Eurovision organisers issue update on possible Celine Dion return

The Canadian singer won the 1988 contest with "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi"

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Eurovision organisers are closely liaising with Celine Dion following reports she will not perform at this year’s contest in Basel, Switzerland.

Speculation had mounted that the Canadian singer might appear, given Switzerland's victory in 2024 – their first since Dion's own triumph in 1988.

Switzerland, the birthplace of Eurovision, will host the first semi-final on Tuesday.

This year marks the return of the Netherlands, whose act was disqualified shortly before last year's final.

Dion, 57, won the contest in Dublin in 1988 with "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi". Nemo's victory with "The Code" in Malmö in 2024 marked the country's first triumph since.

The singer has curtailed her touring schedule in recent years due to health challenges, including stiff-person syndrome (SPS).

Celine Dion at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony (AP )

However, she made a moving comeback performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, singing Edith Piaf's "Hymne A L’Amour" from the Eiffel Tower.

It was reported that Dion sent in a video message for the first semi-final rehearsals wishing the contestants luck, appearing to rule out her return, but this appeared to be dismissed by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR.

An SRG SSR spokesman said: “All elements of the first semi-final show were played through and rehearsed intensively.

“There are currently no changes regarding Celine Dion – we are still in close contact with her.”

The Dutch have placed their hopes on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry “C’est La Vie” reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother’s support.

Celine Dion at Eurovision in 1988

He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical “Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna)”, inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat’s dramatic track “Bird Of Pray”.

Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song “Voyage for the Swiss” but is already through to the final, because of Nemo’s 2024 win, along with some of the big financial contributors – Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi’s “Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy)” and Spain with Melody Gutierrez’s “Esa Diva (That Diva)”.

Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single “Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot)”, which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job.

Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia’s Klemen with “How Much Time Do We Have Left”, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic “Roa”, and Estonia’s Tommy Cash with the absurd “Espresso Macchiato”.

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