The cast for the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday in Paris is impressive. Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura and Juliette Armanet are expected to be joined by a host of artists including a famous DJ, a pianist and even a metal band.
Since the beginning of the week, the French capital has become a real celebrity planet. The arrival, not so discreet, of Celine Dion and Lady Gaga in Paris sparked rumors of their participation in the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. As the event drew closer, other names were added to those of the two divas. On Wednesday evening, Le Parisien provided several confirmations and gave logic to the whole thing.
The two headliners will be accompanied by Aya Nakamura and Juliette Armanet. In an article Published 48 hours before the event, the Parisian daily newspaper indicates that the director Thomas Jolly succeeded in bringing together the four singers for the big show planned along the Seine and then around the Champ de Mars.
One of the highlights of the event will therefore be the grand return to the stage of Celine Dion, who has been absent for four years and the appearance of her serious health problems. She should be the performer of the Hymn to Love byEdith Piaf. An interpretation that has long been attributed to Aya Nakamura, but which should finally fall to the Quebec diva. According to Le Parisien, Aya Nakamura should finally sing Charles Aznavour, accompanied by the Republican Guard.
Lady Gagawho was reportedly spotted by many fans on a platform on the Seine, with a technical team and a piano in recent days, is still shrouded in secrecy, but she will be there according to the newspaper. She could also sing Piaf at the opening ceremony, as the pop music icon made an impression with her rendition of La vie en rose in the movie A Star is Born and at several concerts. Fans therefore imagine him performing the song again on Friday. The clues spotted this week seemed in any case to correspond to a rehearsal for the Olympic Games ceremony.
As for Juliette Armanet, she should be accompanied by pianist Sofiane Pamart, as revealed by L’Équipe, before Le Parisien confirmed the information on Wednesday evening. Other artists such as opera singer Marina Viotti, rock metal band Gojira (who will be doing a collaboration as original as it is surprising), Philippe Katerine (announced “in his underwear under a huge bell”) and Cerrone should also participate in the celebration. By Friday 7:30 p.m., the time the ceremony is due to begin, other names may still come out because in total, 3 hours and 45 minutes of show are planned to kick off these Olympic Games.
Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, the masterstroke of the Olympic ceremony
Two celebrities arriving in Paris just a few days before one of the biggest shows on the planet, it didn’t take much for everyone to understand that they will be at the heart of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Add in nearly a billion viewers expected around the world, a huge show bringing together 10,500 athletes present for the Games, and a first along the Seine, and you will have no more doubts. Lady Gaga and Céline Dion barely hid themselves as they left the Royal Monceau, the 5-star Palace where they stayed and near which they were abundantly greeted by fans and photographed, the first on July 22 and the second this Wednesday, July 24.
Although nothing official has yet confirmed the participation of Celine Dion and Lady Gaga in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the organizers are having a hard time keeping the mystery alive. Celine Dion’s presence on stage “would be fantastic news, because she is an immense artist,” Emmanuel Macron even declared during his interview on France 2 on July 23. And adding with a wry smile: “I would be immensely happy if Celine Dion could be present at the opening ceremony.” For her part, Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera conceded on Wednesday, July 24, that the singer was not there “by chance.”
Celine Dion, who has been suffering for several years from stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disease that keeps her away from the stage, is expected to perform in all likelihood. But the performance of the singer of I’m alive should be subject to the absence of last-minute contraindications. The singer is in any case preparing to go on stage and has planned fittings at Dior in view of the opening ceremony according to RTL. Lady Gaga’s performance is also uncertain. While footage of what appeared to be a rehearsal on the Seine has circulated, the quality of the video does not allow the American singer to be identified with certainty.
Is Celine Dion preparing her comeback?
Celine Dion’s performance, her first since March 8, 2020 and her last concert in Newark, United States, could last only one song to preserve her health. But this return, an event within the event, has something to delight the star’s fans and the spectators who came to attend the opening of the Olympics. The singer has not returned to the stage and has been rare in the media since she announced that she was suffering from stiff man syndrome.
After this long absence, the artist seems to be preparing her return: she participated in the promotion of the documentary I am Celine Dion which traces her daily life and her fight against her illness and in which she leaves the door open to a return to the stage, without giving a precise date. Should we see this as a sign of an improvement in Celine Dion’s health? The videos of the star captured by Internet users at the entrance to her hotel, like the long plane trip between Las Vegas, where she lives, and Paris, could be synonymous with better physical shape.
Towards a performance by Lady Gaga at the Paris Olympics?
Another international star who was reportedly seen in Paris in the last few hours is Lady Gaga! Her participation in the Olympics had not been mentioned or brought forward by the many rumors about the artists present at the opening ceremony. But a recent enigmatic video published by Paris 2024 has fans of the Manhattan native wondering. It showed a person in armor, a disguise that would not scare Lady Gaga, a big fan of disguises and daring choreographies on stage. Finally, a video of the rehearsals, of too low quality to capture the slightest detail of the performer, has circulated in recent days, showing a piano performance. Enough to arouse the excitement of Lady Gaga’s French fans a little more, who have not seen the singer on a French stage since a notable show at the Stade de France in 2022… The return would only be more grandiose.