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 youngest in Adhemar and Therese Dion's family of 14 children, Céline Dion grew up in an environment full of the inherent chaos and material austerity that comes with such a large working-class family. However, the Dion household was also one filled with love for children and music, and her parents and siblings were important figures in the early development of her singing career. Céline 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, whose name they found on the back of an album by Ginette Reno, a popular Francophone singer. 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. He mortgaged his house to pay for her first two albums, producing a local number one single. 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. "Beauty and the Beast" reached number one on the pop charts and won both a Grammy and Academy award. The song was also featured on her second English album, 1992's Celine Dion, which launched another Top Ten American hit with "If You Asked Me To". Dion kept to her French roots and continued to release many Francophone recordings between each English record. D'eux (also known as The French Album in the United States), 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". "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" reached number 1 in France and stayed at the top position for twelve weeks. It was later certified Platinum in France. The single also reached the top ten in the UK and Ireland, a rare accomplishment for a French song. 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. "My Heart Will Go On" became omnipresent on the radio as Titanic fever swept the world, and when it was featured on her album Let's Talk About Love, it helped propel that recording to the top of the charts. By then, Dion had the power to gather a supporting cast of stars, and the album contained an amazing collection of artists, including Barbra Streisand, Luciano Pavarotti, and the Bee Gees. The album would win a host of awards and bring Dion a whole new world of fans. 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. The production would take place in a custom-built, 4,000-seat theater and would feature Dion as the centerpiece of a multimedia program designed and orchestrated by Franco Dragone, the Belgian theater impresario behind the modern circus phenomenon Cirque du Soleil. In conjunction with the rollout of A New Day was an endorsement deal with German automaker DaimlerChryslter AG worth additional millions. The campaign placed Dion in a series of stylish black-and-white advertisements promoting the stylish allure of Chrysler's line of upscale automobiles. The performer also 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, which in turn heralded the opening of A New Day on March 25, 2003. The two-CD compilation On Ne Change Pas appeared in 2005, featuring her most popular French-language songs and a new collaboration with the operatic pop vocal foursome Il Divo, "I Believe in You (Je Crois en Toi)." 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.

Official website

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 eponymous debut album was released in April of 2005 and featured a diverse play list that included a cover of the Toni Braxton hit "Unbreak My Heart" and the Frank Sinatra standard "My Way," as well as "Nella Fantasia," a newly arranged — with vocals — version of "Gabriel's Oboe" from Ennio Morricone's score for The Mission. It became a massive worldwide hit, and the quartet returned in 2005 with Ancora, a ten-track collection of new music featuring the hit "I Believe in You" with Celine Dion. The similarly themed Siempre arrived in 2006, followed by Promise in 2008.

Official website

Lyrics

Lonely the path you have chosen
A restless road, no turning back
One day you will find your light again
Don't you know
Don't let go be strong

Follow your heart
Let your love lead through the darkness
Back to a place you once knew
I believe I believe I believe in you
Follow your dreams
Be yourself an angel of kindness
There's nothing that you cannot do
I believe I believe I believe in you

Tout seul tu t'en iras tout seul
Coeur ouvert à l'univers
Poursuis ta quête
Sans regarder derrière
N'attends pas
Que le jour se lève

Suis ton étoile
Vas jusqu'où ton rêve t'emporte
Un jour tu le toucheras
Si tu crois
Si tu crois
Si tu crois en toi

Suis ta lumière
N'éteins pas la flamme que tu portes
Au fond de toi souviens toi
Que je crois
Que je crois
Que je crois en toi

Someday I'll find you
Someday you'll find me too
And when I hold you close
I know that it's true

Follow your heart
Let your love lead through the darkness
Back to a place you once knew
I believe I believe I believe in you
Follow your dreams
Be yourself an angel of kindness
There's nothing that you cannot do
I believe I believe I believe in you