Canadian singer Celine Dion, who announced in 2022 that she was suffering from the rare neurological disorder Stiff-person syndrome, captivated audiences around the world with her performance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on July 26th this year. She sang a heartfelt rendition of “Hymne à L’amour” and moved millions of viewers. However, a recent report by the French media outlet Liberation revealed that Dion’s performance that day was not a live rendition but a pre-recorded video.
In the earlier reports, Celine Dion took the stage as the final act at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on July 26th. The footage showed her singing Édith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” accompanied by a piano, as the hot air balloon lit by the Olympic flame rose gracefully in the Du Lelie Garden. Dressed in a stunning white gown adorned with beads and tassels, her powerful voice resonated, creating a crescendo of emotions among the audience.
From the released footage at the time, Celine Dion stood throughout her performance at the base of the Eiffel Tower, seemingly unaffected by the rare disease, causing many audience members to shed tears. Being diagnosed with Stiff-person syndrome, Celine Dion had not performed publicly since courageously sharing her condition in 2022. Therefore, her appearance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony was highly admired by many for her strength and resilience.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Liberation reported on October 10th, quoting several music experts who claimed that Celine Dion’s performance that day was not live.
Composer and performer Etienne Gregoire stated, “What we heard on television was a corrected playback.” An anonymous sound engineer quoted in various French media outlets commented, “This is one hundred percent playback; it can be heard from the very first note.” A YouTuber musician known as “Wings of Pegasus” pointed out, “The sound of the rehearsal and the actual performance sounds exactly the same, which is technically impossible because a person’s voice is influenced by various factors, so two performances at different times will definitely have differences.”
Reports indicated that approximately 104,000 people attended the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, with the best seats priced at over £2500. Despite the heavy rain, many spectators watched numerous performances, including pre-recorded acts by Lady Gaga and various European singers. Dion’s performance was broadcast as a “live performance” on major streaming platforms while being shown on screens along the Seine Riverbank and around the world.
On October 10th, Celine Dion herself released a video on Instagram, announcing that the “live broadcast of the 2024 Paris Olympics can be viewed on YouTube and digital platforms.” French President Macron praised Dion’s performance, stating that it evoked the strongest “emotional fluctuations” at the Paris Olympics.
When Liberation inquired about and confirmed whether Celine Dion had sung live, a representative of the Paris 2024 Olympic Committee declined to comment, even though the organization had previously insisted that the performance was indeed live.