentations and dancers. However, he noted that the show had become more enjoyable, due to Dion's improved stage-presence and simpler costumes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated19_79-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[79]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The show was also well-received by audiences, despite the complaints of expensive tickets; the show routinely sold out until its end in late 2007.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-142" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[142]  Ticket prices averaged $135.33.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-143" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[143]  The show was choreographed by Mia Michaels, who is a world renowned choreographer. According to Pollstar, Dion sold 322,000 tickets and grossed US$43.9 million in the first half of 2005, and by July 2005, she had sold out 315 out of 384 shows.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-144" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[144]  By the end of 2005, Dion grossed more than US$76 million, placing sixth on Billboard's Money Makers list for 2005.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-145" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[145]  A New Day... was the 6th biggest selling tour in America in 2006.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-146" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[146]  Because of the show's success, Dion's contract was extended into 2007 for an undisclosed sum. On 5 January 2007 it was announced that the show would end on 15 December 2007, with tickets for the period after October 2007 having gone on sale from 1 March.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-147" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[147]  During its entire run, the show accumulated a total gross of $400 million, while being seen by nearly 3 million fans.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-148" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[148] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-149" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[149]  The ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_in_Las_Vegas_-_A_New_Day... Live in Las Vegas - A New Day...]'' DVD was released on 10 December 2007 in Europe and the following day in North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-150" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[150]

2007–10: D'elles, Taking Chances and Taking Chances Tour
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion's latest French language album, D'elles (About Them), released on 21 May 2007, debuted at the top of the Canadian album charts, selling 72,200 copies in its first week. It marked her tenth number-one album in the SoundScan era, and her eighth to debut at the top position. In Canada, the album has been certified 2× platinum, and within the first month had already shipped half a million units worldwide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-151" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[151]  D'Elles also reached No. 1 in France and Belgium. The first single "Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)" (meaning "And If There Was Only One Woman Left (I Would Be That One)") debuted at the top of the French singles chart a month earlier. She released her latest English album Taking Chances on 12 November in Europe, and on 13 November in North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-152" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[152]  Her first English studio album since 2003's One Heart, it features pop, R&B, and rock inspired music.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-153" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[153]  Dion has collaborated with John Shanks and ex-Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody, as well as Kristian Lundin, Peer Astrom, Linda Perry, Japanese singer Yuna Ito, and R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-154" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[154] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-155" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[155]  Dion stated, "I think this album represents a positive evolution in my career ... I'm feeling strong, maybe a little gutsier than in the past, and just as passionate about music and life as I ever was."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-156" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[156]  She launched her year-long worldwide Taking Chances Tour on 14 February 2008 in South Africa, performing 132 dates in stadiums and arenas across five continents.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-157" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[157]

