The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony showcased a blend of music, fashion, and global culture through performances by iconic artists like Lady Gaga and Celine Dion.
JOHN WALTON - PA IMAGES//GETTY IMAGES via Harpers Bazaar.
"Bonsoir et bienvenue à Paris" - this is how Lady Gaga began her performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, a moment celebrating not just global sports, but also music, cinema, art, and the French and international savoir-faire.
As delegations from every country in the world paraded on the Seine, a dozen dancers and countless feathers appeared on a golden staircase, unveiling the one and only Lady Gaga. While her fans eagerly await #LG7, her new album, the artist delivered one of the ceremony’s most spectacular performances.
On the notes of “Mon Truc en Plumes” by Zizi Jeanmaire, the Italian-American singer waved pink feathers designed by Dior Haute Couture, paying homage to the showgirl’s debut performance at London's Alhambra Theatre in 1961. Surrounded by elegant and fierce dancers, her voice broke the silence, with the piano accompanying a performance that only Stephanie Germanotta could deliver.
Amidst dazzling Drag Queen shows and moments celebrating sports, dance, and fashion, Aya Nakamura made her entrance from the Académie Française—the institution that oversees the evolution of the French language—accompanied by the Republican Guard.
Born in Bamako, the capital of Mali, Nakamura is the most-streamed Francophone artist in the world. Wearing a golden outfit reminiscent of an Amazon, she performed a mashup of her hits “Pookie” and “Djadja”, along with Charles Aznavour's masterpiece “For me Formidable”.
Throughout the evening, artists, stilt walkers, opera singers, and classical dancers amazed the audience, filling the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games with applause.
From French pop songs like “Lady (Hear Me Tonight)” by Modjo and “Love Don't Let Me Go” by David Guetta to a celebration of Eurodance on a platform adorned with the stars of the European Union, the night concluded memorably with the magnificent Celine Dion.
Illuminated by the rings installed on the Eiffel Tower, Dion returned to the stage after a four-year hiatus due to health issues, enchanting the audience as she always has. Performing “L'Hymne à l’amour”, the famous song by Edith Piaf, the Canadian singer in Dior Haute Couture made Paris and the world, glued to their screens, fall in love once again with the power of her voice.
“Most of all, I’m so happy to be celebrating these amazing athletes, with all their stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance”, she wrote in her Instagram post dedicated to the ceremony, “All of you have been so focused on your dream, and whether or not you take home a medal, I hope that being here means that it has come true for you! You should all be so proud; we know how hard you have worked to be the best of the best. Stay focused, keep going, my heart is with you!”
We can only wish bonne chance to all the athletes and look back with dreamy eyes at all the performances that made this night magical.
