After six years away from live performance and a devastating health diagnosis, Céline Dion’s return to the stage has been filled with moments of extraordinary joy. Writer Alex Noel reflects on her remarkable comeback and asks whether her songs have taken on a new meaning – becoming songs of freedom, healing and deliverance.
Recently my Instagram feed has been awash with videos of Céline Dion dancing and singing with fans in the street outside her Paris hotel. She is there for her residency at Plénitude (formerly Paris La Défense) Arena.
In one video, she emerges from her hotel looking immaculate – with a neat bun and beautifully tailored clothes – and starts dancing, arms open in an imagined embrace towards her fans. In another, she’s swaying barefoot on the bonnet of her car, beckoning them to keep singing as she joins in. She is full of joy and delight, enjoying every moment.
On their own, these scenes are heartwarming; she clearly values her fans and has built a strong connection with them over her long career. But knowing the journey she’s been on over the last few years, it is particularly moving; she has even more reason to celebrate.
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When she kicked off her residency on September 12, it was the first time she had performed live in six years.
When she kicked off her residency on September 12, it was the first time she had performed live in six years. And it marks a significant (and, to some, risky) comeback after being beset by health problems.
Before taking her break, her symptoms had been gradually worsening – including painful muscle spasms and inexplicable stiffness, which became so severe at times that she was unable to sing, let alone move freely. She attempted to keep going, but ultimately stopped touring. Then, in 2022, she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome (or SPS), a very rare neurological disorder which affects one in every million people.
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The 2024 documentary I Am Céline Dion (available to watch on Prime Video) witnesses her struggle to overcome her diagnosis and recover her ability to sing and move freely again. It is a vulnerable, behind-the-scenes look at her illness and her rehabilitation. It shows her grief and the pain she has experienced, as well as her incredible resolve to get back to performance and back to her fans.
In one particularly raw moment, she goes into a muscle spasm which locks up her whole body. And when she is seen sharing her diagnosis with fans via a video message, it is with remarkable honesty that she explains the reasons for her absence. Watching it recently, I was struck by the struggle she’s been through and inspired by her incredible determination to work towards recovery. In tears, she reflects on her experience, saying she has always found a way to dance and sing, whether it has to be plan B or plan C: “That’s me. If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. But I won’t stop.”
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Now recovered, Céline Dion is clearly enjoying being ‘back’.
Now recovered, Céline Dion is clearly enjoying being ‘back’. And the footage of her opening Paris dates has shown this more than anything. On stage, as she sings the vocally challenging sections of her hit song All By Myself, there is a particular jump and key change she has to tackle. And as she hits those high notes, you can see her palpable relief and gratitude, which is met by the cheers and applause of her rapt audience. It is one of many moving moments captured recently at her concerts; it has been a triumphant return, slightly overwhelming her at times.
In the Bible, singing (and dancing) is a motif for healing, freedom and deliverance. In tough times, songs might offer the promise of a hopeful future, one free of suffering, but it’s impossible to sing when you’re in sorrow and pain. When people are in the midst of it, they might echo the Psalmist’s question: “How can we sing the Lord’s song…?” And Céline Dion’s experience over the last few years is no different.
Nor is her evident joy to be singing again. When David was delivered from his enemies, he expressed his thanksgiving by singing too: that God had surrounded him with “songs of deliverance”. When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, Miriam sang to celebrate their freedom after many years of living under oppression. And to me, it’s as if Céline Dion is now singing her very own songs of deliverance too.
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