Singers Lady Gaga and Céline Dion lit up the Paris Olympics opening ceremony with powerhouse performances on Friday.
Dressed in her signature black, Lady Gaga delivered a stirring rendition of Zizi Jeanmaire's Mon Truc En Plumes, kicking off the global sporting event. She also played the piano during her performance.
“Lady Gaga is now part of Olympic history,” wrote the authorities, sharing a montage of her performance on Instagram.
Dion closed out the night by singing L’Hymne à l’amour from the base of the Eiffel Tower. The night was particularly significant for the Canadian pop icon, for it marked her return to the stage since she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome in 2022. The rare neurological disease causes muscle spasms and rigidity in the torso and limbs. It has also made it hard for the Canadian singer to control her vocal cords.
“Celine Dion performs on the Eiffel Tower!just when we thought this #OpeningCeremony could not get any better,” the authorities captioned a video of Dion’s performance on social media.
According to the official website of Paris Olympics 2024, Dion serenaded more than 300,000 spectators, including an estimated 6,800 athletes, in an emotional comeback from illness.
Despite rain, the roughly four-hour opening ceremony proceeded smoothly. The event was held along the Seine river in Paris, featuring a 6.4-kilometre-long floating procession with boats representing each national delegation.
While Dion is set to feature in a Prime Video documentary based on her challenges with stiff person syndrome, Lady Gaga will soon be seen as Harley Quinn alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Warner Bros. and DC’s Joker: Folie A Deux, slated to hit theatres on October 4.
The Paris Olympics is scheduled to end on August 11.
