logo
Eurovision door still open for Celine Dion comeback

Eurovision door still open for Celine Dion comeback

France 2416-05-2025

Dion became a global music icon, selling albums by the millions and staging groundbreaking sell-out concerts around the world.
But she has never forgotten the role the song contest played in launching her on the international stage.
Dion was 20 and little-known outside her native French-speaking Quebec province in Canada when she won Eurovision in 1988, guesting for Switzerland, with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi".
That gave Switzerland the right to host Eurovision 1989 in Lausanne, where Dion opened the TV extravaganza with her winning French-language song.
She then premiered the single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" -- heralding her career switch into English, which set her on the path to global chart domination.
With Eurovision 2025 returning to Switzerland, this time in Basel, organisers opened the door for Dion to appear before an ever-appreciative audience.
However, with the singer battling a debilitating health condition and rarely appearing in public, uncertainty reigns over whether she might take a heartwarming trip down memory lane and appear at the world's biggest televised live music event.
Stiff Person Syndrome
Dion, now 57, first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a painful autoimmune disorder which is progressive and for which there is no cure.
She was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour.
But she made a surprise, show-stopping performance from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.
Eurovision organisers are tight-lipped as to whether Dion might spring a similar star turn in Basel, despite a video message from her screened at Tuesday's first semi-final.
"I'd love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now," Dion said, in front of a backdrop of flowers and candles.
"Winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988 was a life-changing moment for me.
"Music unites us -- not only tonight, not only in this wonderful moment. It is our strength, our support, and our accompaniment in times of need."
'Wait and see'
Eurovision director Martin Green told AFP the situation had become a great guessing game.
"Wait and see," he said, cryptically.
Given the show's giant cast and crew -- and 6,500 fans watching the untelevised public dress rehearsals -- Green said there was no point asking people to keep a secret.
However, he said people could be brought on board in keeping a surprise -- the approach successfully taken when he oversaw the London 2012 Olympics ceremonies.
Saturday's final has been micro-rehearsed down to the last second, but co-presenters Sandra Studer and Hazel Brugger admitted they were in the dark.
"There is still some hope that she could come. Honestly, we don't know -- and that's not a lie," said Studer, who represented Switzerland at Eurovision in 1991, three years after Dion.
"She might decide to come but we don't know," Studer said, adding that they had prepared as if Dion would not be there.
© 2025 AFP

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Louis Vuitton names Jeremy Allen White new ambassador
Louis Vuitton names Jeremy Allen White new ambassador

Fashion Network

time2 hours ago

  • Fashion Network

Louis Vuitton names Jeremy Allen White new ambassador

announced on Tuesday the appointment of Jeremy Allen White as its new ambassador, as the French luxury maison looks to bring the American actor's star power into its already burgeoning celebrity fold. The born-and-bred New Yorker rose to fame for his lively portrayal of chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto in the series, "The Bear,' which earned him three consecutive Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Television Series. Allen White has also featured in the series 'Shameless,' as well as the short film ,'Cornflower', and his recent role in 'The Iron Claw.' Next, the actor will play Bruce Springsteen in 'Deliver Me from Nowhere', as the he looks to expand his repertoire into biopics. Allen White's relationship with the Parisian fashion house began at the SAG Awards in February, and then the 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' edition of the Met Gala earlier in May, where both times the actor was dressed in Louis Vuitton. 'Jeremy's got a quiet confidence and authenticity that you can't fake. It's effortless. At Louis Vuitton, it's about real people who move culture forward—and Jeremy lives that. We're proud to welcome him into the family," said Louis Vuitton men's creative director, Pharrell Williams. A notion reiterated by the LVMH -owned brand, whose mega male celebrity roster already includes ​J- Hope, BamBam, Jackson Wang, Callum Turner, Timothée Adolphe, Léon Marchand, Antoine Dupont, Felix, and Enzo Lefort. "With a refined personal flair and magnetic on-screen presence, he captures the essence of modern artistry: effortlessly blending style and elegance in harmony with Louis Vuitton's signature," said LVMH, in a press release. Louis Vuitton's partnership with Allen White follows the actor's viral underwear campaign with U.S. brand Calvin Klein for Spring 2024, which depicted the chiselled star walking around New York City in a pair of white boxer briefs, soundtracked by Lesley Gore 's hit, "You Don't Own Me." While Allen White's raunchy partnership with Louis Vuitton isn't likely to cause a social media firestorm, parent company LVMH is hoping that the actor's new connection with its biggest brand will inject some much needed buzz. In its most recent trading update in April, LVMH reported a 3% drop in first-quarter sales, compared to 1% growth in the fourth quarter, as the luxury industry bellwether fights a downturn in demand for its high-end goods.