Dion during her Taking Chances Tour concert in Bell Centre, Montreal, on 19 August 2008.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The Taking Chances Tour was a great success in the United States, reaching the Number 1 spot on the Billboard Boxscore and it sold out every concert in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, she appeared on Idol Gives Back for a second year in a row. Céline Dion was nominated for six Juno Awards in 2008, leading the group of Canadians to receive this honour,and adding to her 53 previous nominations. Her nominations included Artist of the Year, Pop Album of the Year (for Taking Chances), Francophone Album of the Year (for D'elles) and Album of the Year (for both Taking Chancesand D'elles).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-158" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[158]  The following year, Dion was nominated for 3 Juno Awards including the Fan Choice Award, Song of the Year (for Taking Chances), and Music DVD of the Year (for Live in Las Vegas — A New Day...)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-159" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[159]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">On 22 August 2008, Celine Dion presented a free show, exclusively francophone,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-reportage400e_160-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[160]  outside on the Plains of Abraham, in Quebec City, Canada, for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-400ememorable_161-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[161]  The celebration gathered approximately 490,000 people (total with TV broadcast). The concert, called Céline sur les Plaines, was released on DVD on 11 November 2008 in Quebec and was released on 20 May 2009 in France.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-400emotions_162-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[162]  The end of October saw the worldwide release of her first ever comprehensive English greatest hits album called My Love: Essential Collection,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-163" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[163]  available in two different album formats.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In May 2009, Celine Dion was named the 20th best-selling artist of the decade in the United States and the second-best-selling female artist of the decade in the United States, selling an estimated 17.57 million albums.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-164" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[164]  In June 2009, Forbes reported that Dion earned $100 million during 2008. In December 2009, Pollstar announced that Dion was the best-selling solo touring act of the decade and the second-best-selling touring act of the decade, only to the Dave Matthews Band.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chicagotribune.com_165-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[165]  Dion grossed $522.2 million during the decade, a large sum of that coming from her five-year residence atCaesars Palace.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chicagotribune.com_165-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[165]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">On 17 February 2010 Dion released into theatres a documentary film about her Taking Chances Tour, titled, Celine: Through the Eyes of the World.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-usatoday.com_166-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[166]  The documentary shows behind-the-scenes footage of Dion both onstage and offstage, along with footage of Dion with her family as they traveled with her.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-usatoday.com_166-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[166]  The distributor is the Sony Pictures subsidiary, Hot Ticket.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-usatoday.com_166-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[166]  The film was later released on Blu-ray and DVD on 4 May 2010, along with the CD/DVD, Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert, which chronicled her world tour of the same name.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-167" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[167] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-168" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[168]  At the 52nd Grammy Awards in February 2010, Dion joined Carrie Underwood, Usher, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson to perform the song "Earth Song" during the 3-D Michael Jackson tribute.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-169" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[169]

Céline Dion on stage performing "Eyes On Me" during her Taking Chances Tour in Montreal, Canada in August 2008.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In January 2010, The Los Angeles Times presented its annual list of the top ten largest earners of the year, revealing that Dion took the top spot for the entire decade, with$US747.9 million in total revenue from 2000–2009.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-latimesblogs.latimes.com_170-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[170]  The largest haul came from ticket sales, totaling $522.2 million.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-latimesblogs.latimes.com_170-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[170]  Additionally, Dion was named "Artist of the Decade" in her native Canadian province of Quebec, announced by the Montreal-based newspaper, Le Journal de Quebec in 2009 December.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lejournaldequebec.canoe.ca_171-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[171]  A public online survey asked responders to vote for who they believe deserved the above-mentioned accolade.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lejournaldequebec.canoe.ca_171-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[171]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Furthermore, in a May 2010 Harris Poll, Dion was named the most popular musician in the United States, ahead of U2, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles, while factoring in gender, political affiliations, geographic region of residence, and income.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-172" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[172]  Specifically, Dion was the most popular musician in the female demographic, as well as among all Democrats, those who live in the eastern United States and southern United States, and those who have incomes between US$35k and US$74.9k.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-173" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[173] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-174" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[174]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In September 2010, she released the single "Voler", a duet with French singer Michel Sardou. The song was later included on Sardou's album.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-175" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[175]  In addition, it was announced in October 2010 that Dion wrote and composed a new song for Canadian singer, Marc Dupré entitled "Entre deux mondes".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-176" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[176]

