After months of rumours, French media revealed that Canadian superstar and Eurovision 1988 winner Céline Dion will perform at the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, in Paris.
Months of rumours
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games will be a spectacular, never-seen before show, taking place over several kilometres of river in the middle of Paris. Despite the very public setting, most of the details of the ceremony have been kept secret, until the last few days.
One of the most important mystery was the musical part: there have been musical and voice performances in many opening ceremonies, and not just to sing the hosts’ national anthem and the olympic hymn. The most popular rumour in the last few years was the presence of French superstar Aya Nakamura, who would sing classical French tunes.
However, in the last few months and weeks, another rumour has become louder and louder, online but also in more traditional media: Céline Dion. A short sentence in an interview for Vogue magazine back in April helped:
My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!
Céline Dion for Vogue
Her presence as a guest on the final of Drag Race France a few days ago only fueled the online conversation. And finally, yesterday, when French president Emmanuel Macron was asked on a news broadcast if Céline Dion was going to take part, he could not help but smile and say that “it would be wonderful” if she could perform, which would “make [him] immensely happy”.
A confirmation from rehearsals and French media
Finally, today, French radio RTL confirmed the news: the French-Canadian singer will be performing. This would be her first performance since the Covid pandemic, which stopped her last tour. She was later diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, which made her unable to perform live again for a long time, as she revealed in an emotional video message to her fans at the time.
Her comeback, in Paris, would take place in front of hundreds of thousands spectators, and more than a billion TV viewers. It would also be the second time she performs in an Olympic opening ceremony, having already performed in 1996, for the Atlanta Olympics, the Games of the Century, marking a hundred years since the birth of the modern Games.
According to RTL and Le Point, Céline Dion’s comeback was made possible by a strong network of support, from relatives but also health professionals, including immunotherapy, vocal therapy, physiotherapy, etc. The Paris 2024 organizing committee also spent a lot of money to make her as comfortable as possible, in terms of transportations (private jet), hotel, dress, etc.
Although the plan is to have her sing live, a playback track is ready in case of complications, wether they come from Céline Dion’s condition or the general environment of the performance (strong winds, for example).
A performance with Lady Gaga?
Finally, with the last rehearsals going on, new rumours have emerged about the actual performance. According to TV journalist Thierry Moreau, Céline Dion will sing “La vie en rose“, by Edith Piaf, with Lady Gaga. The Canadian singer may be wearing a cape made of pink and black feathers.
Wether these rumours are true or not, we should know soon enough. The ceremony will start this Friday, July 26th, at 19h30 CEST. On the biggest scene ever seen.
What do you think? Were you expecting Céline to sing at the Olympics again? Will you be watching the opening ceremony? Tell us more in the comments below or on social media, at @escxtra!
