A video message from Celine Dion during the dress rehearsal and preview show of the first semifinal at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, Monday, May 12, 2025. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP)
C茅line Dion makes surprise video appearance at Eurovision, 37 years after winning the contest
Dion’s appearance at Tuesday’s semi-final occurred following speculation that the Canadian singer might perform at the singing competition’s grand final on Saturday.
A video message from Celine Dion during the dress rehearsal and preview show of the first semifinal at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, Monday, May 12, 2025. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP)
C茅line Dion made a surprise video appearance at Eurovision on Tuesday night, seemingly throwing cold water on the rumours that the Canadian artist might perform during the singing contest’s grand final in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday.
The appearance, which took place during the contest’s semi-final, comes 37 years after Dion won Eurovision on behalf of Switzerland for her performance of the song聽鈥淣e partez pas sans moi.”聽The contest, which Dion has described as formative, was considered the young star’s introduction to the world beyond Canada and France.
“I鈥檇 love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now,” an emotional Dion said in the video, speaking from a remote location. 鈥淲inning the Eurovision song contest for Switzerland in 1988 was a life-changing moment for me and I鈥檓 so thankful for everyone who supported me.”
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鈥淢usic unites us,” she added in French. “It is our strength, our support and our support in the moments where we need it. I love you all, Europe and the rest of the world, of course. Kisses, I love you.鈥
Following the video, a number of former contestants paid tribute to Dion with a cover of “Ne partez pas sans mo.”聽
Prior to her appearance Tuesday, several reports hinted that Dion could show up at the Eurovision Grand Final, either to sing or just be celebrated. But the appearance was said to hinge on her health.聽Dion聽was聽diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome聽in late 2022, following a series of show cancellations and postponements for 鈥渟evere and persistent muscle spasms.鈥 Last summer, she gave a triumphant performance beneath the Eiffel Tower聽at the Paris Olympics,聽her first since going public with her health condition.聽
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Earlier this month, Dion shared pictures on Instagram from her past Eurovision experiences, fuelling more speculation about a potential performance.聽
It’s unclear whether Dion will make another appearance, though Tuesday’s remote appearance suggests that it is unlikely.
The live portion of the contest kicked off on Tuesday, with performers from 15 countries battling it out in front of thousands of fans for 10 spots in Saturday鈥檚 final, with the result decided by viewers鈥 votes. A second semi-final will take place on Thursday.
The two semi-finals will narrow the field of 37 nations down to 26 who will compete in Saturday鈥檚 grand final. Twenty finalists will be decided by viewers鈥 votes, while six countries automatically qualify for the final: the host, Switzerland, and the 鈥淏ig Five鈥 who pay the most to the contest 鈥 France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.
This year’s frontrunners are KAJ,聽a trio of Swedish-speaking Finns.
RA
Richie Assaly is a culture reporter for the Star, with an
interest in music, pop culture and food reporting. He is also a
juror for Polaris Music Prize.
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