Interview Hoda Kotb and Céline - NBC NEWS EXCLUSIVE

[PuraVida]

It's wild that she was seeing so many doctors, as much as anyone could, and still her diagnosis took well over a decade. I wonder if the best chance for her to get a diagnosis was during her 'maternity leave' for the twins.

[Shaun]

Yeah she was just featured on BBC News there very briefly. Hopefully there’s a longer version of the interview to come.

[Peppercorn1991]

Yeah she was just featured on BBC News there very briefly. Hopefully there’s a longer version of the interview to come.

 

It was very short Shaun- I think there will be a long version on BBCiplayer.

 

Kev x

[tshlw]

It's wild that she was seeing so many doctors, as much as anyone could, and still her diagnosis took well over a decade. I wonder if the best chance for her to get a diagnosis was during her 'maternity leave' for the twins.

 

I have a feeling not enough symptoms then for them to figure out it was SPS and in 2010 they wouldn't have as much research or knowledge as in 2022.

[PuraVida]

I have a feeling not enough symptoms then for them to figure out it was SPS and in 2010 they wouldn't have as much research or knowledge as in 2022.

 

Yeah, it's so unfortunate that for certain things you basically have to wait until a disease has progressed far enough to be very harmful and noticeable. It wonder how much the drugs have changed since 2010.

 

I suppose it's too demanding to wish that, after her 50th ENT visit, someone would have thought there's a deeper issue going on here. But the fact that it was showing up in her vocal cords would've made the diagnosis extra tricky I would've thought. Because she's using those muscles all the time, so of course they thought it must've been related to her singing in some way and not necessarily of external origin.

[tshlw]

Yeah, it's so unfortunate that for certain things you basically have to wait until a disease has progressed far enough to be very harmful and noticeable. It wonder how much the drugs have changed since 2010.

 

I suppose it's too demanding to wish that, after her 50th ENT visit, someone would have thought there's a deeper issue going on here. But the fact that it was showing up in her vocal cords would've made the diagnosis extra tricky I would've thought. Because she's using those muscles all the time, so of course they thought it must've been related to her singing in some way and not necessarily of external origin.

 

Exactly what I was thinking till it progressed pass her vocal cord they probably never would thought SPS. Now that she is coming forward I bet see so many more people find out they have it and way way earlier. Her dr said more like 1 to 2 in 100,000 not a million.

 

So impressed and humbled by her coming forward and sharing this with the world. I can not imagine over the years to come how many she will have helped directly and indirectly by doing this.

[Celinefan2019]

I watched the interview last night on YouTube.

[Jeanette]

After watching the interview I absolutely do feel so sorry for her and her situation and of course hope that she does get back on stage again as per her wishes but the less selfish fan in me thinks, that if this condition is progressive, shouldn’t she just give it all up and live her life to whatever quality she can with her kids as who knows really what’s ahead for her with the unpredictable nature of this disease 😢

 

On one hand, I admire her much more than ever for giving us so much all these years and to the level that she maintained while all this was going on all this time, especially when all we die hard fans thought were just changes in her voice caused by nothing more than normal factors like the years of over using her vocal chords, age etc, were in reality her fighting to keep going and giving to us fans.

 

On the other hand however, I’m struggling with the drug revelations, if I’m really being honest, even to myself. This for me is a hard take away from everything that we’ve now learned. Probably because I always admired her so much for the clean living person she was in an industry where addiction etc is such an easy road to take and I’m not downplaying why she found herself in that situation, she’s been through so much but it does concern me for her coming back…she thinks she’s ready but when it comes to curtain up will she really be? Although, the symptoms are there and very real, I can’t help thinking they were possibly exasperated by herself getting “in her own head” in a way and I just hope she now has the mental resolve to overcome that, without going down that rabbit hole again, for herself but mainly for her kids. Although, I actually believe that’s possibly one of the reasons everything was eventually cancelled and she stopped to try and sort herself out and ensure she can come back being ‘smart’ instead of ‘brave’ as she said. Yes, her condition worsened during the pandemic but that was because she had weaned herself off over-medicating. I know many of you will disagree with this but I’m only being honest and it does pain me to say that as I’m basically saying she’s disappointed me in a way but in other ways I didn’t and don’t think I could be more proud of her as a fan.

