Two years after her dazzling performance atop the Eiffel Tower for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Céline Dion is back in the French capital for a series of sold-out concerts – and fans are over the moon. Some 500,000 people are expected to attend the concerts.
In the Paris suburb of Nanterre, dozens of fans took part in a karaoke event organised by the city, hoping to win the last remaining tickets. “It takes me right back to my childhood,” said one fan who has been listening to the singer for four decades. For another fan, the Canadian singer is the true Queen of Pop: “I’d rather go and see Céline than Beyoncé or Lady Gaga. I love them too, but Céline is on another level!”
Another of her biggest admirers has made a career out of being Céline. Sébastien Costic has imitated Dion across Europe for the past 30 years. A former primary school teacher, when he performs, he has the full Céline look: custom-made accessories, gowns, wigs and high heels. Since the announcement of Céline’s comeback, bookings for his tribute shows have doubled.
For Costic, Dion holds a very special place in the hearts of French people: “Today, you almost forget that she isn’t French. You feel like she’s one of us (…) because she’s so close to people – in her attitude, her popularity, and through the songs she’s shared with the world. She has also helped people around the world discover the French language.”
After being diagnosed with a rare and debilitating neurological condition, Dion was forced to put her career on hold in early 2020. Then, against all odds, she made a surprise appearance on the Eiffel Tower during the Paris Olympic Games. Her resilience was celebrated around the world.
“D’eux”: A turning point
In 1994, Céline Dion teamed up with popular French song-writer Jean-Jacques Goldman for the album D’eux. Their partnership struck the right chord: around 11 million copies were sold, making it the best-selling French-language album of all time. Co-producer Erick Benzi explains in this edition of France in Focus that, “In the United States, a singer’s voice is often used as an instrument. In France, we’re more into storytelling”.
Dion rethought the way she sang. It took her “roughly ten seconds” to understand that in French, she didn’t need to push every single note, Benzi recalls. As a result, Céline recorded three songs in one day, instead of one. Her extraordinary efficiency earned her the nickname OVNI or “Objet Vocal Non Identifié (Unidentified Vocal Object, a play on words of the acronym OVNI which stands for Objet Volant Non Identifié – the equivalent of UFO in English).
A star who keeps it real
Céline Dion’s voice is not the only reason for her vast success. She has won audiences over with her generosity and her genuine connection with fans. “She’s incredibly sincere. She doesn’t act like she’s a star”, says Thérèse Zaydman, adding “Céline Dion is the youngest of 14 children. Her parents didn’t have much money. When she was little, she slept in the drawer of a dresser! So I think she’s stayed true to her roots.”
Céline has never shied away from sharing the challenges she has faced in life: the death of her husband, René Angélil, her personal struggles and, in 2022, her diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome.
Two years later, her surprise appearance on the Eiffel Tower, where she performed “L’Hymne à l’amour”, moved the entire nation. Today, fans are counting down the days until they can finally see their idol on stage: the international superstar who calls France her second “chez moi”.
