Céline Dion has paid tribute to her late husband for teaching her talent counts for less than a quarter of success.
Céline Dion has paid tribute to her late husband for teaching her talent counts for less than a quarter of success
The singer, 55, was left reeling when her music producer and entertainment manager husband René Angélil was killed by throat cancer aged 73 in 2016 after they were married for 22 years, and has now said he was part of a key team who “put up with” and guided her at the start of her career.
She told Vogue France about her late partner – with whom she had sons, René-Charles, 23, as well as 13-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy – when she was asked if she had any “disillusion” when she made it big: “It’s been quite the opposite, if I may say so. I started at the top, with my head in the clouds.
“Life was just a dream and that was all I wanted.
“I was very satisfied because I was dreaming. Nobody could stop me, my brothers and sisters could be in the basement and I would be soaring above the clouds.
“And slowly, with success, I had people who put up with me, my family and my manager, René at the time, a whole little team who brought me back down to earth song after song, success after success, slowly but surely.
“In the end, the ascension brings you back down to earth to achieve stability. “Because voice and talent are not enough. My husband told me that talent is 20 to 25 per cent of success.
“Beyond that, you need good songs, the right timing, the right team. If that piece of the jigsaw doesn’t fit, there’s no point.”
Canadian Céline – who has been kept off stage since revealing in 2022 she was suffering Stiff Person Syndrome – added the secret to her success was following her instincts about everything from her wardrobe to singing style.
She added: “I didn't have a particular look, but I wanted to get out there on stage, share my passion with people who love music, who understand music, and use the music as best I could.
“I’ve been in this whirlwind since day one and I’ve stayed in it. But it’s not just the voice, it’s the determination, it’s the desire, it’s the inner vibe.
“I had lots of doors to open, I had different ways of singing, but people gave me the keys to go to even more places.
“You can have a hit, you can have success, but I didn't want to have only one hit.”
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