Two of the most iconic names in the music world are joining forces.
Deadline reports that Canadian chanteuse Céline Dion and Beatles icon Paul McCartney will team up to create new music for an upcoming movie.
‘Up in the Clouds’
Dion will be performing original songs written by McCartney for “High in the Clouds,” an upcoming 3D animated feature adapted from McCartney’s 2005 children’s novel of the same name.
The soundtrack is set to be released worldwide by Universal Music Group.
Dion won’t just be singing, but is also a member of the movie’s voice cast, alongside Himesh Patel and Hannah Waddingham. Others lending their voices to the projects will be McCartney himself, along with fellow Beatles alum Ringo Starr and Idris Elba, Lionel Richie and Jimmy Fallon.
Waddingham, Patel and McCartney also will join Dion for musical performances in the movie.
“High in the Clouds” follows the exploits of a teenage squirrel named Wirral (voiced by Patel), who accidentally winds up starting a revolution against Gretsch (Waddingham), a “bossy diva-owl” who’s banned music from their town. Wirral sets out on “an extraordinary journey to set music free.” Dion is set to provide the voice of Wirral’s mother, Sugartail.
A Comeback for the Ages
The news that Dion will be performing McCartney’s songs for the upcoming film arrives days after she completed her first comeback concert residency in Paris. The shows mark the first time Dion — who has been beset with health woes in recent years — has performed in public after a six-year hiatus, save for a brief performance to open the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Dion attracted a combined audience estimated at 550,000 to her 16-show residency, titled Céline Dion Paris, held at Plenitude Arena in Paris.
Her first major group of performances since her 2020 Courage World Tour, Billboard reports that Céline Dion Paris grossed a staggering $125 million. She’s set to return return to Paris next year with 10 shows from May 8 to 29 — at which point she’s predicted to sell her 10 millionth ticket.
Back in September, McCartney took to social media to share his excitement at seeing Dion’s return to the stage.
“It’s been so great to see the amazing reaction to Céline’s comeback in Paris. There’s so much love out there for her,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
“I’m so excited that she’s part of our ‘High in the Clouds’ film. I’ve just been listening to some of her parts, and I’m blown away by it. Wow, what a talent. We are very lucky to have her as part of the team. Can’t wait to share it with the world.”
An ‘Idol’ Connection
While this marks the first collaboration for McCartney and Dion, the two music icons share a past association with “American Idol.”
Dion, in fact, has appeared twice on the show, both times as a special guest performer.
The first was in 2006, to perform her single “I Drove All Night” in the Season 5 finale. That was followed by a second appearance in 2007, when she took to the stage for the “Idol Gives Back” charity special for a virtual duet with Elvis Presley, via archival footage and state-of-the-art visual effects.
McCartney has never physically appeared on the show, but in 2010 shared a pre-recorded message to wish good luck to the contestants during a themed episode focusing on the Lennon-McCartney songbook.
Celine Dion & Paul McCartney Team Up for First-Ever Musical Collab