Celine Dion’s presence in Paris was no accident, to quote French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra. The Quebec diva did indeed return to the stage at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics this Friday.
Around 11:15 p.m. Paris time (5:15 p.m. Eastern time), the singer took to the stage at the Eiffel Tower to perform the Edith Piaf classic, Ode to loveaccompanied on the piano by Scott Price.
It was the highlight of a spectacular event taking place on and around the Seine, dreamed up by the artistic director of the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, Frenchman Thomas Jolly.
The rumor of a singing tour of the world idol at the Olympic Games had started to swirl last April, when she appeared on the cover of the French edition of the magazine Vogue. She had spoken of her dream of getting back on stage. “My body will tell me,” she had said about it, while assuring that she would never stop wanting it. “It’s the passion. It’s the dream. It’s the determination.”
Last Tuesday, her arrival in the French capital had caused a stir. Photos and videos of her leaving her hotel, the Royal Monceau, all smiles, had been shared on social networks and in the media around the world. The main person concerned had published, the next day, photos of her visit to the Louvre.
PHOTO GONZALO FUENTES, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Celine Dion outside her hotel ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics
Celine Dion had not been on stage since March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic had first forced the postponement of the European portion of her world tour Couragebut the star had then repeatedly postponed new concert dates. She finally announced, in December 2022, that she suffered from stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that forced her to put her dreams of performing again on hold.
His life with stiff person syndrome, a neurological disorder that affects one in a million people, was the subject of the documentary I Am: Celine Dionreleased on Prime Video last June and which has since broken the record for the most views for a documentary on the Amazon platform.
At the launch of the documentary in New York on June 17, she was asked about the rumors that she would be in Paris for the opening of the Olympic Games: “You’ve come so far,” she replied. “It’s the first time I’ve walked in heels. Now you’ve reached Paris? Maybe we’ll wait a little bit. That’s nice, you’re taking me to Paris and now I have dreams.”