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© Celine Dion
'No pressure, please represent us'
Celine Dion speaks out on Eurovision
Tonight, during the television show An audience with Celine Dion on ITV in the United Kingdom, attended by 1970 Eurovision Song Contest winner, Dana, and 1998 hostess Ulrika Johnson, Celine spoke out about her participation at one of the biggest television shows in the world and her big break into international music.
Celine has avoided talking about her participation at the Eurovision Song Contest, and for a long time it seemed that she would never talk about the event. In her autobiography, only two references can be found. During questions from the audience, she was asked about her participation and gave a frank and amusing answer.
Asked about singing for Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest, Celine said:
"First of all they came to me and asked me to represent a country that's not even mine. 'Would you represent us at the Eurovision Song Contest? No pressure!' I was very young but the song was amazing. I didn't look at it that I was representing everyone, just doing my best. I went and I sang my heart out the best I could and everything went so wonderfully well. I'm really grateful and it helped my career".
Celine Dion is nominated in the previous participant of the year category in the esctoday.com awards. Polls close tomorrow. Make sure you register your votes before Midnight CET Sunday.
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i think she gave the pollitically correct answer but not in a very profound way. alongside abba, bearing in mind they ended their career almost 20 years ago, she is the biggest artist to have come from esc.
I am a big fan of Celine. I will say the same thing once again. I doubt that she avoids talking about her participation in ESC1988, but if she does, I can see why she would do that. I expect you to be honest and realize that level of this contest goes down year after year. If I were one of these real stars who participated in ESC, like ABBA, Cliff Richards, Nana Mousxouri, Vicky Leandros, Lara Fabian, Domenico Mutugno, Julio Inglesias who are very well known worldwide, I would feel underestimated if my songs would be compared with the monsters' song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" or "Dancing" of Verka Sedurshka. Come on!!!! Be fair and not judge all these real stars! I have to say that most of people in Greece and Cyprus don't know that Celine did participate in ESC. They began to know her from her hits "Power of love", "Because you loved me", "Beauty and the Beast" and "My heart will go on". The last three hits are themes in movies. Another one proof of the level, is that Celine Dion and Nana Mousxouri are in the TOP3 positions of best selling female singers ever. The female singer who fulfils this TOP3 is, of course, Madonna. I ask you to try to find an ESC entrant after 1998 (when the televoting began) and tell me who (male or female) can do such a thing.
@ Aviva
No you are wrong, i am sorry pleeease look it up 
)
The award was definately for best Anglophone Artist. Out of the 45 categories Celine was only nominated in this one for her debut English album 'Unison'. Celine was not doing amazingly well with the album in Europe (Only Norway it did well in) and it was a moderate success in the United States
The academy wanted to break the dream of Celine to perform in English, where as the Quebec public who love Celine so much did not really care what language she sang in
As i say they even got her sister Claudette to present the award for Best Anglophone artist. Celine went on stage and said sge cannot accept the trophy, that most people understand she is not an anglophone artist and never was. It was a sad time for Celine, that award was poisonous.
Its a bit like Belgium. The language divide is at times very severe with politics clashing with culture and music
There's a good idea: Beyonce for Switzerland. Bring the heavy guns. She'd get my vote too.
celine is great, she is another singer that should participate in esc, but that hair makes her face very tiny )) that style would suit beyonce though )) and why not talk about her participant in esc, its good to talk about it, she shouldnt refuse that, its something to be honoured with.
Aviva K
Plus why does Canada wind itself up over two languages? Europe has about 46, most of which are on everyone's passport and no-one gives a toss.
Aviva K
Who cares? From the picture above she is 75% wig.
@ Scott Earp
It is unfortunate that the music industry in Canada divides itself along the Anglophone-Quebecois lines. However, at that time I believe that the award was named 'best female artist', not 'best anglophone artist', in which case her refusal does not make sense.
At that time she only wanted the Francophne award - perhaps due to pressure from the industry, as you say. She was already doing well on the international scene so she could have really used her position to her advantage to make a statement to the Francophone community by accepting the award. She did not.
Soo..
After 2 days of examining Celine, what have we concluded?
That she is spooky, anorexic, anglophonic or what 
, ESC fan actually, lol, screamy, greatest ESC winner ever [oh, yeah??], not "just" an interpreter, distant to ESC, not been pressured to enter ESC etc etc ...
But, does she beleive ghosts exist?
ok, we start with miss celine and and up with abba... ...hm....
