Ross King: Word up! Celine Dion showed she has Courage by taking me on in a singing contest

I’m sure I’ve been in stranger situations, but I can’t remember when.

Last week I was playing Human Jukebox, a game where you say a word and the other person has to sing a song based on that word.

Except that the other person was Celine Dion!

I was chatting with her about her new album, which is called Courage, in Quebec.

First, I threw the word “eyes” at her, and she sang the chorus “She’s got Bette Davis eyes” in response.

Then it was “love”, and she came back with “Love hurts…”

After that was “heart” and then she sang her ’80s hit Where Does My Heart Beat Now?

This went on for a while, and I suspect with a career as huge as her talent, could have gone on for a while longer!

Celine is on a massive tour at the moment. It’s set to come to Scotland at the Hydro in Glasgow next year.

The 51-year-old diva was clearly full of energy and a bit of playfulness. “I love my fans, I love the lights, I love the glam,” she said, when talking about her tour.

“And when I’m home, I love to play. I love to cuddle. I want to be a mommy.

“Can you imagine. When I come home, me singing something like Another One Bites The Dust to my children. They’re like, ‘Oh my god, momma’s lost it’.”

Celine kept mentioning her two children.

She’s a single mum now after her beloved spouse René Angélil died in 2016 and, although she’s clearly a devoted mother, she didn’t seem keen on dating.

“I don’t date,” she said. “But I’m not a prisoner in my life. If I want to go out, I go out. I want to be recognised, I want people to know that I’m having a good time. If you don’t want to be recognised, you’re in the wrong business.

“So I make myself as sexy or relaxed or as sporty as I want. The best I can look or feel.

“I feel the clothes you wear help you play a character.”

“I will get recognised. Even if I’ve got a ponytail, very little make-up, a sweater. I still take the time because I’m here because of the fans. Why would I hide from them? Who am I hiding from?”

Her new album might be called courage, but I wondered where Celine finds her bravery from.

“I find my courage from my passion, my kids, my family, my friends, doing ballet,” she told me. “And from receiving magnificent songs from amazing writers. I don’t write my songs so it’s like receiving gifts. It’s like being invited to their homes and receiving a meal.

“I’m very passionate about what I do.

“I’m part of my team, the creativity team. I speak my mind, I take chances whether people like it or not.

“The kids are doing well, they’re feeling good, they’re graduating, they’re good kids.

“I want to show to my children independence, strength, meditation and the art of singing.

“Music is part of everyone’s life.”