 

I look forward now to the documentary but I know more than ever that it’s going to be a hard, hard watch 🥺

[GoldenLeaf]

 

 

Exactly, and besides, she's also been lowering keys and sounding nasal even waaaay before the Germany show. And the fact that she still acknowledges these as some of the ways to compensate, then she should also accept the fact that singing to pre-recorded tracks even pre-Germany show is still directly or indirectly related to how she felt her voice was failing her at times. But then again, as I said, I doubt she will ever admit to lipping.

I agree, most of her live performances in 1993/1994 were very nasal. The Starmania Medley and Love Can Move Mountains on the Olympia '94 CD were also very nasal, it's nothing new so I don't understand why she claims her voice got nasal in 2008 because of SPS.

 

As for lip-synching, obviously she will never admit she's been doing it since 1992 in her shows and I have the bad feeling she will lip-sync more than ever during her forthcoming Vegas shows.

Edited June 14, 2024 at 12:56 AM by GoldenLeaf

[CelinesDIVO5]

 

I agree, most of her live performances in 1993/1994 were very nasal. The Starmania Medley and Love Can Move Mountains on the Olympia '94 CD were also very nasal, it's nothing new so I don't understand why she claims her voice got nasal in 2008 because of SPS.

 

As for lip-synching, obviously she will never admit she's been doing it since 1992 in her shows and I have the bad feeling she will lip-sync more than ever during her forthcoming Vegas shows.

 

She’s not saying SPS made her voice nasal. She’s saying that she had to deliberately sing everything nasal as to get her voice out through what felt like a narrow passageway. Singing through your nose is actually a vocal technique in which some singers use to hit and/or sustain higher notes in their head voice. Celine couldn’t use her throat like normal, so literally every note she had to push through her nasal cavity in order for her to even make a sound.

[queenofvegas]

I agree, most of her live performances in 1993/1994 were very nasal. The Starmania Medley and Love Can Move Mountains on the Olympia '94 CD were also very nasal, it's nothing new so I don't understand why she claims her voice got nasal in 2008 because of SPS.

 

As for lip-synching, obviously she will never admit she's been doing it since 1992 in her shows and I have the bad feeling she will lip-sync more than ever during her forthcoming Vegas shows.

 

No there's a major difference. She was nasal back then but she wasn't hypernasal like she was from the 2000s onwards. And it's not just nasality but tension and other vocal habits present in her singing that weren't there before. Lots of squeezing and added compression as her voice wasn't able to move around freely. She just says "nasal" and "tense" because it's easy for regular people and non-singers to understand but it is much more complex than that.

[queenofvegas]

Exactly, and besides, she's also been lowering keys and sounding nasal even waaaay before the Germany show. And the fact that she still acknowledges these as some of the ways to compensate, then she should also accept the fact that singing to pre-recorded tracks even pre-Germany show is still directly or indirectly related to how she felt her voice was failing her at times. But then again, as I said, I doubt she will ever admit to lipping.

 

Sounding nasal is just a small part of it that she's simplifying so regular people can understand. There were much more complex things going on in her voice.

[LukeD]

I do not think Celine used pre-recorded tracks because her voice was failing.

 

First of all, she has been using pre-recorded tracks since 1992 - that was during her vocal prime. Second, some of the hardest songs have always been live. This was particularly evidenced in the TCWT when she would lip songs like TLYM and EOM, but would sing live/nail The Show Must Go On, It's A Man's World, River Deep-Mountain High, and Fade Away, to name a few. Similarly, her French songs have always been live as well.

 

I therefore think the main criteria applied as to what songs she'd pre-record were as follows: 1) Songs that had to sound perfect and 2) songs that she was bored of.

 

Besides, Celine was always touring and recording in a neck-cracking pace so it made sense to make the process easier. This approach had nothing to do with SPS as it existed long before the condition. Based on that, I do not think she had to admit anything publicly at this point. Saying she relied on pre-recorded tracks to address SPS would not only harm her image beyond repair, but it would also not be accurate considering her history of lipping.

