When it was announced that Canadian singer Celine Dion
would be performing in Dubai earlier this year, the local media was whipped into a frenzy. 'Celine Finally In Dubai,' 'Celine Dion To Rock Dubai,' 'Celine Chooses Dubai' — the headlines read louder than the singer's voice. As someone who comes from a place where unless you're over the age of 45, being a Celine fan is a closeted affair, this open adulation of the songstress came as a surprise.
Since when did it become acceptable to publicly like Celine Dion?
Had someone told me at this point that only a few weeks later I would be one of the thousands who turned up to see Celine 'Rock Dubai' as one journalist put it, I would have said there was more chance of me running the London marathon with a sack of potatoes on my back. However, fate dealt me an ironic prize when I found myself winning a pair of exclusive VIP passes to the very concert I was openly renouncing. I told myself that it was acceptable to attribute this excursion
to journalistic curiosity.
At the concert the first thing that struck me was the number of Canadian flags that were on display. Clearly, Canadians are proud of what she's achieved. "Some of the best singers come from Canada," exclaimed one fan. "We're proud of that, especially of Celine, she's a superstar." And by taking a look at the crowd, it was evident that it's not just Canadians who admire Celine.
How, I wondered, can someone with such little street credit have such a worldwide appeal?
As Celine ran through her set of hits past and present, I found it hard not to feel slightly moved — something that I'm blaming solely on my mother, who had a penchant for Celine's hits
in the nineties.
I realised that physiology stops you from denying the power of her voice —
it's impossible to stop the goose bumps
from appearing when she hits one of those famously high notes. Despite what opinions you may hold about Celine Dion, she's Canada's biggest music export and that's no small feat. In 2004, after amassing more than 175 million albums worldwide, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award at the World Music Awards for becoming the bestselling female artist of all time. In April 2007 Sony BMG announced that Celine Dion had sold approximately 200 million albums worldwide.
Born in Charlemagne, Quebec, on March 30, 1968, Celine was the youngest of 14 children.
Music had always been a part of the family, as she grew up singing with her siblings in her parents' small piano bar called 'Le Vieux Baril.' From an early age Dion had dreamed of being a performer. 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."
Celine first gained international recognition
in the 1980s by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.
During the 1990s, she achieved worldwide success with several English and French albums, becoming one of the most successful artists in pop music.
The albums Falling Into You and Let's Talk About Love, which were released in 1996 and 1997, presented Celine with her biggest hits — both albums are in the top 20 list of the bestselling albums of all time.
A few less successful albums were followed by a three-year, 600-show contract to appear five nights a week in an entertainment extravaganza, A New Day... at Caesars Palace,
Las Vegas from 2003 to 2007.
During her career, Celine has amassed numerous awards and accolades in recognition of her worldwide success in the music industry including ten Grammy awards, 11 World Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, 21 Juno Awards,
38 Félix Awards and many others. Her songs have also won two Academy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
Back at the concert, Celine rounded off her performance with a powerful rendition of her most famous hit, My Heart Will Go On. As I looked around me, I could barely find a person who wasn't singing along. Even the burly gentleman standing to my left, who was only there to chaperone his wife as he had earlier explained to me, was not-so-discreetly miming the words under his breath.
Despite what the cynics and critics may say, what really counts is the fact Celine's voice has touched millions. Not even I could deny it. Nor could the gentleman beside me.
