Shania Twain hopes Celine Dion will be “singing for us all again” amid health struggles 

15 August, 2023

Shania Twain has paid tribute to Celine Dion amid her recent health issues, hoping that Dion will be “singing for us all again.”

Last year, the Canadian singer revealed that she was diagnosed with the neurological illness called stiff person syndrome, an extremely rare autoimmune neurological condition that affects one person in a million. Unfortunately, this meant that Dion had postponed and later cancel her upcoming 2024 ‘Courage’ tour dates due to her “ongoing health issues.”

While speaking to Billboard, Shania Twain shared a heartfelt message, wishing her friend and fellow singer well. “I hope to be able to connect with her at some point,” Shania told the publication. “I’m such a fan of Celine’s voice. She’s a one-of-a-kind, extraordinary vocalist and entertainer.”

“I think it’s gotta be so difficult, and I know – only speaking from my experience – how horrifying it is to think that something is preventing you from singing or interfering with that joy in your life. So I just pray that she is able to overcome it and she will be up there on stage singing for us all again.”

“Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life,” Celine previously told her fans in a December Instagram video. “Sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to. I have to admit it’s been a struggle. All I know is singing – it’s what I’ve done all my life.”

In April 2022, Dion said via an Instagram post, “The good news is that I’m doing a little bit better. It’s going very slow and it’s very frustrating for me.

“I’m getting treatment from my doctors, taking medication,” she continued, “but I’m still experiencing some spasms and it’s taking a lot longer for me to recover than I had hoped. I need to be in top shape when I’m on stage. I honestly can’t wait. But I’m just not there yet.”

Twain has also been open about her health battles after contracting Lyme disease in 2003. As a result, the country singer was diagnosed with dysphonia, a disorder of the vocal cords, and had to have open throat surgery to help correct her condition. “I’m probably most proud of not giving up on my voice,” the ‘Giddy Up!’ singer told NME. “It was seven years of not knowing what was wrong [with my voice] and then not quitting.”

The Grammy Award winner is currently touring around the world on her headlining ‘Queen of Me’ Tour, following the release of her sixth studio album ‘Queen of Me’. The tour will soon embark on its European leg, stopping at London’s The O2 and Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, before returning to the United States in October. Fans can buy any available tickets here.

In 2021, a new biopic based on Celine Dion’s life was released. Aline was a musical comedy-drama film that fictionalised portrayal of the ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer’s life co-written, directed by and starring Valérie Lemercier.

Last June, Celine Dion along with Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and more appeared on Forbes’ Richest Self-Made Women list. The singer placed 56th. Meanwhile, earlier this year, Shania Twain expressed her hopes of getting the coveted Glastonbury legends’ slot: “It’s on my wish list – absolutely. So I’ll make sure I do that. It’s a legendary thing, I know, but it’s on my wish list”.

Elsewhere, the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame inductee covered Harry Styles’ ‘Falling’ in a Spotify Sings session. Speaking on the cover, she told to Stereogum: “I just fell in love with ‘Falling’. I love Harry Styles anyway and his version of the song really moved me and I wanted to try it on. It came out more emotional than I thought it would and I was very pleased – I can kind of hear my pain in it.”

At this year’s BRIT Awards, Twain also spoke about working with Twenty One Pilots‘ Tyler Joseph on her latest album. “I am such a huge fan of his,” she said. “I was very happy and very lucky to get his time to do it. And he did a fabulous job, I’m very proud of him as an artist and I’m very proud of the job he did on ‘The Hardest Stone’, [it’s] one of my favourites on the album.”

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