2011-present: Celine, Sans attendre and Water and a Flame
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In an interview with People magazine published in February 2010, Dion announced that she will be returning to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for Celine, a three-year residency for seventy shows a year, beginning 15 March 2011.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-people1_177-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[177]  She stated that the show will feature, "all the songs from my repertoire that people want to hear" and will contain a selection of music from classic Hollywood films.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-people1_177-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[177]  In preparation for her return to Las Vegas, Dion, on 21 February made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show during the show's final season, for a record twenty-seventh time<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-178" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[178]  and spoke about her upcoming Caesars Palace shows, as well as her family.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-179" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[179]  Additionally, for a record sixth time, Dion performed at the 83rd Academy Awards, where she sang the song "Smile," as part of the ceremony's "In Memoriam" segment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-180" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[180]  On 4 September, Dion appeared on the 2011 MDA Labor Telethon Event and showed a prerecorded performance of "Open Arms" from her new Las Vegas show.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-181" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[181]  On 1 October 2011, OWN Network premiered a documentary on Dion's life, from months before her pregnancy with twins, to the makings of her new Las Vegas Show, called, "Celine: 3 Boys and a New Show".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-182" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[182]  The documentary became the second highest rated show on TV OWN Canada. In October, FlightNetwork.com conducted a poll asking 780 participants which celebrity they would most like to sit next to on an airplane. Dion was the top favorite, with 23.7% of the vote.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-183" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[183]  Also, in September, Dion released her 14th perfume from her Celine Dion Parfums Collection, called "Signature".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-celinedion1_184-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[184]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">On 15 September, Dion made an appearance at the free concert of world famous tenor, Andrea Bocelli, in Central Park in New York.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-185" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[185]  In 2012 she performed at 16th Jazz and Blues Festival in Jamaica.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-186" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[186]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In June 2012, Dion did an interview with the Today Show in the US, featuring footage of Dion in the studio recording a new song titled "Didn't Know Love."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-187" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[187]  An article in Le journal Montréal announced that the upcoming English album would be released in sometime in 2013 and would be titled Water and a Flame.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-188" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[188]  Dion stated in the article that the album would contain cover songs performed in her Las Vegas show as well as new songs. Notable producers announced for the album are Babyface, Ne-Yo, and Eg White. It was also confirmed that the album will contain a duet with Stevie Wonder on a cover of his hit song "Overjoyed."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-189" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[189]  Dion's first new French-language studio album in five years, Sans attendre was released on 2 November 2012.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-190" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[190]

Influences
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion grew up listening to the music of Aretha Franklin, Charles Aznavour, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Anne Murray, Barbra Streisand, and the Bee Gees, all of whom she would eventually collaborate with.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-191" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[191] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-192" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[192]  Dion has also stated she grew up listening to artists such as Janis Joplin, the Doobie Brothers, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, but never got the chance to sing their genre of music. She also was inspired by fellow vocalist Whitney Houston, whom Dion has often been compared to.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-193" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[193]  Her music has been influenced by numerous genres, including pop, rock, gospel, R&B and soul, and her lyrics focus on themes of poverty, world hunger, and spirituality, with an emphasis on love and romance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated23_48-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-194" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[194] After the birth of her child, her work also began to emphasize maternal bond and brotherly love.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-celebr_131-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[131] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-195" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[195] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-196" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[196] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-197" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[197]

Musical style
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion has faced considerable criticism from critics, who state that her music often retreats behind pop and soul conventions, and is marked by excessive sentimentality.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Enc_6-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated24_100-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[100]  According to Keith Harris of Rolling Stone magazine, "[Dion's] sentimentality is bombastic and defiant rather than demure and retiring....[she] stands at the end of the chain of drastic devolution that goes Aretha-Whitney-Mariah. Far from being an aberration, Dion actually stands as a symbol of a certain kind of pop sensibility—bigger is better, too much is never enough, and the riper the emotion the more true."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-198" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[198]  Dion's francophone releases, by contrast, tend to be deeper and more varied than her English releases, and consequently have achieved more credibility.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated21_44-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cbcc_199-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[199]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Critics have stated that Dion's involvement in the production aspect of her music is fundamentally lacking, which results in her work being overproduced<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cbcc_199-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[199]  and impersonal.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated21_44-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  However, coming from a family in which all of her siblings were musicians, she learned to play instruments like piano and guitar, and practiced with a Fender Stratocaster during the recording sessions of her album, Falling into You. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-200" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[200]  Also, she helped to compose many of her earlier French songs, and had always tried to involve herself with the production and recording of her albums. On her first English album, which she recorded before she had a firm command of the English language, she expressed disapproval of the record, which could have been avoided if she had assumed more creative input.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated21_44-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  By the time she released her second English album Celine Dion, she had assumed more control of the production and recording process, hoping to dispel earlier criticisms. She stated, "On the second album I said, 'Well, I have the choice to be afraid one more time and not be 100% happy, or not be afraid and be part of this album.' This is my album."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated21_44-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  She would continue to involve herself in the production of subsequent releases, helping to write a few of her songs on Let's Talk About Love (1997) and These Are Special Times (1998).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-evous.fr_2-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion is often the subject of media ridicule<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-201" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[201]  and parody, and is frequently impersonated on shows like MADtv, Saturday Night Live, South Park, Royal Canadian Air Farce and This Hour Has 22 Minutes for her strong accent and on-stage movements. However, Dion has stated that she is unaffected by the comments, and is flattered that people take the time to impersonate her.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vh1_104-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[104]  She even invited Ana Gasteyer, who parodied her on SNL, to appear on stage during one of her performances. While she is rarely politically outspoken, in 2005 following the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Dion appeared on Larry King Live and tearfully criticized the U.S. government's slow response in aiding the victims of the hurricane: "There's people still there waiting to be rescued. To me that is not acceptable...How can it be so easy to send planes in another country to kill everybody in a second and destroy lives. We need to serve our country."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-202" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[202]  After her interview, she stated, "When I do interviews with Larry King or the big TV shows like that, they put you on the spot, which is very difficult. I do have an opinion, but I'm a singer. I'm not a politician."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-203" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[203]

