Singing is famed for being one of the oldest careers known to man. Also, being a lucrative one, singers all over the world with enormous talent and vocal prowess have capitalized on this skill to amass a ton of listeners, support, fame, and, of course, money. Over the last few decades, many of the world's most influential and famous people were singers. This further confirms how great a pedestal a good singing talent can be. Read to the end to discover some of the most famous Canadian singers!
Don't have time? Here's a summary!
| Artist 🎤 | Origin 🌍 | Major Awards 🏆 | Achievements ⭐ |
| Justin Bieber | London, Ontario (1994) | 2 Grammy Awards, Junos, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards | 150M+ records sold worldwide; YouTube channel with 27B+ views, 70M+ subscribers |
| Céline Dion | Charlemagne, Quebec (1968) | 5 Grammy Awards, 2 Academy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, World Music Awards | 200M+ albums sold worldwide; My Heart Will Go On global hit; Las Vegas residencies |
| Shania Twain | Windsor, Ontario (1965) | 5 Grammy Awards, multiple Billboard & Juno Awards | 100M+ albums sold; Come On Over is best-selling album by a female country artist (40M+ worldwide) |
| The Weeknd | Toronto, Ontario (1990) | 4 Grammy Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards, Academy Award nomination | 100M+ records sold; Blinding Lights = Billboard’s #1 Hot 100 song of all time |
| Oscar Peterson | Montreal, Quebec (1925–2007) | 8 Grammy Awards, Governor General’s Performing Arts Award | One of the greatest jazz pianists ever; hundreds of recordings; global jazz influence |
| Leonard Cohen | Westmount, Quebec (1934–2016) | 3 Grammy Awards, 5 Juno Awards, Companion of the Order of Canada, Hall of Fame | 15 studio albums; Hallelujah is one of the most covered songs in history |
| David Foster | Victoria, BC (1949) | 16 Grammy Awards, Golden Globe, Academy Award nominations | Produced for Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban; 45+ years producing hits |
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, to his parents, Jeremy Jack Bieber and Pattie Mallette, in London, Ontario. Justin Bieber's singing and music career started almost as soon as he was born, with him learning to play several musical instruments, including drums, piano, trumpet, and guitar. With these, he developed a musical ear and soon began to sing publicly.
By the time Bieber turned 12, he competed in a local singing competition where he secured second place with his impressive rendition of "So Sick" by Ne-Yo, and his mother uploaded his performance on YouTube for his friends and family. Within the year, he was signed onto RBMG records and released his debut EP titled My World, which became a major success.
His army of listeners and fans, named "Beliebers," would recognize Bieber as a teen idol and accumulate millions of views on his videos. Eventually, his consistently excellent videos on YouTube, coupled with his busking in front of the Avon Theatre with a rented guitar, earned him recognition by Scooter Braun, an American record executive.
Capitalizing on this organic growth, Bieber released several musical projects, including the full-length version of his debut EP titled My World 2.0 (2010), My Worlds Acoustic (2010), Christmas-themed Under the Mistletoe (2011), Believe and Believe Acoustic (2013), Purpose (2015), Changes (2020), and Justice (2021).
Pop and R&B single from the My World album, "Baby," peaked at number 5 on Billboard 100 while the album debuted at the No. 1 spot on Billboard 200. From his 2015 Purpose album, three singles —"What Do You Mean," "Sorry," and "Love Yourself" —attained the number one spot on the Billboard singles chart.
To date, Justin Bieber has received over 2 Grammy Awards, 8 Junos, 26 Billboard Music Awards, 18 AMAs, and received more than 438 nominations.
Bieber has also collaborated with several artists on multiple music projects, including Jack Ü's electro-pop hit titled "Where are you Now," which was nominated in Best Dance/Electronic Recording category of Grammy Awards, Ariana Grande's "Stuck With U (2020)," and "Major Lazer's Cold Water (2016)," to mention but a few.
He was once one of the most followed Twitter users, and nowadays he is one of the most popular musicians on Instagram, with 294 million followers. Also, his YouTube channel has accumulated over 76 million subscribers.
Céline Dion
Céline Dion is surely one of Canada's most renowned and well-known singers. She was born on 30 March 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec. And, at 12 years of age, with the help of her mother and brother, she composed her very first song: "Ce n'était qu'un rêve".
Céline performed in front of a crowd for the first major time on television in 1981, on Michel Jasmin's. Upon hearing her sing for the first time, lyricist Eddy Marnay most certainly took it upon himself to write songs for her, an excellent chance because he already wrote songs for singers such as Édith Piaf, Yves Montand, and Barbra Streisand.
