It was in the minds of many Eurofans in the aftermath of the victory of Switzerland at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden, last year. Will the one and only Céline Dion make a comeback in the contest when this goes back to the country that she represented in 1988? Now Eurofans have a reason to rejoyce. Or, well, at least until otherwise proven.
In an article published today by Swiss-German broadcaster SRF the possibility of an appearance of Céline Dion next May in Basel has been recalled by Reto Peritz, one of the two co-Executive Producers of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest. The Swiss are in talks with the Canadian superstar about a possible appearance of the 1988 Eurovision winner.
Huge ESC fan
It was an evening late April 1988 in Dublin. A still largely unknown 20-year old singer representing Switzerland snatches the Eurovision trophy to the better known UK representative Scott Fitzgerald, who was double her age. 137 points again 136 and a climax of suspense until the very end of the last set of votes, and the winner of the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest is Céline Dion with Ne partez pas sans moi co-written by Nella Martinetti and Attila Sereftug.
Eurovision has been the launch pad of the career of the Québécoise singer. That night in Dublin threw her into instant fame in the old continent, which she later used to build her success story on the side of the Atlantic.
Numbers speaks for themselves: over 200 million records sold worldwide. The best-selling Canadian and French-language artist, as well as one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. She has won 6 Grammy Awards and 20 Juno Awards. Highest-paid female musician for several years according to Forbes. Céline Dion doesn’t need an introduction.
Yes throughout her career she has remained a huge fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, and has always recognised that special moment which has launched her career. 37 years later the superstar could return to the Eurovision stage in Basel for a full-circle moment.
Not so fast?
However, Céline Dion has also made headlines in recent years after revealing having being diagnosed with the stiff person syndrome. This incurable nerve disease leads to spasms in the body and can affect the voice too. She was forced to cancel all of her shows since the diagnose, including a world tour. Fans were however delighted to see her grand comeback during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris last year.
The Swiss organisers are well aware that despite interest and will, this condition could lead to a cancellation of her appearance even last minute. But don’t worry, the Swiss have a plan for that. Co-Executive Producer Moritz Stadler declares that “We have as many backup plans for the show as there are letters in the alphabet”. And he promises: “There will definitely be a performance”.
Furthermore, the costs related to this special operations will also be scrutinised. Swiss brodcaster SRG has been under a lot of criticism domestically in recent years around its budget and the use of public money by the most important Swiss public media. “We won’t pay for everything”, says Reto Peritz, adding that a responsible use of lincese fee money must be top priority.
