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It’s been six long years since the last Celine Dion concert, but as of this week, the Queen of Power Ballads is officially back.
The 58-year-old pop icon was diagnosed with a rare, progressive autoimmune neurological disorder (Stiff Person Syndrome) in December 2022 after suffering for years with symptoms like vocal strain, muscle spasms and mobility loss.
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After extensive treatment—vocal, physical and athletic therapy five days a week—Dion kicked off a 16-night Paris residency at the Plenitude Arena on Saturday, September 12, singing hits like “I’m Alive,” “Power of Love,” “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now,” and “My Heart Will Go On,” the enduring love ballad from 1997's blockbuster Titanic.
You can watch her sing the latter below:
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Dion, who released a 2024 Prime Video documentary about her struggles with SPS called I Am: Céline Dion, told Vogue that the disease had been "a big burden on my shoulders" but "a lot of that weight’s gone" in sharing her diagnosis with the world. "Now I can just focus on reality. That’s wonderful. My happiness came back.”
The French-Canadian performer last sang publicly at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, but this is the first time she’s headlined a live performance since 2020.
According to Variety, Dion commemorated the moment with a heartfelt speech over the weekend.
“It’s amazing we are all together,” the singer said. “I made a promise. I made a promise to come back and be back on stage. So, here I am, singing for you and singing for me, singing live. Thank you so very much for your support, your patience, and if I may say so, I am everything I am because you loved me.”
“Look around here, all around you right here in this room,” she continued. “We don’t know what the person next to us is going through. There are people going through hardships, grief, and sorrow. There are people radiating energy and joy. So let’s take that energy and share it. That’s what music is for. Tonight, we’ll sing, we’ll dance, and we’ll celebrate.”