Celine Dion Scratched By Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey scratches Celine Dion in her autobiography. She criticizes her “lack of etiquette” at the 1998 Divas Live show and accuses it of blasphemy.

In The Meaning of Mariah Carey, a book to be published on Friday which Le Journal got its hands on, the American singer recounts behind the scenes of a television concert well known to Celine Dion fans: Divas Live.

Broadcast on VHI in April 1998, the show brought together, besides Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Gloria Estefan and Aretha Franklin. Songwriter Carole King also joined in the celebrations, having signed one of Aretha Franklin’s greatest hits, (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman.

At that time, Celine Dion was one of the biggest stars in the world and crowned the top of the charts thanks to the success of my heart Will Go On, extract from the movie Titanic, released a few months earlier.

Lack of respect

In her book, Mariah Carey criticizes Celine Dion – without ever naming her directly – for having disrespected Aretha Franklin during the event, more precisely during the two group numbers during which the “divas” united their voices for resume (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman and Testimony.

“Each of us knew our part, but we all knew it was Aretha’s song. In fact, almost all of them, writes Mariah Carey. Look, if Aretha decides to improvise during a game, that’s her right as queen, but it’s not – I repeat, it’s not – to challenge you. One of the divas did not understand the etiquette and began to provoke the queen slightly during the song. It was okay. But I would never have done something like that. ”

Things got out of hand a few minutes later, Judge Mariah Carey. during Testimony, a gospel song, Celine Dion began to respond to Aretha Franklin’s vocal surges by showing that she, too, was able to push the note with force and precision.

But for Mariah Carey, this is “blasphemy”.

“In my humble opinion, the diva in question had already gone too far and was now trying to bury Aretha,” she says. It really happened. I couldn’t believe that someone dared to try to steal the show from Aretha during her homage … All while singing about Jesus. Maybe it was because of the cultural divide between the two, but it felt like a moment of sheer madness, and I didn’t want to be a part of it. “

Different version

For her part, Celine Dion seems to have fond memories of the concert. When Aretha Franklin died in August 2018, the Quebec star posted a photo of the famous issue on Instagram. “I had the privilege of singing with Aretha … Certainly one of the great moments of my career”, she wrote under the cliché.

In a televised interview with the A&E network in the early 2000s, Carole King spoke of this evening by recalling that Aretha had continued to sing during Celine Dion’s portion.

“I loved Celine’s attitude. She has a dog. She did not let go and stood in front of Aretha. I admire the way she handled the situation. With a lot of class. ”

Technically very impressive, this “vocal battle” continues to delight Internet users – 22 years later – since a few extracts are still circulating on YouTube.

The autobiography of Mariah Carey, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, should appear Friday by Henry Holt editions.