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Although American audiences only became aware of Dion's five-octave vocal power in 1991 (she sang mostly in French until that point), she had been winning accolades as a singer since her teenage years in her native Canada. The child of working-class parents in a small town east of Montreal, Dion was introduced to current manager/husband Rene Angelil via a demo tape sent by her brother Michael. According to legend, Angelil was so taken by her ability that he mortgaged his home to pay for her first record date. Through the 80s she built a strong following in Canada, but it wasn't until she sang the theme for Disney's hit animated film 'Beauty and the Beast' in 1991 that Dion won over the masses. She's only become more popular with each successive album, with only minor interferences -- critical derision, disagreements with Phil Spector during the making of her Falling Into You album -- sullying her rise.

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