 

If she gets back to stage, I'd expect her to pre-record a similar amount of songs like before. I'm sure she still wants to sing live songs that are meaningful to her.

Edited June 14, 2024 at 10:54 AM by LukeD

[jpatdeleon09]

I do not think Celine used pre-recorded tracks because her voice was failing.

 

First of all, she has been using pre-recorded tracks since 1992 - that was during her vocal prime. Second, some of the hardest songs have always been live. This was particularly evidenced in the TCWT when she would lip songs like TLYM and EOM, but would sing live/nail The Show Must Go On, It's A Man's World, River Deep-Mountain High, and Fade Away, to name a few. Similarly, her French songs have always been live as well.

 

I therefore think the main criteria applied as to what songs she'd pre-record were as follows: 1) Songs that had to sound perfect and 2) songs that she was bored of.

 

Besides, Celine was always touring and recording in a neck-cracking pace so it made sense to make the process easier. This approach had nothing to do with SPS as it existed long before the condition. Based on that, I do not think she had to admit anything publicly at this point. Saying she relied on pre-recorded tracks to address SPS would not only harm her image beyond repair, but it would also not be accurate considering her history of lipping.

 

If she gets back to stage, I'd expect her to pre-record a similar amount of songs like before. I'm sure she still wants to sing live songs that are meaningful to her.

 

very well said.

[DCCeline]

Just to add her french songs are not always live but yes i agree

[Céline RO]

Just to add her french songs are not always live but yes i agree

 

In concert, they are lipped extremely rarely, if ever. It’s usually only in TV appearances that she (not reluctantly as many have said) resorts to playback.

Edited June 14, 2024 at 05:08 PM by Céline RO

[DCCeline]

 

 

In concert, they are lipped extremely rarely, if ever. It’s usually only in TV appearances that she (not reluctantly as many have said) resorts to playback.

 

Right but i was just correcting the statement "always live." Because Det Mots Qui Sonnet was lipped on A L'Olympia and im not sure about any of the other songs. Also Au Ceour Du Stade she lipped either Terre or Dans Un Autre Mode. I cant remember which

[PuraVida]

Entertainment Tonight interviewed Hoda Kotb about her interview with Celine, and I thought it was insightful. They asked good questions.

 

https://www.etonline.com/interview-how-celine-dion-gave-herself-a-break-onstage-while-battling-stiff-person-syndrome-exclusive-227164

[Abodi2002]

 

 

Right but i was just correcting the statement "always live." Because Det Mots Qui Sonnet was lipped on A L'Olympia and im not sure about any of the other songs. Also Au Ceour Du Stade she lipped either Terre or Dans Un Autre Mode. I cant remember which

Neither of the songs you listed were lipped in Paris 1999. Le Ballet was lipped in 2017 though. Oh and JDDMT was lipped at least for The Colour of my Love tour.

[PuraVida]

I agree, interestingly enough I don't think the condition really affected her lip sync choices. It's interesting Celine says they decided to leave out certain songs due to her condition -- what songs do we think those are?

 

It's crazy to think she may not have lowered keys for some songs if she didn't have the condition. I always thought we were witnessing her natural process of being careful due to her voice aging and her schedule.

[Ukrfan]

I agree, interestingly enough I don't think the condition really affected her lip sync choices. It's interesting Celine says they decided to leave out certain songs due to her condition -- what songs do we think those are?

 

It's crazy to think she may not have lowered keys for some songs if she didn't have the condition. I always thought we were witnessing her natural process of being careful due to her voice aging and her schedule.

 

Lying Down for sure during CWT.

[PuraVida]

Lying Down for sure during CWT.

 

The way she talks about the whole thing, it's as if she deprived us of ABM, Think Twice, The Power of Love, The Reason, MHWGO, I Surrender, etc. But that's not really the case. She was still going for insane high notes even through the CWT, even if her overall voice wasn't up to her standards.

 

I totally empathise with Celine in all this, but I think she's been a bit hard on herself. But her perfectionist and hardworking ways are what got her to where she is.

[queenofvegas]

I do not think Celine used pre-recorded tracks because her voice was failing.

