Céline Dion has announced her return to the stage, four years after she was diagnosed with an incurable condition that affected her singing voice and her ability to walk.
The star, known for power ballads like My Heart Will Go On and Because You Loved Me, will play a 10-night residency at the 40,000-capacity Paris La Défense Arena in September and October.
The announcement came on the day of her 58th birthday. In a message on her Instagram page, Dion called her comeback “the best gift of my life”.
“I’m so ready to do this,” she told fans. “I’m feeling good, I’m strong, I’m feeling excited, obviously, [and] of course, a little nervous.”
Addressing her medical condition, Dion said: “I’m doing great, managing my health, feeling good. I’m singing again, even doing a little bit of dancing.
“But I have to tell you something very important: Over these last few years, every day that’s gone by, I felt your prayers and support, your kindness and love.
She continued: “I am grateful to all of you. I can’t wait to see you again.”
Dion, who is one of the best-selling artists of all time, has not performed her own show since Newark, New Jersey on 8 March, 2020.
Her Courage tour was subsequently cut short by the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, before she was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome and forced to cancel all future shows.
For her live return, all the concert dates are separated by several days, presumably to avoid undue strain on her physical health.
Tickets will go on sale from 7 April. Demand is expected to be astronomical, but fans can register interest on her official website from Tuesday, 31 March.
Dion announced she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) in December 2022.
In an emotional Instagram video, she told fans the condition had affected “every aspect of my daily life”.
Affecting an estimated 8,000 people worldwide, SPS is a neurological disease caused by the signals from the nerves to the muscles not working properly.
The condition causes muscle spasms and can affect mobility. For some, it can be debilitating. There is no known cure.
Speaking to the BBC in 2024, Dion said she had first noticed the symptoms when her voice played up on tour.
“It was just feeling a little strange, like a little spasm,” she said.
“My voice was struggling, I was starting to push a little bit.”
At the time, she felt it was impossible to take time off, and experimented with singing in a lower register to ease the stress on her vocal cords.
“These shows were sold out for a year and a half, going around the globe.
“And I’m going to say to people, ‘Excuse me about my spasm? Excuse me about my je ne sais quoi?’”
However, the condition worsened, “sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to,” she told NBC News.
“It’s like somebody is strangling you. It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx [or] pharynx.”
