how he convinced Celine Dion to collaborate with him
In the early 1990s, Canadian singer Celine Dion began to make a name for herself across the Atlantic. Jean-Jacques Goldman follows his career very closely. Convinced that she could take an unoccupied place on the French music scene, the artist decided to contact Céline and her manager (and future husband) René Angélil.
After offering him to join the troop of Motherfuckers and interpret with him the title The low, Goldman announces his desire to write an entire album to the singer, as Éric Jean-Jean recounts in a unreleased podcast devoted to Jean-Jacques Goldman. The task looks difficult because Luc Plamondon has already offered to compose for her in French.
But Goldman is determined. He decides to compose some models and before getting started, he realizes real journalistic work. He asks for a press kit from Sony, their common record company, documents himself, read all the interviews and listen to all his songs to be sure to fit perfectly with the personality of theQuebec artist.
Goldman in operation seduction for Celine Dion
An eight-month investigative work : “Meanwhile, my vision of her voice has evolved. I had a very ‘traditional French song’ impression and I realized that she had a rhythm’n’blues register” explains Goldman in an interview for Release a March 1995.
A few months later, Celine and Rein find Jean-Jacques in the studio to listen to demos prepared by the singer. And it’s love at first sight : the agreement is signed and Goldman is entrusted with the writing of his first album in French. Nine songs were originally planned, there will finally be twelve.
This collaboration between the two artists continued in 1998 with If it were enough to lovethe nineteenth album of Celine Dionin 2003 with 1 girl & 4 guys and more recently in 2016 with one more night.
Find the complete stories of Jean-Jacques’ songs in the book “Goldman, a life in songs” by Éric Jean-Jean at Éditions Hugo Doc.
