Céline Dion certainly knows how to make a comeback.
The Quebec singer returned to the stage for the first time in almost four years Friday, but it wasn’t just any stage — of course the pop diva selected the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, on the Eiffel Tower, as the site of her first performance since she announced to the world that she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS) and cancelled her world tour.
Dressed in a stunning beaded, floor-length gown complete with fringe details and a long cape, Dion took the first stage of the Eiffel Tower to perform a Parisian staple — Édith Piaf’s L’Hymne à l’amour.
Dion appeared, at times, overcome with emotion as the crowd cheered below. But she performed as strong as ever, her voice clear and unwavering as she hit every note with conviction.
Leading up to the opening ceremony, Dion’s highly anticipated performance was a poorly kept, often-teased, tongue-in-cheek secret.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron hinted to television channel France 2 that the chanteuse would be making an Olympics appearance.
Dion, herself, hasn’t been shy about posting about her return to the City of Light, either. Since she arrived in Paris, she’s been keeping her fans updated on social media and has been spotted out and about in the city.
“Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world,” she shared to X on Wednesday.
Following last month’s release of her documentary, I Am Celine, she told TVA’s Jean-Philippe Dion that a spasm in her throat during her Taking Chances tour in 2008 began what she called “17 years of panic” as she tried to understand what was happening to her body and the voice that has made her a global name.
She lost the ability to reliably hit her notes as the spasms continued and saw her try everything from steam to asthma treatments to powerful medications. She even learned to adapt her songs by changing how she sang, but the stress of wanting to perform made her tense up and exacerbate her symptoms. After years of “lying,” she said she made the decision to confront her illness.
— with files from Global News’ Sean Previl