Sound the alarms and dust off the karaoke machines because the queen of the power ballad Céline Dion is back with new original music in French for the first time since going public about her diagnosis. The last time Céline graced us with one of her signature francophone ballads was the 2016 album Encore Un Soir.

“Dansons” is an emotional French ballad about dancing through the storms that life throws your way, and a way for her to let her fans know that she is ok and that it’s time to dance again. But she’s still the queen of feelings so she WILL be making you cry as well.

The song was written by Céline’s long-time collaborator Jean-Jacques Goldman who worked on her famous 1995 French language album D’eux, which went on to become the best-selling French album of all time. The song is not a modern pop song by any means and can fall a little flat in the verses if you’re hoping for the drama of her English ballads. It does, however, fit the vibe of the majority of her French songs, a throwback to a simpler time where all a song required was beautiful lyrics and an emotional vocal.

Céline doesn’t need to be releasing music that is played on Top 40 radio anymore. She’s got a story to tell and a serious bout of trauma to channel through. Some fans online have even noticed some vocal nods to classic songs like Les Derneries Seront Les Premiers with Céline humming the classic melody in a sort of outro in the new track. I love when an artist references their own legendary works into new songs – Elton John did this amazingly a few years ago with Dua Lipa and Britney Spears.

In Céline’s case it’s far subtler and a little more of a deeper cut for North American audiences given it comes from her French catalogue, but that’s what makes it even more special for the fans. It’s the most beautiful ending to a song that has you completely in a trance and hanging on every word she sings, a vocal homage to the artists she and Jean-Jacques both were as they create new art. Returning to her roots by recording a ballad in French feels perfectly aligned with her return to the stage in Paris this fall, the homecoming for an icon who has called the stage her home since the 80s.

In “Dansons”, Céline works a lower, still smooth but grittier tone than we’re used to hearing from her. She’s not hitting the same inhumane high notes a la “All by Myself” but also she’s more than proven herself and the vocal gymnastics she’s capable of. If anything, I find it quite interesting to discover this other side of her voice, the richer and deeper tone that is conveyed on this song. That deeper range allows for the emotion to transcend in a new way. Keep in mind this is the same lady who has said that her voice was the conductor of her life. While the high notes from her earlier works catch your attention and make you cry, the lower notes she executes in this new song make you cry while also making you listen.

The truth is that this is the strongest we have seen and heard her in years. If you watched the recent documentary film I Am Céline Dion, you know just how difficult it has been for our queen of feelings to get back into the studio as she learns to navigate the illness that has kept her off the stage for the better half of a decade. The voice we hear today is the voice that we have watched her work so hard to rebuild. After watching that footage and now hearing this song, you can’t help but feel a sense of pride for her and admire the amazing strength she possesses. To see a time where she can get on that stage and dance again, that’s the biggest gift of all.

A lyric video showcasing dancers engaging in contemporary dance routines across the streets, metros and train stations of Paris has been released in accompaniment with the single. Whether or not an official music video is on its way hasn’t been divulged, but she’s got 16 sold out shows in Paris to prepare for, so maintaining her energy for that moment is of the upmost importance. Could a full new album be on the horizon? If Céline has shown us one thing over the years it's that she loves to surprise her fans, as even news of this single was all but a mystery a few days ago. Frankly, I’ll take anything she gives us and I’ll do it as I bow down because there was a time where I didn’t think we’d see a new era of Céline’s music career. Long live queen Céline – qu’elle règne pour toujours.

 

Photo credits: Janet Mayer/Instar Images

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