Céline Dion’s Paris comeback sparks citywide karaoke celebration

More than 30,000 Céline Dion fans have gathered in Paris for the Canadian singer’s long-awaited return to performing on Saturday night, four years after she revealed her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome, according to The Guardian.

Thousands more without tickets flocked to giant karaoke events across France to sing Dion’s power ballads, celebrating her health stabilising enough to return to the stage.

Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said the city’s street karaoke would honour Dion as “an artist of the people,” further noting that music has the power to unite society. Dion, 58, announced her diagnosis with the rare neurological condition in 2022 and has since described suffering muscle spasms strong enough to break her ribs.

Her 16-date residency at La Défense’s Plenitude arena, alongside earlier May dates, is expected to boost the Paris region’s economy by up to €800m.