Sixty-one years after French singer and entertainer Edith Piaf’s death, Céline Dion is honoring her legacy and marking her own return to music, People reports.
Céline Dion sang Edith Piaf’s classic “Hymne A L’Amour” with the Eiffel Tower as her backdrop at the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. The performance was her first time on stage since announcing her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis in 2022.
Now, fans can enjoy an official live version of Piaf’s staple as Dion’s latest single. The 56-year-old singer previously released “Love Again” to coincide with the release of the 2023 film of the same name, her only other single since her diagnosis.
In a People cover story, Céline Dion opened up about how her diagnosis impacts her life and career. “My vocal cords used to lead my way, and now I can’t even just talk with them,” she explained.
Her return to the stage was momentous, as she also said in her interview that returning to the studio was “very, very, very challenging,” admitting that she was surprised singing was suddenly “harder.”
Céline Dion recently returned Kelly Clarkson’s tearful praise of the Paris Olympics performance with love for Clarkson’s Kellyoke cover of “My Heart Will Go On.” “You were absolutely incredible. Fantastic. I loved it so much,” Dion said in a video posted to social media.
Clarkson, 42, responded to the reaction to provide context for why Dion’s approval was so important to her, and it goes back to a 2002 episode of American Idol. “The week that I had laryngitis…
I had to sing Céline Dion’s ‘I Surrender All.’ I bawl that night because I’m just mortified that Céline Dion is going to see this performance. I could have cared less about votes at that point.”
The “Breakaway” singer says the performance was “so bad,” although the judges acknowledged her illness and praised her for a powerful performance.