In 1986, Céline issued her turning point album with CBS, later Sony Music, one of the largest record companies in history. In 1990, her hit single, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," reached the charts to rank among the biggest-selling singles in American music.
She sang one of Walt Disney's most iconic film songs, "Beauty and the Beast," in 1991, for which she won a Grammy and an Oscar. Her hit single "The Power of Love" lingered on the Billboard charts at number 1 for weeks in subsequent years. And, in Canada locally, her hit single "The Colour of My Love" went diamond album for over one million copies sold.
In 1997, Céline dropped her 18th album, Let's Talk About Love, whose collaborators were some of the most famous figures like Luciano Pavarotti, Barbra Streisand, the Bee Gees, Carole King, and Sir George Martin. Let's Talk About Love also included the hit single "My Heart Will Go On", the title song of the movie Titanic, which indeed resides in our memory until today.
With the launch of various hit albums in English and French, number-one hits, globe tours, Las Vegas residency, being spokespeople for giant brand names like L'Oréal, and over 40 years of a career, Céline Dion has been honored as an icon of popular music.
Shania Twain
Twain was born Eileen Regina Edwards on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario. While she had a tough childhood, her family having limited means, music certainly changed the equation. Twain started singing at 3 years of age and writing her own songs at the age of 10, as she was always very passionate about music. With the support of her mother, Twain spent her adolescence singing in clubs and community functions, and even some on TV and radio.
Later on, she signed with Polygram Records (later renamed Mercury Nashville), and her first album was released on April 20, 1993. It reached a peak in the US Country Albums and received positive reviews from critics, despite selling very little. Actually, due to its later success, the album had sold over 1 million units in the United States.
Although the singer's success had not yet begun, Robert John Lange, who had produced albums for leading bands such as AC/DC, produce her next album.
Twain was successful in 1995 with her second album, The Woman in Me, which earned four Grammy nominations for the next year and received the award for Best Country Album with over 12 million copies sold in America.
In 1997, Come On Over, her second album, also soared up the charts, with such singles as "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" and "That Don't Impress Me Much", and "You're Still the One" and "From This Moment On". By 2004, Come on Over had sold more than 20 million copies in the United States. Twain was also a two-time Grammy Award winner in 1999 for the song "You're Still The One" as Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song. Twain also received two Grammy Awards for the song "Come On Over" as Best Country Song and "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" as Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Shania Twain started her Las Vegas residency back in 2012, which lasted for two years. She came out with her first original studio album in 15 years in 2017, called Now, and her big-screen debut in 2019 in the film Trading Paint. Netflix released a biographical documentary film in July 2022 of Twain's life entitled Not Just A Girl. Now Twain has been called "The Queen of Country Pop" for what she did in helping the success later on for female artists like Britney Spears and Taylor Swift.
The Weeknd
Born in Toronto on February 16th in 1990, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye uses the stage name "The Weeknd", a popular singer and producer known for his alternative R&B electropop and celebrity scandals. In 2011, Abel released House of Balloons and Thursday & Echoes of Silence, his first mixtapes. However, he started in the music world way before by uploading his music anonymously.
In 2012, he released his debut album Kiss Land with Republic Records, reaching the 2nd most popular song on the US Billboard 200. Also, he contributed to the soundtrack of Fifty Shades of Grey and won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance for "Earned It". The song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song category.
His second album, Beauty Behind the Madness, was released in 2015, gaining tremendous popularity in North America. Dancing music gems we all love, as "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills," reached the Billboard Hot 100, and the album won the Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album category.
His road to fame did not stop here. With his third album, Starboy, released later on, he achieved even more commercial success, winning the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
Some years later, his album After Hours was praised by industry critics, and this comes as no surprise since wonders such as "Blinding Lights", "Heartless", and "Save Your Tears" have gained massive popularity.
Dawn FM (2022), his fifth studio album, featured "Take My Breath" and "Sacrifice," also reaching the top charts in the United States. The Weeknd has become, without a doubt, one of the most successful Canadian artists, selling more than 100 million records. And last but not least, in 2020, The Weeknd was chosen as one of the most influential people by Time.
"Blinding Lights" is ranked as one of the best Hot 100 songs in Billboard history.
Oscar Peterson
Oscar, revered widely as a jazz pianist and musician, was born on 15 August 1925 to his parents, Charles Joseph Peterson and Gertrude Mary Peterson (née Doyle), in Montreal, Quebec. Since his father was an organist who led the family band in churches and concerts, it was not unusual for young Oscar to develop an interest in music. His brothers, Ralph and Roy, were also music enthusiasts who could play the trumpet, flugelhorn, clarinet, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone.
