A New Day Has Come is the eighteenth studio album and seventh English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Columbia Records and Epic Records on 25 March 2002. The album marked her return to recording after a two-year break that followed the birth of her first child in 2001. For the project, Dion worked with a wide range of producers, including Anders Bagge and Peer Åström for the first time.
The album received mixed critical reception. Some reviewers considered it a stylistic shift for Dion, while others described the material as lacking distinction. Commercially, A New Day Has Come was successful, reaching number one in more than 17 countries. In the United States, it sold 3.3 million copies and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. In Canada, it was certified six times platinum for shipments of 600,000 units. The IFPI awarded it triple platinum for sales of three million copies across Europe. Worldwide sales stand at about 12 million copies, placing it among the best-selling albums of the 21st century.
The lead single, "A New Day Has Come", was released in March 2002 and reached the top 10 in Canada and several European markets. In the United States, it peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and set a record on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart by remaining at number one for 21 weeks. The second single, "I'm Alive", issued in August 2002, also achieved top-10 positions in many European countries. The final commercial single, "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", released in November 2002, saw moderate chart success and entered the top 40 in parts of Europe.
Background After the farewell millennium concert on 31 December 1999 in Montreal, Dion took a two‑year break from public life to focus on her family. On 25 January 2001, she gave birth to her first son, René‑Charles Angélil. She made a few public appearances during this period, including on 21 September 2001, when she performed a live rendition of "God Bless America" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon honoring victims of the September 11 attacks, and on 28 September at Montreal's companion fund‑raiser, A Show for Life, where she sang "L'amour existe encore".
According to Dion, the album title A New Day Has Come reflected a new chapter in her life and career. She stated that she was deeply affected by the events of 11 September and wanted the album's lyrics to serve as a reminder of the tragedy. Dion also struggled to determine an appropriate image for the album cover, feeling that a portrait celebrating her personal happiness would be in poor taste. She suggested to Sony Music that the cover omit her photograph. After discussion, the photo shoot for A New Day Has Come took place in Montreal in late December 2001 with photographer Melvin Sokolsky. On 30 and 31 January 2002, another photo session was held in Florida, on a beach near Dion's home, with photographer Patrick Demarchelier. The Demarchelier‑shot album cover for A New Day Has Come was released on 28 February 2002.
René Angélil, Dion, and Sony staff selected potential songs at the beginning of 2001. On 28 August 2001, she began recording vocal tracks for nearly two dozen songs at Montreal's Piccolo Studios. Because Dion did not want to leave her seven‑month‑old baby, the album's collaborators traveled to Montreal. The album was scheduled for international release on 25 March 2002 and for release in North America on 26 March 2002.
Content Most of the album's producers had previously worked with Dion, including Walter Afanasieff, Kristian Lundin, Andreas Carlsson, Christopher Neil, Guy Roche, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Ric Wake, Aldo Nova, Simon Franglen, and Humberto Gatica. New collaborators included Swedish musicians Anders Bagge, Peer Åström, and Arnthor Birgisson, French singer Gérald de Palmas, and US producer Steve Morales. A New Day Has Come presents Dion's recurring themes of love and hope. It includes ballads, several uptempo pop tracks, and two standards. The North American edition contains 16 tracks, while the international editions include 17, adding "Super Love".
The album's title track, "A New Day Has Come", reflects the birth of Dion's child and was intended to encourage listeners to find renewed strength in their own challenges. Other songs include "I'm Alive", written by the same team behind "That's the Way It Is"; "I Surrender", the album's central ballad;A New Day Has Come Collector's Edition liner notes by Chuck Taylor: ""I Surrender," which would later become a favorite among America Idol finalists vying to validate vocal prowess" "Sorry for Love", a dance track written and produced by the Swedish team and co-written by Kara DioGuardi; "Have You Ever Been in Love", a power ballad also written and produced by Bagge and Åström; "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", an emotional ballad about the loss of a mother, which Dion had first heard three years earlier but declined at the time; "Nature Boy", a 1947 song popularized by Nat King Cole, performed with only piano accompaniment after the originally planned orchestration was not added; "At Last", a gospel‑tinged number first recorded by Glenn Miller in 1941; "Ten Days", a rock‑influenced adaptation of "Tomber" (2000) by Gérald de Palmas, recorded at the last minute after Dion heard the French original; "The Greatest Reward", an adaptation of "L'envie d'aimer" (2000) from the French musical Les Dix Commandements, originally performed by Daniel Lévi; and "Aun Existe Amor", a Spanish‑language version of Dion's French song "L'amour existe encore".