 

First of all, she has been using pre-recorded tracks since 1992 - that was during her vocal prime. Second, some of the hardest songs have always been live. This was particularly evidenced in the TCWT when she would lip songs like TLYM and EOM, but would sing live/nail The Show Must Go On, It's A Man's World, River Deep-Mountain High, and Fade Away, to name a few. Similarly, her French songs have always been live as well.

 

I therefore think the main criteria applied as to what songs she'd pre-record were as follows: 1) Songs that had to sound perfect and 2) songs that she was bored of.

 

Besides, Celine was always touring and recording in a neck-cracking pace so it made sense to make the process easier. This approach had nothing to do with SPS as it existed long before the condition. Based on that, I do not think she had to admit anything publicly at this point. Saying she relied on pre-recorded tracks to address SPS would not only harm her image beyond repair, but it would also not be accurate considering her history of lipping.

 

If she gets back to stage, I'd expect her to pre-record a similar amount of songs like before. I'm sure she still wants to sing live songs that are meaningful to her.

 

As a singer myself TLYM is much more difficult to sing than TSMGO, IAMW, and RDMH. The phrasing is a lot more complex and requires more precise breath management and agility. It is more demanding on the voice.

Edited June 14, 2024 at 08:31 PM by queenofvegas

[Ukrfan]

 

 

The way she talks about the whole thing, it's as if she deprived us of ABM, Think Twice, The Power of Love, The Reason, MHWGO, I Surrender, etc. But that's not really the case. She was still going for insane high notes even through the CWT, even if her overall voice wasn't up to her standards.

 

I totally empathise with Celine in all this, but I think she's been a bit hard on herself. But her perfectionist and hardworking ways are what got her to where she is.

 

But most of these songs have been lipped except maybe Think Twice.

[queenofvegas]

I agree, interestingly enough I don't think the condition really affected her lip sync choices. It's interesting Celine says they decided to leave out certain songs due to her condition -- what songs do we think those are?

 

It's crazy to think she may not have lowered keys for some songs if she didn't have the condition. I always thought we were witnessing her natural process of being careful due to her voice aging and her schedule.

 

There are probably so many songs that she rehearses and end up being cut before they ever make it into the show.

[Abodi2002]

 

 

As a singer myself TLYM is much more difficult to sing than TSMGO, IAMW, and RDMH. The phrasing is a lot more complex and requires more precise breath management and agility. It is more demanding on the voice.

about TLYM, I think most people only take into account the E5, without considering all the sustains. Also I feel her lipping choices were sometimes random. Falling Into You, Staying Alive, I Wish, Only One Road, last note of World On A String, Eyes On Me, Alone sustains, Goldfinger, etc. In 2015 she began only lipping mostly the big hits.

[PuraVida]

But most of these songs have been lipped except maybe Think Twice.

 

True, but I kind of get the sense she would have lipped them even if she didn't have her condition. Maybe I'm wrong. But my point is that most of her hits and mainstay songs were kept on the setlists over the years. So how much did she really "cheat" the fans?

[lyn]

It's wild that she was seeing so many doctors, as much as anyone could, and still her diagnosis took well over a decade. I wonder if the best chance for her to get a diagnosis was during her 'maternity leave' for the twins.

 

It's wild also realizing how much she's single-handedly changed that for everyone with SPS after. None of us, and presumably most doctors, would not have known what on earth this terribly niche autoimmune disease was before this. Now it feels like the whole world knows, and rather than being the 10th/100th diagnosis a doctor presumes, patients are immediately going to be like 'do I have what Celine has'.

[ryba]

What is so interesting is that she opted for higher and higher doses of valium and continued instead of just taking a break and recover her body. If it wasn’t for Covid she would keep going and it would end in a desaster. Her determination is sometimes too much

[incognito]

Entertainment Tonight interviewed Hoda Kotb about her interview with Celine, and I thought it was insightful. They asked good questions.

 

https://www.etonline.com/interview-how-celine-dion-gave-herself-a-break-onstage-while-battling-stiff-person-syndrome-exclusive-227164

 

Imagine being so famous and iconic that the person interviewing you gets interviewed about interviewing you.