A NEW LINE OF WORK
‘I am the boss,’ superstar singer proclaims as she branches out with handbag line
Céline Dion was in Montreal on Wednesday to launch her collection of handbags and accessories. “Let me be clear, c’est moi le boss,” she told fans and journalists about her projects and passions. Brendan Kelly describes her new lease on life.
Céline has a brand new bag.
Yes, she has handbags. But more notably, Céline Dion also has a brand new bag in a much more poetic sense.
The absurdly popular singer appears to have a whole new lease on life. La Dion blew into downtown Montreal Wednesday afternoon, creating a mob scene outside the Browns Shoes boutique on Ste-Catherine
St. W., with several hundred people lined up outside to catch a glimpse of the star and maybe get a chance to buy one of the handbags produced in collaboration with the Bugatti Group.
She was there to officially launch her collection of handbags and accessories, with the handbags retailing for between $78 and $1,998. That she is growing the Dion brand only makes sense, but it’s kind of predictable.
What’s much more interesting is what’s happening in Dion’s life. A year and a half after the death of her husband and longtime manager, René Angélil, Dion is taking control of her life, maybe for the first time.
She is making the fashion scene, working with hip stylist Law Roach, and she has broken ties with former manager Aldo Giampaolo, who was guiding her career in a direction that was very much in continuity with what she was doing under Angélil’s direction. Now she’s calling the shots, and that’s kind of cool.
“Let me be clear, c’est moi le boss,” said Dion, while speaking to journalists inside Browns.
“I’m not playing bossy. I am the boss.”
One of the top-selling artists in pop history talked at length about this new freedom she’s experiencing.
“What’s going on? I’m enjoying myself,” Dion said. “I went through a lot and I’m not the only one. People have gone through a lot, and so they probably understand what I’m saying right now. Sometimes when you go through a lot, whether it’s disappointment or a loss, there is a force that takes over when you believe.
“And I’m such a believer. Because I’m a mother. Because I’m a sister. Because I’m a friend. Because I’m a wife. Because I have projects. Because I have visions. I’m focused. I want to create. Going back a few years, when it was so hard, it feels like I can spread my wings. I’ve been feeling this support all those years. And I’m realizing today that all these people have been behind me whether it’s for an event, an album, for a show, for a newborn, for the passing of a loved one, losing my brother, my father …
“I’ve always been passionate about music and creating things. But after a big loss, I feel like I’m alive. That I can take chances and go for it. And I really think René gave me so much strength when he finally said I’m going to let go, I’m going to stop suffering. I came out, with my team, and … I’m not afraid to try things. What’s going to happen? We’ll sell bags. If it works, good. Or we won’t sell bags. But I am very, very happy.”
There has been speculation about potential romantic interests in Dion’s life, including numerous reports about a possible relationship with Pepe Munoz, the dancer who performed a sensuous pas de deux with her during her recent European tour. But Dion sidestepped the question a couple of times during the press conference Wednesday, suggesting that she spends most of her down time with her three children, 16-year-old René-Charles and the six-year-old twins Eddy and Nelson.
She underlined over and over that she feels she’s at a great time in her life.
“I feel that everything is at peace,” Dion said. “I let my husband go in peace. I’m living with my children. I’m 49. I’ll be 50 soon, which is my lucky number, and, yeah, maybe it’s true that 50 is the new 25. I like it. It’s not a matter of numbers. It’s a question of quality and it’s a matter of how you feel. I feel like I’ve grown spiritually … the reason I feel more free is because I am more free. I have always been involved in creation. Whether it’s for the show or for the handbags or for the kids at home, I’m the boss.”
In short, it will be intriguing to see where the new emancipated Céline ends up. This week it’s handbags, but there is also new music on the way, with Dion confirming there will be an English album released at some point in 2018.
Will she be more adventurous now?
Only the boss knows.
I’m focused. I want to create. Going back a few years, when it was so hard, it feels like I can spread my wings.