Celine Dion issues a warning against ‘fake tracks’ on Sunday after her return to music was threatened by a series of false recordings, DailyMail reports.
The singer, who was diagnosed with the incurable stiff-person syndrome in December 2022, made her comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics after fearing she would never perform again.
Sharing an update to Instagram, her team released a stern statement and made fans aware of the release of ‘unauthorised AI-generated’ songs.
They wrote: ‘We are aware that unauthorised AI-generated tracks, falsely attributed to Celine Dion, are being shared online and distributed by various platforms.
‘We want to make it clear that these recordings are not authentic, and are not part of her official music collection.’
Last week, record labels revealed how they are sending tens of thousands of ‘take-down’ requests each year to platforms hosting fake songs claiming to be by top artists.
With just a few clicks, users can create a convincing AI version of a track or music video – with many racking up millions of streams online.
Not only does this take money away from artists, but fans are also being duped into paying for what they believe is legitimate music.
A source at one of the UK’s biggest record companies told the Mail it had issued 75,000 take-down requests of deepfakes over the past two years.
And the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which represents the recording business worldwide, said it now had a team of 40 helping labels trawl the internet for clones.
Back in December of 2022, Celine announced she was diagnosed with a serious the neurological condition, Stiff Person Syndrome.
The rare disorder rare has side affects that appear as muscle spasms and can impact her singing ability.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the disease affects one to three people per million and ultimately leaves sufferers as ‘human statues’ as it progressively locks the body into rigid positions, leaving sufferers unable to walk or talk.
The star previously described the condition to NBC News as feeling like ‘someone is strangling you,’ pointing out the severe muscle spasms and rigidity the disorder causes.
Despite the All by Myself singer’s obstacles, she remains committed to finding her way back to preforming — undergoing rigorous physical and vocal therapy five days a week.
At the time, the star took to Instagram to address fans in a tearful Instagram post revealing that the incurable disease would postpone her European tour at the time.
She said in the clip, ‘I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it has been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.
‘Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome, which affects one in a million people.
‘While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all the spasms I’ve been having.’
Detailing the impact, Celine Dion added: ‘Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.’