Canadian singer Celine Dion has released 27 studio albums, seven live albums, 20 compilation albums, and 25 box sets. Referred to as the "Queen of Power Ballads",[1][2] Dion is the best-selling Canadian artist of all time and the best-selling artist in the Nielsen SoundScan era in Canada (from 1996 to present).[3][4][5] Dion is also the second best-selling female artist in the United States since Nielsen began tracking sales in 1991 with over 53.2 million albums sold in the country.[6]Guinness World Records recognises her as the Top Selling Album Act in Europe with 33 million certified album sales since 1996 .[7] In 2003, Dion was honored by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for selling 50 million albums in Europe.[8]Billboard placed her second among the best-selling female album artist of the 2000s Decade in the United States with 17.3 million albums sold via Soundscan.[9] According to Billboard, Dion is the sixth Greatest Billboard 200 female solo artist of all time,[10] as well as the eighth Greatest female solo artist of all time in Billboard's chart history.[11]
Her debut album, La voix du bon Dieu was issued in 1981. In the '80s, Dion released her French-language albums in Canada, with several compilation albums issued also in France. Her first English-language album, Unison, was released in 1990 and has sold over four million copies worldwide.[12] It was followed by Dion chante Plamondon in 1991 and Celine Dion in 1992. The latter became one of six of her albums to be certified Diamond in Canada for shipments of at least one million units.[13] Dion's popularity became well-established with her 1993 album, The Colour of My Love, which topped the charts in various countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and has sold 20 million copies around the world.[14] In the United States, it was certified six-times platinum.[15] Released in 1995, D'eux became the best-selling French-language album in history, with sales of 12 million copies worldwide.[16][17] In France alone, D'eux spent 44 weeks at the top of the chart and has sold 4.5 million units, becoming the best-selling album of all time.[18][19] It also became Dion's first out of six Diamond-certified albums in France.[20]
Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997) were major successes for Dion, both reaching number-one in many countries around the world, and becoming two of the best-selling albums of all time, with sales of over 32 and 31 million copies, respectively.[21][22] Both albums were certified Diamond in the United States, with Falling into You achieving later twelve-times platinum certification and Let's Talk About Love eleven-times platinum for eleven million units.[15]Let's Talk About Love became the first album to be certified ten-times platinum by the IFPI for sales of over 10 million copies in Europe.[23] In 1998, Dion released another French-language album, S'il suffisait d'aimer and her first English-language holiday album, These Are Special Times, which became the fourth best-selling Christmas album in the United States in the Nielsen SoundScan era, with sales of 5.6 million copies.[24][25][26][27][28] Worldwide, it has sold twelve million units.[29] A greatest hits compilation with seven new recordings, All the Way... A Decade of Song was issued in November 1999, topping the charts around the world and selling over 22 million copies globally.[30] In the United States, All the Way... A Decade of Song became the best-selling greatest hits album by a female artist in the Nielsen SoundScan era, where it topped the eight million sales mark.[31] In Japan, it was certified two-times Million for shipments of two million copies.[32]
In March 2002, after a two-year break, Dion returned to music with the album A New Day Has Come, which topped the charts in many countries and has sold 12 million copies worldwide.[33] During the five-year run of her Las Vegas residency show, A New Day..., Dion released five studio albums: One Heart (2003), 1 fille & 4 types (2003), Miracle (2004), D'elles (2007) and Taking Chances (2007). In 2012, Dion began recording songs for her new French and English-language albums. Sans attendre was released in November 2012 and topped the charts in Francophone countries. It became the best-selling album of 2012 in France, where it was certified Diamond.[20][34]Loved Me Back to Life was issued in November 2013 and became Dion's 13th number-one album in the Nielsen SoundScan era in Canada and 11th to debut at the top of the chart.[35] It also reached number two in the United States, and number three in the United Kingdom and France. Loved Me Back to Life was certified four-times platinum in Canada, two-times platinum in France and platinum in the United Kingdom.[13][20][36] In August 2016, a few months after her husband and manager René Angélil died, Dion released a new French album, Encore un soir.[37] It topped the charts in Francophone countries and was certified Diamond in France.[20]
Dion has sold an estimated of over 200 to 250 million records worldwide[38][39][40][41] and is recognized as one of the world's best-selling music artists.[42] In 1997–1998, Dion sold more than 60 million albums, and was estimated to sell a record once every 1.2 seconds.[43] Dion is also recognized as the world's top-selling artist of the 90s decade.[44] In 2004, she received the Chopard Diamond Award at the World Music Awards recognizing her status as the best-selling female artist of all time.[45] In 2007, Dion was honored with the Legend Award at the World Music Awards in recognition of her global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry.[45] She's also the first and only female singer to have tallied three 8-million sellers in the US since 1991.[46] Her albums Falling into You, Let's Talk About Love, All the Way... A Decade of Song, The Colour of My Love and These Are Special Times are among the top 100 certified albums according to the RIAA.[47] Four of her albums (Let's Talk About Love, All the Way... A Decade of Song, Falling into You and These Are Special Times) are among top 10 of the best-selling Canadian albums in the SoundScan era in Canada.[48]
^As of May 2016, Celine Dion has sold 2,400,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[27] with an additional 624,000 units sold at BMG Music Club.[73] SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[74]
^As of November 2019, Falling into You has sold 10,900,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[24] with an additional 987,000 units sold at BMG Music Club.[73] SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[74]
^As of February 2013, Let's Talk About Love has sold 9,601,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[31] with an additional 1,110,000 units sold at BMG Music Club.[73] SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[74]
^As of November 2019, All the Way... A Decade of Song has sold 8,200,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan,[24] with an additional 1,100,000 units sold at BMG Music Club.[73] SoundScan does not count albums sold through clubs like the BMG Music Service, which were significantly popular in the 1990s.[74]
For Incognito, Unison and Gold Vol. 2: Sam Jaspers (2006). Ultratop 1995-2005. Book & Media Publishing. ISBN90-5720-232-8.
For The Colour of My Love, The Collector's Series, Volume One, One Heart and My Love: Essential Collection: "Céline Dion Charts: Albums – Ultratop" (in Dutch). Ultratop & Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
For Live à Paris: "Hits of the World". Billboard. 23 November 1996. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
For Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert: "Tour DVDs Take the Top 3 Spots!". Five Star Feeling Inc. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
For Des mots qui sonnent, The Colour of My Love, À l'Olympia, D'eux, Les premières chansons vol. 1, Falling into You, All the Way... A Decade of Song, Tout en amour, On ne change pas, My Love: Essential Collection, D'elles/D'eux, Des mots qui sonnent/D'eux/S'il suffisait d'aimer/Au cœur du stade/1 fille & 4 types/D'elles and 1 fille & 4 types/Sans attendre: "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
For On ne change pas/My Love: Essential Collection, S'il suffisait d'aimer/Live à Paris and Loved Me Back to Life/A New Day Has Come: "Album Top 100: 10/09/2016" (in French). Hung Medien. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
For For You, Les premières années, Au cœur du stade and Let's Talk About Love / Falling into You / A New Day Has Come: "Chart Log UK 1994–2010". Dipl.-Bibl.(FH). Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
"1995年 アルバム年間TOP100" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 16 January 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
"1996年 アルバム年間TOP100" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 16 January 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
^Bill Harris (17 November 2006). "Queen rules – in album sales". Jam!. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Élizabeth Ménard (24 July 2013). "Céline Une chanson à la fois". Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
