Celine Dion announces ‘Courage’ world tour and new album

April 4, 2019 - 8:36 AM
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celine dion
File photo: Celine Dion. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

LOS ANGELES — Pop singer Celine Dion on Wednesday announced a world tour and a new album called “Courage” that she said was inspired by life after the death of her husband.

Dion, 51, gave the news at a live performance show in Los Angeles that was broadcast on Facebook Live and watched by more than 11,000 fans around the world.

The French-Canadian singer, best known for the “Titanic” movie theme song “My Heart Will Go On,” has been performing in Las Vegas on and off since 2003 but said last year her concert residency in the city would end in June.

“I think it’s time for a change, time to hit the road,” she said on Wednesday.

The “Courage” tour, her first in the United States for 10 years, will kick off in Quebec City, Canada in September. Dion said the album, also called “Courage,” will be released “roughly in November.” She did not give dates for the rest of the world.

The singer said the album’s title was inspired by the 2016 death from throat cancer of her husband and manager Rene Angelil. The couple had three children.

“When I lost Rene, he wanted me back on stage. He wanted to make sure I was still practicing my passion,” she said. “I wanted to prove to him that I’m fine, we’re fine, we’re going to be ok. I’ve got this.”

Dion, a five-time Grammy winner, sang around the world in 2007 with her “Taking Chances” tour that was one of the highest-grossing tours of that year.

She also performed in Asia and Australia in 2018 in support of her greatest hits album.

Her last English-language studio album, “Loved Me Back to Life,” was released in 2013, and she released “Encore un Soir” in French in 2016.—Reporting by Jill Serjeant Editing by Chris Reese