No one can deny that Celiné Dion is a powerhouse.
She began her career at the ripe age of 12 and has since gone on to sing in stadiums all over the world.
Not bad for a small-town girl who’s the youngest of 14 siblings! This is just one of the many interesting facts about the Canadian singer.
For more, keep reading.
1. She’s from Charlemagne, Quebec:
The Canuck grew up in a predominantly French-speaking suburb. It’s a small town that has a population of 5,913, as of 2016.
The town has even named one of their streets after her and created a statue.
2. She’s one of 14 children:
Since her family was very poor, this meant that things could easily get overcrowded.
“We were three, four in the same bed,” Dion told CBS News . “I did not have a bedroom. Up the stairs, before going in the bedrooms, there was a little ramp. And my bed was there.”
3. She’s always known that she wanted to be a singer:
“The only dream I ever had was to be famous and to sing all my life and travel all over the world performing,” she told the Montreal Gazette in 1991.
“And this is my dream come true.”
4. Her family owned a piano bar:
Maybe this is where her love of singing comes from?
The bar was called Le Vieux Baril (The Old Barrel) and it’s actually where Céline and her family also lived. From the age of five, Céline would sing for customers.
5. She met her late husband, René Angélil, when she was 12 and he was 38:
It was actually the Quebec music manager that helped kickstart her career!
After listening to her sing, he mortgaged his house to fund her first two albums!
“While I was singing, he started to cry,” Céline said about the experience.
Years later, the two fell in love, despite their 26-year age gap.
They even had three kids together. Sadly, René passed away in 2016 at the age of 73.
6. She’s still in love with her late husband:
This was revealed when the singer was on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen .
After a fan asked her if she would date again or even get remarried, she said , “I’m still in love.”
“I mean, once you’re in love so much, I’ve been living all my life with René, he’s still within me.”
“I see him through the eyes of my children every day,” she said.
“I’m so passionate about life and I’m so lucky to have my three beautiful sons.”
7. She won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988:
This is interesting news for fans of Eurovision on Netflix!
She didn’t win the prize for Canada, though. She won it on behalf of Switzerland since the original song was by Swiss composer, Atilla Şereftuğ and singer-songwriter Nella Martinetti.
8. She once sang for the Pope:
Céline was just 16 years old when Pope John II visited Quebec in September 1984.
She sang “Une Colombo,” a popular French song, at the Montreal Olympic Stadium in front of him and 65,000 people.
9. She almost didn’t sing “My Heart Go On”:
It’s her most popular song (and the one that won her an Oscar), but the singer was unsure about it at first.
“I wasn’t sure,” she once told talk show host Jonathan Ross.
“I did another song for a movie before and it was very successful. And I thought we were pushing our luck.”
In the end, it was her late husband who convinced her to do a demo.
“The demo is actually the real recording,” she said.
10. She has an honorary doctorate:
Just call her Dr. Dion!
This is a huge achievement for her since she never actually finished high school.
She received the honorary doctorate from Laval University in Quebec in 2008. Such an honor!
11. She owns several restaurants:
She’s been a part-owner of Montreal’s famous Schwartz’s Deli (they’re known for their DELICIOUS smoked meat sandwiches!) since 2012.
She and four of her friends also own Nickels Grill & Bar, which has locations across Quebec and Ontario.
12. She struggled with infertility:
All three of her children were born thanks to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
She even had to postpone some shows at her Caesars Palace residency when she was undergoing treatments.
“People stop because it’s very expensive but I kept on going,” she told the *Daily Mail*.
“I was not going to stop just because I had a contract for singing. I would have hated every song for the rest of my life, so I said try to postpone the Caesars Palace shows because it wasn’t a good enough reason for me not to try for a baby. A life or a contract? I couldn’t live with that,” she said .
13. She doesn’t watch TV:
“I don’t watch TV and so I can’t say that I’m a fan to be honest,” she told Women’s Day about not catching any episodes of reality singing competitions.
“I just perform and then go back to my family.”
14. She considers herself an open book:
“I’ve been an open book all my life,” she told V Magazine in 2012.
What you see is what you get with her. This means that she’s being authentic when she gets silly on talk shows.
“I’m like this in my real life,” she said about not putting on a persona for fans or the general public.
“I like to think that my life is an open book and there are still plenty of pages to write,” she told Elle France in 2016.
15. She is a comedy QUEEN!
Anyone who really knows Céline knows she is not only very talented, but VERY hilarious!
While most of her songs are filled with heart and emotion, Céline is one for lighthearted shenanigans and we love that for her.
16. Céline owns a gender-neutral clothing line for children.
The line, Célinnunu, has been a passion project for the performer since its inception a few years back.
“If you’re a boy you wear blue? Because you’re a girl you wear pink? What is that? What people feel inside is not about a colour, it’s how you feel. We have to give the children the opportunity to be who they are,” she said in an interview .
She continued: “Because later on — if it accumulates — they won’t be able to communicate freely, then they’re going to have problems. So let the children speak and wear what they want — embrace that.”
She’s so cool!
17. Céline has the most successful Las Vegas residency in history!
What was supposed to be a two- or three-month-long affair turned into a 12 year residency for the pop icon!
The 4,000-seat venue at Caesars Palace was designed specifically for Céline, and she performed in it for a total of 4.5 million people, earning a whopping $500,000 per show.
OMG!
18. She is a bilingual MASTER!
Of course we know Céline is a French-Canadian songbird, but did you know she can also sing fluently in Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Japanese and Mandarin?!
Mrs. Dion stans can be found all over the world!
19. Céline is widely regarded as a global fashion icon.
There is no competition when it comes to Céline’s fashion sense. Have you seen her Met Gala looks?! Her Paris Fashion Week looks?!
RELATED STORIES
Her wise words about fashion? “The day you start thinking about comfort, you’re getting old.”
20. She is a BILLIONAIRE!
The move to Sin City was the most financially iconic career move Céline has ever made.
According to Billboard , the 52-year-old is worth an estimated $1.15 BILLION dollars, mostly acquired from her Las Vegas residency.
I think it’s safe to say Céline deserves all the success and love in the world. She is truly a gem!
Did you learn anything totally surprising about Céline?! I didn’t know she was one of 14 KIDS!
Let us know in the comments below!
