The Year in Music 2019: Goodbye Vegas, Hello World: Celine Dion’s ‘Courage’ takes her to the top

Columbia Records

Columbia Records2019 was the year Celine Dion closed things down in Las Vegas — and conquered the rest of the world.

In May, after 1,141 performances for more than 4.5 million fans, Celine concluded her Las Vegas career with her final performance at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The show included the debut of one of a new song, “Flying on My Own,” and a curtain call featuring her three sons: René-Charles and twins Nelson and Eddy.

According to Billboard, Celine’s two Vegas residencies — A New Day, which ran from 2003 to 2007, and Celine, which ran from 2011 to this year — combined to gross just over $681 million, with ticket sales of more than $4,555,000. They’Re the two best-selling, highest-grossing Las Vegas residencies of all time.

What’s more, Celine’s success in Las Vegas utterly changed the face of entertainment in Sin City, paving the way for residencies from, among others, Elton John, Cher, Rod Stewart, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, and the Backstreet Boys.

After ending things in Las Vegas, Celine performed in London’s Hyde Park, where her show was watched by the likes of Adele and Sam Smith. Then in September, Celine embarked on a year-long world tour in support of Courage, her first English-language release since 2013.

When Courage arrived in November, it topped the chart, giving Celine her first number-one album in more than 17 years — and also setting a record for the longest span between number-one albums for a female artist.

Meanwhile, Celine, who turned 51 in March, became the global spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris, and her edgy fashion sense landed her on both People and Vanity Fair magazines’ annual Best Dressed lists. Now that she’s in her fifties, “I just feel better….I feel stronger, more beautiful — more grounded,” she told ABC’s Deborah Roberts.

Also, for the first time in her career, Celine said in another interview, “I’m the boss. I’m in charge of my decisions with my team.”

But feeling strong and beautiful doesn’t mean Celine is looking for love. The singer, who lost her beloved husband and manager, René Angélil, in 2016, shot down rumors of a romance with her “best friend,” Pepe Muñoz, revealing that he’s gay and besides, she doesn’t date.

“It doesn’t mean that I will not find someone in my life,” Celine said on Watch What Happens Live. “If I do, that will be great. If I don’t, that will be great because I’m still in love [with René].”