Céline Dion made a rare public appearance Sunday when she took the stage at the 66th Grammy Awards to present the ceremony's top award to Taylor Swift, who many believed snubbed Dion when she accepted the final award of the night.
The “My Heart Will Go On” and “The Power of Love” singer was greeted with a standing ovation when she took the Crypto.com Arena stage to present the album of the year award, the ceremony's final award.
Dion's surprise appearance was a welcome sight during a marquee night for women, but it also came more than a year after she publicly shared that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that prevents her from singing. in its usual form. . The illness also led to her canceling her 2024 Courage World Tour dates due to her ongoing health issues.
While the five-time Grammy winner has shared regular updates on her health, in December her sister Claudette Dion made it sound as if the singer's condition had become more serious, telling Canadian media that the Grammy winner “has no control of their muscles” and that “there are some who have lost hope.” This was after Dion made her first public appearance in November in more than three years to attend a hockey game in Las Vegas.
However, Dion still aspired to return to the stage, and on Sunday she did so, albeit in a different capacity, with her trademark aplomb.
“When I say I'm happy to be here, I say it from the heart,” the “It's All Coming Back to Me” singer said before presenting the award. “Those who have been fortunate enough to be here at the Grammy Awards should never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people around the world.”
Celine Dion at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 4.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The emotional moment capped a night full of touching duets and plenty of surprises (including Swift's album announcement). But, as many viewers noted, Dion's triumphant return seemed to be overshadowed by the night's other shining star.
After Dion, 55, announced Swift, 34, and her “Midnights” as album of the year, viewers took to social media to lament Swift's apparent disrespect toward the French-Canadian singer. As Swift rushed the stage with producer Jack Antonoff and her collaborator Lana Del Rey, viewers noticed that she barely made eye contact with Dion as she enthusiastically took the award. She also didn't mention Dion's pioneering career in her speech like Miley Cyrus did when she accepted an award from Mariah Carey at the beginning of the ceremony. Instead, Swift honored Antonoff, Del Rey and the team behind “Midnights.”
“I get to work with one of my best friends, who is not only one of my best friends but also a once-in-a-generation producer; “That’s Jack Antonoff,” Swift said. “I am so lucky.”
“A lot of female artists wouldn't be where they are and wouldn't have the inspiration they have if it weren't for the work she's done,” he said of Del Rey. “I think she's a legacy artist, a legend at the best of her right now.”
But that didn't sit well with those hoping for Dion's recognition.
“#TaylorSwift didn't just walk up there and snub #CelineDion, right? I feel a certain way, I think Celine paved the way for you, little one. #GRAMMYs2024,” wrote user X @FalconEric012.
“Ok… I love #TaylorSwift as much as the next guy, but that snub to music royalty #CelineDion was really off-putting. “Taylor didn’t even make eye contact with Celine when she took the Grammy…disgusting…This was next level #GRAMMYs #TaylorSwift,” he tweeted. @harishkumar880
The debate continued in the comments section of a TikTok video that asked, “Did Taylor snub Celine Dion?”
“Like… yeah, you're Taylor Swift, but that's CELINE DION,” one user commented.
“I completely ignored her,” added another.
“I started crying when I saw Celine…Taylor should have recognized her,” another commented.
“Now Taylor…I just know that if we had to choose, it would ALWAYS be Celine!!!” another wrote.
Loyal fans came to Swift's defense, arguing that she was likely overwhelmed by the historic moment. She had just made Grammy history by being the first person to win album of the year four times, breaking a record shared by Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.
By the way, Dion presented Swift with the artist of the year award at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards and the two hugged. Others countered by pointing out that she showed Swift during the Grammy telecast enthusiastically singing Dion's “I'm Your Lady,” which played as the latter took the stage. Internet sleuths then quickly pounced on the evidence of mutual love, claiming all was well between the two powerhouses when they were photographed hugging backstage and posing alongside Dion's son René-Charles Angelil.
A spokesperson for Swift did not immediately respond Monday to the Times' request for comment.
In fact, a lot at the Grammys revolved around Swift and she probably knew it. The “Anti-Hero” singer even seemed prepared for the latest round of awards show talk based on reaction shots of her. She wore a black fan with the code “Reputation” to protect her face from lip readers, sang and danced during the performances (she also received a shout-out in SZA's acceptance speech), and this time she laughed at NFL jokes made by host Trevor Noah. – A far cry from her tense appearance at the Golden Globe Awards last month.
