Celine Dion’s spectacular ‘live’ performance at the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was pre-recorded, it was claimed in France today.
Millions of people cried when the 56-year-old Canadian superstar sang Hymne à L’amour in front of the Eiffel Tower.
It was the culmination of a lavish opening ceremony held mainly on the banks of the Seine River, which President Emmanuel Macron said was the “emotional highlight” of the sporting spectacle.
But on Friday, the highly respected Liberation newspaper cited several music industry experts who said the July 26 performance was “without a doubt” pre-recorded.
Celine Dion performing at the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Millions of people cried when the 56-year-old Canadian superstar sang Hymne à L’amour in front of the Eiffel Tower.
A video shows Canadian singer Celine Dion performing at the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In turn, representatives of the Paris 2024 organizers refused to answer questions about the scandal, despite previously insisting that the performance was indeed live.
“What we heard on television was a corrected reproduction,” composer and performer Etienne Guéreau told Liberation.
In comments republished in French media, a sound engineer who asked to remain anonymous said: “It was 100% playback, you can hear it from the first notes.”
Others said it was “undoubtedly” pre-recorded, as was a performance by Ms. Dion in rehearsals.
A YouTuber musician who goes by the name Wings of Pegasus said the rehearsal and actual performance also sounded exactly the same, something that is technically impossible as there will always be variations between two versions of a song live.
The Olympic performance was meant to be a triumphant return for Dion, who has been battling incurable stiff-person syndrome.
Hymne à L’amour was chosen because it was originally sung by the late French music icon Edith Piaf.
Thousands of fans took to social media to praise Dion, whose biggest hits include ‘My Heart Will Go On’, the theme from the movie Titanic.
The cauldron, with the Olympic flame lit, takes off attached to a balloon, during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Celine Dion performing at the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
One said: “Ok so excited about Celine’s performance, wow!”, while another gushed: “Queen Celine is back and she sounds fantastic.”
It was in 2022 that Ms. Dion revealed that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes stiffness and spasms in the muscles.
He then made a promise to return to the stage “even if I have to crawl,” adding: “My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!”
Around 104,000 people paid for tickets to watch the Paris 2024 opening ceremony live, with the best seats costing more than £2,500.
Despite heavy rain, many attended multiple events, including a pre-recorded one by Lady Gaga, which was shown on multiple screens along the river, as well as around the world.
But Ms. Dion’s performance was intended to be live, and has just been released as such on several streaming platforms.
Dion announced on Instagram on Thursday that the “live” recording was available on sites like YouTube and Spotify.
Fans take photos of Canadian singer Celine Dion outside Le Royal Monceau in Paris on July 27.
The performance was the culmination of a lavish opening ceremony held primarily along the banks of the Seine River.
The Olympic cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
“God brings together those who love each other,” Dion wrote in reference to the song’s lyrics.
These are Piaf’s words to the love of her life, the French-Algerian boxer Marcel Cerdan, who died in a plane crash in October 1949.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about Dion’s performance at the Olympics in an interview with Variety magazine this week, saying she caused the “biggest excitement” of all at Paris 2024.