Voice and timbre
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion is often regarded as one of pop music's most influential voices.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Enc_6-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated21_44-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-204" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[204]  According to Linda Lister in Divafication: The Deification of Modern Female Pop Stars she has been described as a reigning "Queen of Pop" for her influence over the record industry during the 1990s, alongside other female entertainers, including Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-diva_205-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[205]  In a countdown of the "22 Greatest Voices in Music" by Blender Magazine and MTV, she placed ninth (sixth for a female), and she was also placed fourth in Cove magazine's list of "The 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalists."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cove_17-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mtv22ist_206-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[206] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-207" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[207]  Dion is often compared to Mariah Carey for her vocal style and to her idol, Barbra Streisand, for her voice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-208" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[208]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">According to various sources, Dion possesses a five-octave vocal range.,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-209" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[209] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-210" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[210] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-211" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[211]  although arguably fully spanding three-octave only as showcased by her so far.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-vocal_range_212-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[212]  Dion states she is a mezzo-soprano.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cyberpresse.ca_213-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[213]  However, attempting to adapt classical voice types to other forms of singing has been met with controversy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-214" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[214]  Without making a classification, maestro Kent Nagano remarked, "All you just sang was soprano," after Dion auditioned with two solos of Carmen,wanting to know if she could sing opera.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cyberpresse.ca_213-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[213]  Her timbre has been described as "thin, slightly nasal"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NYTIS_215-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[215]  with a "raspy" lower register and "bell glass-like high notes."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-216" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[216]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion is often praised for her technical virtuosity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-217" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[217]  Jim Santella of The Buffalo News writes "Like an iron fist in a velvet glove, the power of Celine Dion's voice is cloaked in a silky vibrato that betrays the intensity of her vocal commitment."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BuffaloT_218-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[218]  Jeff Miers, also of The Buffalo News, says of Dion "Her singing voice is absolutely extra-human. She hits notes in full voice, with a controlled vibrato and an incredible conception of pitch, like she's shucking an ear of corn"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BuffaloT2_219-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[219]  Stephen Holden of The New York Times states that Dion has "a good-sized arsenal of technical skills. She can deliver tricky melismas, produce expressive vocal catches and sustain long notes without the tiniest wavering of pitch. And as her duets [...] have shown, she is a reliable harmony voice."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NYTIS_215-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[215]  In an interview with Libération, Jean-Jacques Goldman notes that she has "no problem of accuracy or tempo."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-220" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[220]  According to Kent Nagano, maestro of theMunich Symphony Orchestra, Dion is "a musician who has a good ear, a refinement, and a degree of perfection that is enviable."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Cyberpresse.ca_213-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[213]  Charles Alexander of TIME states, "[Her] voice glides effortlessly from deep whispers to dead-on high notes, a sweet siren that combines force with grace."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-autogenerated18_36-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In her French repertoire, Dion adorns her vocals with more nuances and modulations, with the emotional intensity being "more tender and intimate."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Denise_Bombardier_2009.2C_page_179_221-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[221]  Additionally, Luc Plamondon, a French singer-songwriter who has written several works for Dion claims that there are three chanteuses (stylistically) that Dion uses: the Québécois, the French, and the American.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Denise_Bombardier_2009.2C_page_179_221-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[221]

