Was Celine Dion singing live at the Olympics? Let's check it out!

With her illness I think Celine should get a pass as far as it goes to singing live, it is so unpredictable that it will always be a risk. She has shown for more than 40 years how dedicated and discipline she is, so just having her on the stage with her mesmerazing presence it's enough.

Celine was SINGING over the top of a pre-recording, not miming. It was clear that she was singing because her larynx was very active, especially in vibrato. It was a very courageous performance given the hell she's going through.

What these 'producers' are missing is that pitch corrected vocals are not engaging to listen to. A listener wants to be on the journey with the singer as they strive for those notes.

Being from Quebec, I've heard her sing since she was 13 & she sure can sing ! I wish her well with her health issues.

Conformity is the enemy of creativity. One performance I really enjoyed at the last Grammy Awards was Joni Mitchell’s which wasn’t pre recorded and had the tenor that someone of her age would have. It was not as technically accomplished as her younger self but yet had so emotion and weight that a lifetime of living and experience grants someone.

Celine was best part of opening ceremony. Live or not, I love her voice and think her brave for performing despite her health issues and weather. Wonderful lady! Thanks Fil for this one 👍

With her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, it was really impressive for her to be there at all. It was just a few months ago that her sister said she had lost control of her muscles, and with this disease she is prone to sudden, severe spasms of the muscles that could even cause her to fall to the ground. It was magical thinking to believe that she could be singing this live, but again, even being there lip-synching after everything she has been through is pretty inspiring. It's too bad that she was pitch corrected so heavily, but not surprising these days. Really good point about the pressure to be "amazing" and perfect, all the time, no matter what, rather than being human and vulnerable. Thanks Fil!

Victor Le Masne, musical director of the ceremony, said her performance was live as she insisted for it...but he said the other performances were pre-recorded.

It’s been a confirmed live performance.

I’m glad you did this episode. I was wondering the same thing when I watched it.

I recently bought “Blooming” by Veronika Morscher. On the back it says that no computers were used in the production of the album. THIS should be the industry standard.

The heavy raining and the water on the top of the piano questioned the live performance right at the beginning when I was watching to it on TV live.

Fil, I was thinking of your channel the moment Celine appeared on the Eiffel Tower 😊 Perfect analysis as always! Given what Celine has been through, the massive production, her being so high (literally) and isolated in a tower, I was almost sure her performance was not live.

I had to be recorded but it was so wonderful seeing her on stage again. That’s enough. Hearing L’hymne a l’Amour soar over Paris was amazing.

The 3am recording theory makes total sense. That gave them time for pitch correction. And it's not mimed. Regardless of the pitch correction, her technique (tone, delivery, breath control) there is flawless.

Lady Gaga openly announced that they were watching the weather carefully, then decided to record the performance, in case they would need it. And they did. She said that it was more important to have a good performance for the Olympians, the importance of the event, than for her to "boast" that she did it live. She also said that she was concerned for her dancers, too, with slipping and not concentrating completely on their movements. Makes perfect sense, and good on her for her judgment.

Beyond the compelling evidence presented here, the first thing that told me this wasn't a live performance was her tone. If you go back and watch the AMA performance from 2015 of the same song, the tone and timbre of her voice is almost identical to what we see here. This matters because her timbre from that era was particularly cool and sharp and quickly transitioned to a warmer, thinner, and more nasal voice in the years that followed. Some of this could be explained by her illness, but I expect much is due to aging alone. The performance in Paris, but for a few very slight changes in phrasing, is almost identical to the 2015 version, so much so that I almost wondered if they used a pitch corrected version of the former for the Olympic performance. The earlier version was flat in places, presumably because of an ear piece issue (as Celine is rarely if ever flat on numerous unchallenging notes in the same song), but otherwise had the same scratchy, piercing, and compelling tone that we see here. There was also a strong amount of resonance and fullness throughout the belting range (especially on the C5s) which have been lost in more recent years. None of this really matters. I don't believe any Olympic performances are live and, with her current condition, it's a huge accomplishment just to perform in such a setting. It was nice to see her back. But Celine's voice has had more tonal changes than most throughout her career and this gives her away when she uses a pre-recorded track. Even in her early years, there were very obvious changes in power, tone, and timbre as she aged through her 20s.

Utmost respect for her. She's been through hell, and still is suffering this terrible illness. So, in her case, i don't mind its pitch corrected and not live. Their were multiple reasons for this which you have already mentioned , and I totaly agree with you Fil. I'm preying they can find more ways to help her back to recovery.

It dont takes out the think that she had recorded it days before, its incredible how her voice has changed since the diagnosis of her disease, what a progress!!

Thanks. You might also have mentioned that we could not see the piano keys, nor the string orchestra! Her miming to the track was amazingly precise. But without a visible conductor, I fear there wasn't a live note anywhere.