World Song Contest

Once again, 34 countries joined in this monthly celebration... Well celebration is probably not the word as war was there and from the 34 songs, only 26 went to the final. For the first time, voters could vote for the most original song. Which happened to help Finland to qualify, but failed with Malta though the song got 3 bonus votes. Slovenia joined the contest for the first time, but it wasn't a lucky time for countries from the Balkans as only Bosnia & Herzegovina managed to qualify, while Portugal and Venezuela made their come back with diverse fortunes.

For the first time, there was a song without lyrics in the contest. Finland's video games "song" was probably the only song to bring something special, even if, once again different kind of music where represented. The United States of America, after they failed to reach the final in WSC .10, tried something which was probably far to be a sure winner... R&B was known as a label to loose, this time, it proved to be wrong ! Back in a final, Germany, with a reggae song, didn't reach its best result, but got several votes, which could be seen as a good results for this country, while the Philippines showed they tried everything to be back in the top 10, maybe in WSC .12.

THE WINNER

Country: Canada
Artist(s): Céline Dion & Il Divo
Song: I Believe In You (Je Crois En Toi)

The youngest in Adhemar and Therese Dion's family of 14 children, Céline Dion began singing in her parents' piano bar when she was just five years old. By the age of 12 she had written one of her first songs, "Ce N'etait Qu'un Rêve" (It Was Only a Dream), which she recorded with the help of her mother and brother and shipped off to a manager named René Angélil. After weeks with no response from Angélil, Celine's brother Michel phoned him. Angélil dug up the tape and called the family back the same day to set up a meeting with Celine. When the 12-year-old performed in his office in Montreal, Angélil cried and set in motion the process of making her a québécois, and later international, star. In 1983 she became the first Canadian to have a gold record in France and she won a gold medal at the Yamaha songwriting competition in Japan. Her worldwide reputation was in the making, but success in the United States was not yet forthcoming. Her 1990 breakthrough album, Unison, was released in the U.S. by Epic Records and produced several hit songs, but it was her duet with Peabo Bryson on the theme song of Disney's Beauty and the Beast that was her true breakthrough. The song was also featured on her second English album, 1992's Celine Dion. Dion kept to her French roots and continued to release many Francophone recordings between each English record. D'eux was released in 1995, and it would go on to become the best-selling French album of all time. The album was mostly written and produced by Jean-Jacques Goldman, and amassed huge success with the singles "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" and "Je sais pas". Goldman later worked with Céline Dion on her albums S'il Suffisait d'Aimer (1998) and 1 Filles & 4 Types (2003). One of the hardest-working stars in show business, Dion continued to record and perform on a schedule that would kill most people. She recorded six albums between 1992 and 1996, when her album Falling Into You took her to a new level of stardom. The recording was a runaway hit, winning Grammys for both Album of the Year and Best Pop Album. Dion's longest tenure on the pop charts would come the following year, however, when she recorded "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song for James Cameron's blockbuster movie Titanic. The continuing popularity of her recordings and live performances made her 1999 sabbatical seem like a tragedy to her fans, but Dion needed a break after more than a decade and a half of breakneck pace. She returned to the public eye in a big way in March 2002 with A New Day Has Come. The album debuted at number one in over 17 countries, and was accompanied by a full-scale media blitz. In early 2002, Dion announced a three-year, 600-show contract to appear five nights a week in an entertainment extravaganza at Caesers Palace, Las Vegas, called A New Day. In conjunction with the rollout of A New Day was an endorsement deal with German automaker DaimlerChryslter AG worth additional millions. The performer recorded a brand-new song to accompany the spots. Debuting in early 2003, the campaign dovetailed into the March release of One Heart, Dion's first album since 2001's A New Day Has Come. A new French-language album, D'Elles, arrived in May 2007 and debuted at the top of the Canadian album chart. In November of that same year, Dion released the English-language Taking Chances. The CD/DVD Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert followed, as well as the documentary DVD Celine: Through the Eyes of the World.

Il Divo put a fresh face on popular songs, utilizing their exceptional voices, good looks, and cultural diversity to bring their romantic blend of classical and pop music to audiences around the world. Formed after a two-year search, the quartet is comprised of American tenor David Miller, popular French singer Sébastien Izambard, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, and Spanish baritone Carlos Marin. Their debut album was released in 2005 and became a massive worldwide hit. The quartet returned with Ancora, a ten-track collection of new music featuring "I Believe in You". The similarly themed Siempre arrived in 2006, followed by Promise in 2008.