Good point, Darko
In addition to all that's been written, one only has to examine Waterloo and Ne partez pas sans moi to see which one of the two is still fresh thirty years on and which one is hilariously dated. 
Elfie, yes, I got you. 
@zingo_star:
ABBA never denied their participation in the Contest. I really doubt Céline still performs "Ne partez pas sans moi" these days; ABBA always performed "Waterloo" in their world tours, both in 1977 and 1979. In many interviews they spoke profusely about it, and even confesed how nervous they were that evening.
In 2004, a 30th anniversary edition of the "Waterloo" album was released. It includes a DVD with both the performances at the Melodifestivalen and Brighton. Photos of the event are in the booklet too. Besides that, any ABBA book available has a whole chapter about their triumph in Eurovision. That's hardly "only two references", like in the case of Mrs. Dion.
One way or another, I still prefer the magic song by Annie Cotton from 1993! How lovely she was.
Darko S.
That was my point.
I said : "I think she really does look spooky on this picture !" And by that i meant creepy, scaring, or call it whatever you want. Than Hasta la vista 'see you later show a picture of some smoke or whatever it is and said "Spooky is what ghost looks like where you can seethings through unclear" so from that i thought he believe in ghosts !!!
Anyway I think she don't look good on this picture !
"Spooky" actually means creepy, something that can freak you out, not "transparent" or necessarily ghost-like. In that sense.....hehe.
@ Aviva
Yes it is true that Céline refused the Juno award. The award for best Anglophone artist. Celine was refused any nominations in other categories. The Quebecois music industry wanted to isolate Celine because she dared speak in English...
She rightfully refused the award (The Academy even got her sister presenting it) saying she was not an Anglophone artist. It was a sly thing to do but Celine was one ahead of them.
People must understand that in Quebec there are so many seperatists in the music industry. The music industry in English speaking Canada also treat Quebecois singers with disdain. Celine has always tried to narrow this saying she is a proud CANADIAN but very proud of her Quebecois roots
lol, Milosh Elf
I don't like this photo of her (...but I've already said too much )
Hasta la vista 'see you later'
I hope you realize that the ghosts doesn't exist ???
I think she really does look spooky on this picture !
she and abba shows no respect for the contest that made them famous..
From bad teeth and anorexia to Las Vegas - here's a story about ambition, and, mercifully, some talent. By default I dislike multi million selling international artists (apart from Abba - that's an altogether different level) - and she's no exception.
Celine has a wonderful voice and an amazing career, but she is known for her attitude on some issues. Years before she became famous elsewhere, she won a Juno award (the Canadian Grammys) and refused to accept it because it was presented to her in English. She was French-Canadian and very outspoken about her French culture.
A few years later when she realized that she needed to learn English in order to advance her career, she learned it. That's being quite the hypocrite.
I love her music but I don't respect her as an individual. If she tried to distance herself from ESC, I believe it. It fits her personality.
I MEAN THOSE BIG NAMES LIKE CELINE DION AND ABBA THEY WON AND THEY BECAME FAMOUS AND THEY DIDN'T WANT 2 TALK ABOUT EUROVISON. AND YES U GUYS R SOOO RIGHT FOR THEM IT'S A SONG CONTEST NOTHING ELSE
what a terrible picture 
she looks like a ghost
I never liked her song. people must remember that in the 80ies, Eurovision was very inferior event, totally disconnected from the public and style of the time. It was thought that an emberasment to sing in eurovision, admiting I am crap, and my career is going nowhere, so i will sing in the only claim to fame i can find.
I wont forget reading an interview with the big exposure of the night, the Hothouse flowers complaining that they are always being asked : Didn't performing at eurovision damage your career ? (despite being only the interval act
well she was so different back then.. no wonder why she doesnt talk about it anw she is amazing and her song is the best eurovision entry ever imo
Celine is the best!
I love her albums, they are just wonderful! She can sing everything... I mean, it's clear that she is "JUST" an interpreter, she doesn't write any song herself but with SUCH A VOICE that doesn't really matter.
She'll always be loved my millions of people for her music!
I think she should have put more credit to ESC but I am sure she would have had this much success either way and maybe she doesn't feel very connected to it as she is Canadian and had nothing to do with ESC. She was so young and just took the chance that has been given to her...
When I think of her nowadays, I also don't think of her as an ESC- artist primarily but it's great to see that this great artist took part in ESC!
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