Louis Vuitton names Jeremy Allen White new ambassador
Louis Vuitton names Jeremy Allen White new ambassador

Fashion Network

time2 hours ago

  • Fashion Network

Louis Vuitton names Jeremy Allen White new ambassador

Louis Vuitton announced on Tuesday the appointment of Jeremy Allen White as its new ambassador, as the French luxury maison looks to bring the American actor's star power into its already burgeoning celebrity fold. The born-and-bred New Yorker rose to fame for his lively portrayal of chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto in the series, "The Bear,' which earned him three consecutive Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Television Series. Allen White has also featured in the series 'Shameless,' as well as the short film ,'Cornflower', and most recently, 'The Iron Claw.' Next, the actor will play Bruce Springsteen in 'Deliver Me from Nowhere', as the American looks to expand his acting repertoire into biopics. Allen White's relationship with the Louis Vuitton began at the SAG Awards in February, and then the 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' edition of the Met Gala earlier in May, where both times the actor was dressed in the Parisian brand, whose menswear is designed by Pharrell Williams. 'Jeremy's got a quiet confidence and authenticity that you can't fake. It's effortless. At Louis Vuitton, it's about real people who move culture forward—and Jeremy lives that. We're proud to welcome him into the family," said Williams. A notion reiterated by the LVMH -owned brand, whose mega male celebrity roster already includes ​J- Hope, BamBam, Jackson Wang, Callum Turner, Timothée Adolphe, Léon Marchand, Antoine Dupont, Felix, and Enzo Lefort. "With a refined personal flair and magnetic on-screen presence, he captures the essence of modern artistry: effortlessly blending style and elegance in harmony with Louis Vuitton's signature," said Louis Vuitton, in a press release. Louis Vuitton's partnership with Allen White follows the actor's viral underwear campaign with U.S. brand Calvin Klein for Spring 2024, which depicted the chiselled star walking around New York City in a pair of white boxer briefs, soundtracked by Lesley Gore 's hit, "You Don't Own Me." While Allen White's raunchy partnership with Louis Vuitton isn't likely to cause a social media firestorm, parent company LVMH is hoping that the actor's new connection with its biggest brand will inject some much needed buzz. In its most recent trading update in April, LVMH reported a 3% drop in first-quarter sales, compared to 1% growth in the fourth quarter, as the luxury industry bellwether fights a downturn in demand for its high-end goods.

Ezra Collective's infectious energy defies jazz 'elitism' to win new fans
Ezra Collective's infectious energy defies jazz 'elitism' to win new fans

France 24

time18 hours ago

  • France 24

Ezra Collective's infectious energy defies jazz 'elitism' to win new fans

Over the last two years alone, "EZ" has become the first British jazz group to win the prestigious Mercury Prize and have a Top 10 UK album with 2024's "Dance, No One's Watching." Its crowning glory came in March when it was named group of the year at the 2025 Brit Awards, an annual celebration of UK music. "Jazz, when I was growing up, was an expensive thing to tap into. I couldn't afford to get into most jazz clubs, I definitely couldn't afford a drink," drummer Femi Koleoso told AFP at his small music studio in North London, close to where he grew up. "Jazz felt like an upper class, elitist high art form... so we're just making people feel like this is for everyone," he added. The story of Ezra Collective, named after the biblical prophet, began around a decade ago when Koleoso and his younger brother TJ, a bassist, began playing in teenage jazz clubs, where they met keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones and saxophonist James Mollison. They were later joined by trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi. 'Temple of joy' "We learned jazz... but we fell in love with Afrobeat first. That was our first love, and infusing the two was the first sound," explained Koleoso. A decade later, the band, which will play at the Glastonbury Festival later this month, has incorporated other influences such as hip-hop, dub, reggae, Ghanaian highlife music and "most recently salsa music", he said. But jazz still "underpins" everything the band creates, added the drummer. Its danceable and inventive concoction has won fans far beyond jazz's traditional base, helped by the wild energy of its concerts where the charismatic Koleoso, like a preacher, exhorts the crowd to create a "temple of joy". One of the leading groups in an insurgent jazz scene, driven by a new generation of musicians, the quintet surprised everyone by winning the prestigious Mercury Prize for their second album, "Where I'm Meant To Be", released in 2023. The victory "finally acknowledges a golden age for UK jazz", said Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis. "A lot of us have a similar origin story in that a lot of us met in these youth clubs," which, according to bassist TJ Koleoso, have helped make London "the best place to be born in the world" for aspiring young musicians. 'Free-for-all' The thriving community owes much to the "Tomorrow's Warriors" programme established by Gary Crosby and Janine Irons. Attempting to address the lack of diversity in jazz, they founded the programme in 1991 to provide young people with free spaces to practise, learn to play together and meet artists. It has fostered numerous talents such as Nubya Garcia, Kokoroko, and Ezra Collective, and the band's members now give lessons or donate instruments to the city's clubs, which have seen their numbers dwindle amid spending cuts. "This moment right here is because of the great youth clubs, and the great teachers and the great schools that support young people playing music," Femi Koleoso said at the Brits in March, as his band triumphed against music giants such as Coldplay and The Cure. Devout Christians and fans of Fela Kuti and Arsenal Football Club, the brothers grew up in the north London neighbourhood of Enfield. "I grew up next to a Bangladeshi family, my best friend in school was Turkish, I'm Nigerian, my best mate is Ghanaian and (there's) Jamaicans everywhere you go," said Femi Koleoso. "That kind of melting-pot" has inspired "everything I wrote and created", added Femi Koleoso, who also toured with top group Gorillaz in recent years. When Ezra Collective takes to the stage, "the first part of the song will be played accurately" but "the moment the last note of the first part of the song is done, it's just a free-for-all, just see what happens, and long may that continue," said a smiling Femi Koleoso. "I don't know if AI could be doing that gig," added TJ Koleoso, addressing the debate about technology. He insisted that "real, authentic things survive" such upheavals.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store