Roger-Luc Chayer (Photo: International Olympic Committee)
For just over 14 hours, Céline Dion’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been viewed by more than 3 billion people worldwide and by millions of others, replayed on various social media platforms. A feat worthy of television history records, and for good reason.
Céline has been one of the best-selling artists of records, CDs, and digital music files in the history of music. It was therefore entirely expected that the public would wait until the very last minute of the Olympic opening ceremonies to find out who would sing after the lighting of the flame. And it was quite discreetly, accompanied by a magnificent symphony orchestra, that the lights turned on to point to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, where for the first time in 4 years, the voice of Queen Céline Dion could be heard in all its splendor. A whole rumor mill had been organized around this supposed appearance: she was supposed to sing with Lady Gaga at first, or so they said. In the end, no one expected her to actually arrive until she appeared, magnificent, adorned with diamonds, wearing a dress of pure Parisian elegance, to sing « L’Hymne à l’amour » by Édith Piaf.
And humanity bowed its head in respect for Queen Céline!
View full video of Celine’s performance here
Where Does Céline Dion’s Popularity Come From?
Céline Dion is a modern music icon for many reasons. At its core, despite all the marketing that surrounded her career, largely thanks to her husband and manager René Angélil, she had a very powerful voice from the start, with a vocal projection technique worthy of great opera singers. She also knew how to select and perform songs with the necessary ingredients to become popular. Céline sings not only in French; she became an international star with her shift to English, without ever forgetting or renouncing her Québécois roots. She has performed numerous times on television and, more notably, has given countless concerts worldwide, filling the stadiums and venues where she performed. She has earned many international awards and accolades, but it is definitely her simplicity, charisma, and natural personality that have garnered her the love and loyalty of billions of people over time.
Paris 2024
Last night, at the Paris 2024 opening ceremony, Céline delighted many people, but she also uplifted them. For a moment, the audience was invited to step into Céline’s world, with her voice, long silenced, allowing them to savor the sounds and words perfectly suited to her life. There were shivers of admiration, tears of joy and pride, and the much-anticipated return of an exceptional singer live on TV. The cheers and acclaim from the Parisian audience at her feet testified to this crowning moment.
And for me, who is signing this text and who benefited from Céline and René’s generosity for nearly 18 years with Gay Globe magazine, I watched Céline on TV, looking at her sideways for fear of seeing something I didn’t want to. In the end, with her signature career gesture, I said to her in my thoughts: Thank you, Céline, you’ve done good for me too. Welcome back, Céline...