Céline Dion’s ‘Most Beautiful’ Memory Happened Long Before Fame

Céline Dion has been living her dream come true since she was a teenager, but she said her most cherished memory comes from a time before fame. Dion grew up in a musical family, with each of her siblings playing instruments. As the youngest of 14, Dion was often excluded when her siblings played music together. She said that some of the best days of her life came when they finally let her join them.

Céline Dion said one of her favorite memories occurred before fame

Dion has 13 brothers and sisters, and her parents encouraged each of them to play an instrument.

“My brothers and sisters and I lived in a small house. In the bedrooms upstairs, we slept five or six to a bed. On the ground floor, my mother would be cooking all the time and there was a piano in the cellar,” she told Vogue France in 2024. “Everyone sang, and everyone played a musical instrument. ‘Ghislaine, you’re on drums. Clément, you pick up the guitar. Denis, you sing.’ My parents set up a small orchestra.”

She desperately wanted to join them but, for a while, they wouldn’t let her.

“I was very young and I used to go down to the cellar,” she said. “But my brothers and sisters would come back up and tell Mum: ‘Come and get Céline, we’re trying to rehearse our show and she’s getting in our way, she keeps singing all the time!’ I wanted to sing with them, but I was too little.”

When her brother got married, though, she was able to take his spot and join her siblings. She said her memories of singing with them are some of her favorites. 

“Then it was my turn because my brother was getting married,” she said, adding, “I had to sing two or three well-known Quebec songs. I used to go into the cellar to rehearse too. I was over the moon. Those are some of my fondest memories … The most beautiful memories.”

Céline Dion’s family helped her achieve success

As Dion’s passion and talent became clear, her family helped her pursue a career as a singer. She performed at weddings with her siblings and, eventually, sent out her demo tape.

“My mother has always stood by my side,” she said. “She was the one who wrote my first song and asked my brother Jacques, who played guitar, to compose the music. I didn’t really like the choruses, so I rewrote them and we composed the music with him. We sent a demo to the manager of Ginette Reno, a great artist in Quebec. There was no response.”

When they didn’t hear back, her brother pushed for a response. 

“My brother chased him up: ‘Excuse me, we sent you a demo. My little sister is 12. I know you haven’t heard it yet because if you had, you would have called back right away.’ Eventually, he listened and requested to meet me.”

She felt her dreams came true quickly

Eventually, Dion met with producer, talent manager, and her future husband, René Angélil. He was incredibly moved by her singing and agreed to produce her first record. Dion said that almost overnight, she felt that all her dreams had come true.

“It happened so quickly… My dream had already started,” she said. “There was a choir, musicians, managers, writers, my mother, composers, my brothers… I had everything. I could become an international star because I had everything I wanted.”