Céline Dion, the baby among 14 brothers and sisters , was born on March 30th, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quèbec, Canada. Her name comes from a song that her mother sang during the pregnancy.

Her parents, both musicians, operated a small club, and on weekends, the entire family performed and entertained the local population.

At the age of 12 she told her mother she wanted to sing. Mrs. Therese Dion contacted René Angélil, one of the most famous managers in Montreal, who cried during Céline's audition due to her magnificent voice. René paid for her first album recording, mortgaging his house.

When she was 18, Dion saw Michael Jackson performing on television and told Angelil that she wanted to be a star like him. Angelil's response was to order her to take 18 months off to remake her image. Dion underwent a physical transformation, cutting her hair, plucking her eyebrows, and having her teeth capped to cover up the incisors that had caused a Quebec humor magazine to dub her "Canine Dion."

Céline began to receive recognition for her talent in 1982, winning the Gold Medal at the Yamaha World Song Festival in Tokyo, along with the coveted Musician's Award for Top Performer. In 1983, she became the first Canadian ever to receive a Gold Record in France.

In 7 months only, sells more than 23 million copies all over the world, getting 15 Platinum Records in Canada, 8 in the USA, 3 in France, 6 in UK, and also in the rest of the world.

Despite millions of albums sold, the adoration of fans worldwide, and the validation of her peers, Dion's success was still hampered by image problems that had dogged her since the days of "Canine Dion." While many Americans adored her, just as many snickered at her Quebecois heritage and the relative the unorthodoxy of her marriage.