From an early age, Oscar learned to play the piano by ear and imitate artists such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Louis Armstrong through his parents' records while enjoying mentorship from his sister. It was not long until he began playing on the streets of Montreal's Jewish community.
Still, at a young age, Oscar Peterson's artistic development diversified, and he learned how to play other instruments. He got his first music teacher at the age of five and later studied under saxophonist Charlie Shavers at the Toronto Conservatory of Music. He learned to play the clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, and trombone.
In 1949, he performed with Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington on stage; this was one year after they recorded their album "The Big Band Years" together (originally released as two separate albums).
With his smooth jazz solo skill, he also contributed to the recording of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" with his brother, Ralph, and Art Tatum on drums. Oscar's bright career also led him to have multiple collaborations and performances, which gave him massive profits from CD sales, concert ticket sales, record sales, etc. Some of these performances include “Ella And Oscar Live,” “The Complete Hot Club De France Recordings,” by various artists, including Louis Armstrong (1959-1963).
Eventually, Oscar Peterson passed away at the age of 82, after a fruitful career run, on 23rd December 2007 in his home in Mississauga, Ontario.
Leonard Cohen
Named Leonard Norman Cohen legally, he was born on 21st September 1934 to his parents, Nathan Bernard Cohen and Marsha Klonitsky in Westmount, Quebec. Being born in an Orthodox Jewish family, he soon realized he had "a very Messianic childhood." After his formal education at Roslyn Elementary School and Herzilah High School, where he studied under the tutelage of Irving Layton, who would later become his literary inspiration, he studied poetry and music at Westmount High School.
These endeavors created a burning desire for musicianship in the young Leonard Cohen. He would teach himself how to play the acoustic guitar and make a country-folk music group —Buckskin Boys, where he often utilized this newfound skill.
With time, he switched to a classical guitar after he learned some flamenco and a few chords from a young Spanish guitar player, which led him to attain tremendous musical heights. As a poet and musician, his bibliography, discography, and filmography explored several themes, including depression, religion, politics, romantic relationships, sexuality, isolation, death, etc. He released eight live albums and fifteen studio albums throughout his lifetime, including New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974), Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971), Death of a Ladies Man (1977), etc.
This musical feat bagged him several awards, including three Grammys, five Juno awards, two MMAs, etc. He also received numerous other award nominations.
In his lifetime, Cohen was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and was bestowed the Companion of the Order of Canada honor, which is Canada's highest civilian honor.
After his death, on 7th November 2016, natives and city officials of Montreal remembered and honored him by naming streets and various locations — this includes a library — after him.
David Foster
David Walter Foster was born to his parents —Maurice "Maury" Foster and Eleanor May Foster (née Vantreight) —on 1st November 1949, in Victoria, British Columbia. From the early age of five, Foster had begun to learn how to play the piano. He took several piano lessons with which he honed his piano-playing skill. In 1963, he enrolled in the University of Washington, where he studied music.
David Foster's music career started gaining momentum when he took an interest in Tommy Banks' nightclub band in Edmonton and auditioned for the band lead role. With the opportunity, Foster understudied Banks, who was a jazz musician and learned so much about producing records, jazz, and the music business in general.
With this development, he relocated to Toronto, where he played alongside Ronnie Hawkins in 1966, then to Los Angeles in 1971 with his pop music group named “Skylark'' which Eirik Wangberg discovered.
He also contributed to "Don't Want to Wait Anymore," which became a top 40 hit, "She's a Beauty," which peaked at number 10 on the US charts, and The Tubes' albums —Completion Backward Principle (1981) and Outside Inside (1983). As a jazz-rock band, Chicago's producer produced and co-wrote their biggest-selling, "Multi-platinum Chicago" 17 albums (1984), as well as Chicago 18 (1986) and Chicago 16 (1982).
David Foster has also worked with several industry names, including Celine Dion, Diane Warren, Whitney Houston, Kenny Loggins, Kenny Rogers, Mary J. Blige, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Renee Olstead, etc.
Throughout his eventful career, David Foster has bagged a total of 16 Grammy Awards, 47 Grammy Nominations, and a series of nominations for Academy Awards, BMI's, and Golden Globe Awards while winning a handful of them.
Top Canadian Songs Topping the Charts
1960s-1970s
Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah (1984)
1970s-1980s
Oscar Peterson – Hymn to Freedom (1962)
1990s
Céline Dion – My Heart Will Go On (1997) & Shania Twain – You’re Still the One (1998)
2010s
Justin Bieber – Baby (2021) & The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face (2020)
2020s
Justin Bieber – Peaches (2021) & The Weeknd – Blinding Lights (2020)
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