Celine Dion now feels able to tackle anything – and her bold new moves show
she is doing just that. The singer talks to Tessa Paige about her forays into
fashion and skincare and how her three sons are helping her cope with her grief.
Two years ago Celine Dion’s life stopped still. Over two days in January 2016, the My Heart Will Go On singer suffered the most devastating losses imaginable – first the death of her beloved husband, René Angélil , then just 48 hours later, the death of her brother Daniel. René, 73, had been suffering from throat cancer, and while Celine knew the end was coming, nothing could prepare her for the shattering loss. Or the added heartbreak of losing her brother so soon afterwards. It was only the support of her three sons that helped her through René’s emotional public funeral at a church in Montreal where the couple had exchanged wedding vows 22 years earlier. She was too grief-stricken, however, to attend the funeral the following day of her older brother, who died from brain, throat and tongue cancer at the age of 59. When Celine returned to the stage for the first time six weeks after the crushing double tragedy, she openly shared her sorrow with her fans, Celine Dion now feels able to tackle anything – and her bold new moves show she is doing just that.
Celine Dion breaking down several times, and delivering a deeply emotional eulogy to René. “I understood that my career was in a way his masterpiece, his song, his symphony,” she wrote in a public message before the show. “The idea of leaving it unfinished would have hurt [René] terribly. I realized that if he ever left us, I would have to continue without him, for him.” In the two years since, she has done that and more. The queen of the 1990s power ballads has undergone a remarkable transformation, adored by a new generation of artists and designers. A month shy of her 50th birthday, she is now a high-fashion diva who commands front row at couture shows. She has become as well known for her sense of style as for her voice, with Vogue magazine recently featuring her in the cream of couture and naming her as one of 2017’s leading trendsetters. Perhaps the best came when she attended her debut couture show and enjoyed the experience so much that she broke blank-faced fashion“
convention to give designer Giambattista Valli a standing ovation, after whooping, cheering and giving him a double thumbs up. Even the seen-it-all crowd couldn’t help smiling at her spontaneous enthusiasm. “She was going through a lot of tragedy and, as she puts it, the dresses and the bags and these lighter moments have helped her with her recovery,” her celebrity stylist Law Roach says. “People knew her as the voice and this legendary pop icon but she’s letting you see another side to her now. She’s reminding us all that fashion is something to be enjoyed rather than feared.” Her passion for fashion and belief that it should not be reserved for 20-somethings has now spilled over into a venture as a designer of handbags, luggage and accessories – part of her plans to build a lifestyle brand. “What’s going on? I’m enjoying myself,” says Celine. “Sometimes when you go through a lot, whether it’s disappointment or a loss, there is a force that takes over. “Going back a few years, when it was so hard, it [now] feels like I can spread my wings. I’ve always been passionate about music and creating things. But after a big loss, I feel like I’m alive. That I can take chances and go for it.” There is also a skincare line, which she claims is the reason for her own glow – she strongly denies that a new romance could be responsible, insisting, “Now it is definitely too soon for me.” Instead, she says, “I want to do something that will leave a mark. Botox and surgery are not healthy ways to stay youthful. I hope to introduce everyone to a natural product line that has helped me stay successful as an older woman in a music industry that has become full of beautiful, young faces.” It may seem that Celine is working to future proof her career but, as the most successful Canadian artist of all time, her music is still in huge demand. Over her phenomenal 35-year career she has sold more than 250 million albums worldwide and has five Grammys to her name. A superstar of the Las Vegas show scene, she has 70 concerts at Caesar’s Palace booked each year until 2019 and tickets for last year’s European tour sold out in minutes, despite starting prices of around $190. Last month she announced a new tour of Asia in July this year, with fans hoping that will be extended to include New Zealand. She has also announced the release of a new album this year – her first English language album in five years. Her connection to René – who became her manager when she was just 12 – remains strong and she still relies on his advice. When she was asked to record How Does a Moment Last Forever for Disney’s 2017 Beauty and the Beast remake, she confesses she consulted his portrait. “I went and found one of the paintings that one of the fans gave me of my husband and I said, ‘Should I do this?’ And the answer I got back – I don’t want that to sound ghostly or anything like that – but emotionally what I got back from that was, ‘You have nothing to lose.’” She has embraced this new sense of freedom, of taking chances and enjoying life. And balancing her two great loves – music and her children, René-Charles, who turned 17 last month, and seven-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy. With 13 siblings, Celine had always dreamed of having a big family but fertility problems meant she struggled to conceive and her three sons came only after intensive rounds of IVF – she endured six rounds before falling pregnant with the twins. “There’s nothing that can top being a mother,” she says. “I don’t want to be busier than busy."
I don’t want my kids to feel I’m not there for them. I’ve wanted them for too long for that. I want to make the most of them. “After the last song [at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas] I change very quickly and do a runner. I’m home at 10 o’clock to be with my babies.” Her children, she adds, have been incredibly resilient in the aftermath of their father’s death. “To be honest, they’re remarkable. I’m not even sure who helps who the most. They are helping me, I am helping them – it’s mutual. They cope with the loss of their dad very well,” she says. She even shares her bed with the twins. “I organise myself to not feel lonely. So I got myself a huge, huge, huge bed and I sleep with my twins. They are comforting me a lot. I need them. I need them close. “When it’s time for them to say they want their room, their room’s ready. But we watch a lot of TV together. I’m discovering Disney. “In the morning, one of my biggest pleasures is to have my kids round me and coffee with double cream, no sugar. It’s the simple pleasures of life that make the most sense.” She clearly means it and perhaps it’s this authenticity that appeals most strongly and has won her a new generations of fans. She isn’t ashamed to admit that she has a wardrobe full of couture costumes, or built a water park in the garden of her Florida home – but she shares the dedication to family and work that underpins the lives of her fans. Her popularity was summed up by Canadian singer Drake, who told her at last year’s Billboard Music Awards that he was thinking of getting a tattoo of her face, adding, “You’re very iconic. We love you.” And Adele, with whom she’s rumoured to be planning a duet, is becoming a friend as well as an admirer. After seeing one of Celine’s Las Vegas shows earlier this month, the British singer tweeted, “Queen Celine! What a show, an absolute highlight of my life, thank you so much for the attention to your crowd and insane humour. Happy new year lady x.” “I’ve got a feeling the sky’s the limit,” says Celine. “I don’t feel I can’t do this any more. I feel like I want to do everything.” AWW
Žiadne komentáre:
Zverejnenie komentára