Celebrating 53 years of Céline Dion: the perfect occasion for a karaoke night!

March 29, 2021

Who's never spent an evening with friends belting out at least one of these chart-toppers : I’m Alive or The Power of Love ? The most famous Canadian singer in the world celebrates her 53rd birthday this March 30th and in celebration we're taking a look back at the history of one of the most recognized voices of all time and songs from this famous diva's repertoire.

A dream come true

The youngest of 14 in the Dion family, Céline grew up in Quebec, Canada to the rhythm of music. As a child, Céline, fan of Michael Jackson, could be found animating family celebrations with her young voice. Things took a turn after her brother Michel, with whom she recorded a song, sent a cassette to producer René Angélil (who would become the Dion's husband (R.I.P. René)).

At 12 years old, Céline Dion was already in the studios and signed to the CBS Records, the same as her idol Michael Jackson. She released eight little known albums to the general public. Her international career exploded when she competed for Switzerland at Eurovision Song Contest in 1988, with the French Song Ne partez pas sans moi.

In 1994, already well-known in France, she met the famous French performer, author and composer Jean-Jacques Goldman at a concert for the French group Les Enfoirés. It was the beginning of an artistic friendship, which lead to the birth the cult French-speaking album, D'eux.
The album created much buzz, setting records for highest number of discs sold of any French language album and was certified diamond in five months with more than a million copies sold. Thanks to this CD an entire French-speaking generation found its sound and the essential tracks for a successful karaoke evening.
In 1998, the two friends met for a duo of the classic S'il suffisait de s'aimer and again in 2003 for A girl and four guys, in 2007 for the album D'elles and most recently in 2016 for Encore un soir.

Like it or not, one of the most sung songs on the planet and an essential for any Céline Dion karaoke night, My Heart Will Go On, released in 1997, was one of the best-selling tracks in record history with no less than 18 million copies sold. It was also awarded four Grammy's, an Oscar and even a Golden Globe!

Building on this global success, Céline continued with several international albums and leading English-speaking tracks such as I'm Alive. For her 35th career anniversary in 2019, she released the album " Courage," increasing her numbers to 230 million discs sold around the world, with 25 million in France alone. It's no surprise that a Céline Dion karaoke night remains and will always remain the key ingredient of a successful night of karaoke.

The final word ...

During the first confinement in March 2020, an Italian pianist and saxophonist launched a musical challenge to his neighbors: replay the melody of My Heart Will Go On, an orchestra of balconies adding to the pop hit. The video went viral, sparking hope during the challenging and uncertain times. Unlike the Titanic, Céline Dion and her music is far from sinking.