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Why Fans Think Celine Dion and Lady Gaga Might Perform at the Olympic Opening Ceremony
Olympic officials have not confirmed whether the superstars will participate in what's promised to be "an exceptional" musical lineup.
Superstars Celine Dion and Lady Gaga have arrived in Paris just days before the 2024 Summer Olympics are set to begin, sparking speculation that they will be performing at one of the biggest events of the year.
So far, there has been no official word that either legendary singer will showcase their talent during the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, taking place along the Seine on Friday, July 26, 2024. However, the rumor mill continues to crank since both women were spotted in the host city so close to the events, as reported by NBC News.
Here’s what we know as the world waits with bated breath for the Opening Ceremony’s lineup of musical guests.
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Celine Dion and Lady Gaga Photographed in Paris
There are early reports that Dion will sing at the Games, though Olympic officials have yet to confirm.
French media outlet Le Parisien reported that Dion, of Quebec, flew overnight via private plane from Las Vegas, landing in Paris’ Le Bourget early on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. The news comes after weeks of speculation that she’d perform “L’Hymne à l’amour” by the venerable Édith Piaf.
Such an event by the “My Heart Will Go On” singer would be monumental since it would mark her first live performance in four years amidst her ongoing struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome.
Separate from Dion, the Parisian outlet reported that paparazzi took notice of Lady Gaga outside a Paris hotel, further igniting hopes that a surprise musical performance for the ages would take place.
Did Celine Dion nearly spoil a musical surprise?
Hoda Kotb, who sat with the French-Canadian singer for an NBC special ahead of the documentary I Am: Celine Dion, said Dion almost spilled the tea about a future performance rumored to be part of the Olympics’ Opening Ceremony.
It happened when Kotb and TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie appeared on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on July 9, 2024, and a fan questioned whether Dion planned to make an appearance at the Games. The TODAY host said she and Dion were having a “walk and talk” session for their one-on-one when Dion asked her off-screen manager if she could divulge a secret.
“And her manager goes, ‘No!’ He screamed ‘No,’ so I was like… so there’s something,” Kotb said in the WWHL episode. “So, whether it’s the Paris Olympics, wouldn’t that be spectacular?”
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“It has to be the Paris Olympics,” Guthrie chimed in.
The 2024 Games wouldn’t be Dion’s first Olympic performance. She sang at the 1996 Atlanta Games with “The Power of the Dream,” raking in a record-breaking 3.5 billion viewers, according to Variety.
Kotb and Guthrie may want to see Dion in the City of Love, and it’s something Dion said she wants for herself.
“I want to be the best that I can be,” Dion told French Vogue in April. “I want to see the Eiffel Tower again.”
Who else is performing at the Opening Ceremony?
An official lineup has yet to be revealed, though there have already been a few contenders.
French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura was among the first to be offered a spot at the Opening Ceremony, according to France’s Le Monde. However, the Black singer’s possible participation was met with resistance when first announced in April, prompting a “shocked” French President Emmanuel Macron to clap back at “really racist reactions.”
“She will be one of the performers,” said Macron. “She is one of the great French artists, one of those who are most acclaimed around the world. But she won’t be the only one. Far from it.”
According to Deadline, Nakamura is the only confirmed singer, while other possibilities include Dua Lipa and Ariana Grande.
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, France’s Minister of Sports, declined to say much about who would perform at the event, though she promised an “exceptional lineup of artists,” according to NBC News.
