Josh Groban has said it is “going to be really special” to see music superstar Celine Dion return to the stage.
The American singer-songwriter, 45, hailed news of Dion’s return to performing as “fantastic”, adding: “How can you not be jumping for joy?”
Dion, best known for hits including My Heart Will Go On, announced on Monday that she will be performing her first full-length concerts in almost six years this autumn.
The French-Canadian singer took a break from performing after being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS) – a rare neurological disorder that causes progressive muscular stiffness and spasms.
Speaking to the Press Association, Groban, who considers himself a friend of Dion, welcomed her return to the stage and said: “I think it’s fantastic.
“For all of us that have known Celine and root for her, and especially with the health struggles she’s been so honest about… how can you not be jumping for joy?
“To know that this artist that has given us so much and loves to do so, now has this opportunity to do things on her terms and to allow us to come and love her.
“I think all we want to do is just cheer for her, and so to be able to have her on stage again is going to be really special. I certainly hope to see it myself.”
Groban performed a duet of The Prayer alongside Dion at BST Hyde Park festival in London in 2019.
He said: “I haven’t spoken to Celine since Hyde Park, but I always just hold her in my heart as… somebody who does things all the right ways.
“She’s an inspiration to all of us, she she really puts her all into everything, and she’s as kind as she seems.”
Groban, best known for hits You Raise Me Up and To Where You Are, spoke about the creative process for his new album Cinematic, which is a collection of famous songs from films.
He said: “We wanted (the album) to be a celebration of how a song can elevate a film in unexpected ways, and sometimes that will even mean that the song is better than, or more relevant than, the film was.
“Back in the day I sang the song The Prayer with Celine Dion. That song is now pretty widely known. The movie Quest For Camelot which it comes from is not.
“The song had a life of its own.”
Groban added: “How do you shine a light on these songs that sometimes people don’t know? These are songs that people just have in their cultural vernacular, but they sometimes don’t know how attached they are to cinema.
“That was one of the fun things about the research of these songs.”
The singer is also set to perform at London’s The O2 on Wednesday, marking his first UK concert in six years, and he said he hopes the gig will be a “beautiful night”.