Products and endorsements
Celine Dion's stars on Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion became an entrepreneur with the establishment of her franchise restaurant, Nickels in 1990. She has since divested her interests in the chain and is no longer affiliated with Nickels, as of 1997. In 2003, Dion signed a deal with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coty,_Inc. Coty, Inc.] to release Celine Dion Parfums.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Davis_222-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[222]  Her latest fragrance, Signature, was released in September 2011<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-celinedion1_184-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[184]  with an advertising campaign by New York agency Kraftworks NYC.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-223" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[223]  Since its inception, Celine Dion Parfums has grossed over $850 million in retail sales.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-brilliance_224-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[224] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-225" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[225]  In October 2004, Air Canada hired Dion as part of their promotional campaign to unveil new service products and an updated livery. "You and I", the theme song sung by Dion, was written by advertising executives working for Air Canada.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-226" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[226]

Philanthropy
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion has actively supported many charity organizations, worldwide. She has promoted the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF) since 1982, and became the foundation's National Celebrity Patron in 1993.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-227" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[227]  She has an emotional attachment to the foundation; her niece Karine succumbed to the disease at the age of sixteen. In 2003, Dion joined a number of other celebrities, athletes, and politicians, including Josh Groban and Yolanda Adams to support "World Children's Day", a global fundraising effort sponsored by McDonald's. The effort raised money from more than 100 nations and benefited orphanages and children's health organizations. In addition, Dion has been a major supporter of the T.J. Martell Foundation, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, and many health and educational campaigns. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Dion donated $1 million to the victims of the storm, and held a fund-raising event for the victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, which subsequently raised more than $1 million.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-228" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[228]  After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Dion donated $100,000 to China Children & Teenagers' Fund and sent a letter showing her consolation and support.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-229" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[229]

Awards, honors and distinctions
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In 1999, Dion received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame and also a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2004.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-230" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[230] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-231" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[231]  She dedicated her star to her father, who died the month prior. In 2007, Dion was ranked by Forbes as the 5th richest woman in entertainment with an estimated net worth of US$250 million, though the ranking omitted non-working or retired celebrities.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-232" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[232] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-233" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[233] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-234" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[234]  She also received France's highest award, the Légion d'honneur, in May 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-235" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[235] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-236" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[236]  In August 2008, she received an honorary doctorate in music from the Université Laval in Quebec City.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-237" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[237]  In October 2010, Dion was named a Goodwill Ambassador, a program created by the UN in 1999, sharing this accolade with Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-238" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[238]

Personal life
Dion and husband Rene Angelil in 2012.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Dion first met her husband and manager, Rene Angelil in 1980, when she was 12 and he was 38, after she and her mother sent him a demo tape of a song they had written. They began a relationship in 1987, and became engaged in 1991. They married on 17 December 1994, at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, Quebec. On 5 January 2000, Dion and Angelil renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In May 2000, Dion had two small operations at a fertility clinic in New York to improve her chances of conceiving, after deciding to use in-vitro fertilisation after years of failed attempts to conceive. Their first son, René-Charles Angelil, was born on 25 January 2001. In May 2010, Angelil announced that Dion was 14 weeks pregnant with twins after a sixth treatment of in-vitro fertilisation. On Saturday, 23 October 2010, at 11:11 and 11:12 am respectively, at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, Dion, by Caesarean section, gave birth to two healthy fraternal twins.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-239" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[239]  The twins were named Eddy, after Dion's favorite Algerian songwriter Eddy Marnay who also produced Dion's first five albums, and Nelson, after former South African President Nelson Mandela.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-240" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[240]  Dion appeared with her newborn sons on the cover of the 9 December 2010 issue of the Canadian edition of ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello! Hello!]'' magazine