Special editions On 11 November 2002 in Europe, and 19 November 2002 in North America, Sony Music released a limited edition of A New Day Has Come. It includes the original album and a bonus DVD featuring the "I'm Alive" video, a preview of Dion's Las Vegas show A New Day..., and two previously unreleased tracks, "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" and "All Because of You". The North American limited edition includes an extended version of "The Greatest Reward", running 4:04 instead of the original 3:28. On 29 January 2008, Legacy Recordings released a collector's edition of A New Day Has Come with a bonus DVD. The CD contains the 16 tracks from the North American edition, including the extended version of "The Greatest Reward", and the DVD includes four music videos and behind‑the‑scenes footage from the making of the album and the "A New Day Has Come" video.
Singles The first single, "A New Day Has Come", premiered on radio on 6 February 2002. The music video was filmed in mid-February 2002 in West Palm Beach, Florida and directed by Dave Meyers. It premiered on 13 March 2002, coinciding with the international release of the CD single. "A New Day Has Come" became a top 10 hit in Canada and across Europe, reaching number seven in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was released as an airplay-only single and peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, it set a record by spending 21 weeks at number one.
Also directed by Meyers, the music video for the next single, "I'm Alive", was filmed in late May 2002 in Los Angeles. The song was sent to radio on 7 June 2002. Two remixes premiered at the same time: the Humberto Gatica mix and the wake up mix. The music video debuted on 27 June 2002. "I'm Alive" was included on the soundtrack for Stuart Little 2, and the CD single was released in early August 2002 in Europe, Australia, and Canada. The song reached the top 10 in several European countries and peaked at number two on the European Hot 100 Singles. In the United States, it reached number six on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.
The third and final commercial single, "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", was released to radio on 10 October 2002. The music video was filmed at the Château d'Aunoy in France in mid-October 2002 and directed by Chris Applebaum. It premiered on 21 November 2002, accompanied by the European release of the CD single, which reached the top 40 in several countries. In the United States, it peaked at number 27 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.
Sony Music also issued two US promotional singles: "Aun Existe Amor" and "At Last". "Aun Existe Amor" was released after Dion performed the song at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in May 2002, where she received a special award for "My Heart Will Go On", the first English-language song to top the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart. "At Last" was sent to adult contemporary radio in December 2002 and peaked at number 16 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.
Although unchanged, "Have You Ever Been in Love" was also included on Dion's next album, One Heart, and released as a single in April 2003. The song spent 14 weeks at number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks in the United States.
Promotion Dion actively promoted the album through numerous television appearances and concerts. Her A New Day Has Come television special was taped on 3 March 2002 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles and aired on CBS on 7 April 2002. During the broadcast, Dion performed "A New Day Has Come", "I'm Alive", "At Last", "Have You Ever Been in Love", "Nature Boy", and a movie medley that included "Because You Loved Me", "Beauty and the Beast" in duet with Brian McKnight, and "My Heart Will Go On". She also performed "Aun Existe Amor" and "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)", although these were not aired. Destiny's Child joined her for a medley of "Emotion"/"When the Wrong One Loves You Right".
On 17 March 2002, Dion taped La spéciale Céline Dion in Paris, France, to promote the album in Francophone markets. The special aired on 30 March 2002 on TF1. She performed "A New Day Has Come", "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" in duet with Jean-Jacques Goldman, "Sous le vent" in duet with Garou, "Au bout de mes rêves" with Garou, Pascal Obispo, Gérald de Palmas, and Jean-Jacques Goldman, "Ten Days" in duet with Gérald de Palmas, "I'm Alive", "On ne change pas", and "The Greatest Reward".
Dion, along with Cher, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and the Dixie Chicks, headlined VH1 Divas Las Vegas, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. The concert was broadcast live on VH1 on 23 May 2002 to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting music and education programs in schools. Guest performers included Anastacia, Stevie Nicks, Cyndi Lauper, and Whitney Houston. Dion opened the show with a duet with Anastacia on the AC/DC hit "You Shook Me All Night Long". She later performed "A New Day Has Come" and "I'm Alive". For the finale, the performers presented an Elvis Presley medley, with Dion singing "Can't Help Falling in Love". The concert was released on CD and DVD in October 2002.
On 14 September 2002, Dion performed at the charity Concert for World Children's Day at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago, under the musical direction of David Foster. The event was broadcast on ABC on 14 November 2002. She performed "That's the Way It Is", "My Heart Will Go On", "The Prayer" in duet with Josh Groban, and "Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)". For the finale, she joined other artists to perform "Aren't They All Our Children". The concert was released on DVD in December 2002.
On 10 October 2002, Dion taped her second Francophone television special, Céline Dion à tout prix, in Paris. She performed "I'm Alive", "Pour que tu m'aimes encore", "L'envie d'aimer" in duet with Daniel Lévi, and a "Ten Days"/"Tomber" medley with Gérald de Palmas. She also performed "Woman in Love" in duet with Natasha St-Pier and joined Lââm for "Stayin' Alive". The special aired on 22 November 2002 on M6.
Critical reception