Celine Dion fans contribute to upcoming album

Celine Dion appealed to the public to find new material for a French album set for release in 2016. Photo / Getty

Celine Dion turned to the public with an appeal to find original material for two new albums.

The 47-year-old singers request was "open to everyone" and aimed to discover fresh songs for a French offering to be released next year and another in English for 2017.

More than 4000 offers poured in via snail mail, social networks and in MP3 files from throughout France and other French-speaking countries.

They will be whittled down to just 25 by a panel of six French-language broadcast critics, fronted by Quebec music festival director Pierre Fortier.

"Naturally, out of the 4000 songs received, there aren't 4000 hits, but we've already found several good ones," he said.

An online vote open to the public through celinedion.com will choose which one of the 25 finalists will make it on the singer's album, with a winner to be announced December 1.

French amateur singer-composer Gilles Mazetto,56, was one of the hopefuls desperately hoping his song, Cicatrice Dedicacee would make the cut.

"It's a message in a bottle I'm hoping will be picked up by Celine Dion," he said.

Dion's last album hit shelves in 2013, she resumed regular concerts in Las Vegas this August after taking a year-long hiatus to care for husband Rene Angelil, 73, who has throat cancer.

-AP