Loved Me Back to Life is the twenty-fifth studio album and eleventh English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Columbia Records on 1 November 2013. Dion's first English-language studio album since Taking Chances (2007), it was produced by Babyface, Tricky Stewart, Eg White, Walter Afanasieff, and others, and initially developed in 2012 under the title Water and a Flame. Blending contemporary pop and R&B with selected Las Vegas covers, its release was delayed as Dion and her team shifted the album toward original material, and it was renamed Loved Me Back to Life in 2013.
The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for Dion's willingness to explore contemporary pop, R&B, and dance influences while adopting a softer, more nuanced vocal styl, though some critics felt that her attempts to sound more contemporary were occasionally unconvincing and criticized the album's formulaic ballads. Commercially, it was also highly successful, debuting at number one in Canada, number two in the United States, and number three in the United Kingdom and France, while reaching the top five in several other countries; it ultimately sold around 1.5 million copies worldwide.
Loved Me Back to Life was supported by several singles, led by the title track, which reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom and peaked at number 24 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. "Incredible", a duet with Ne-Yo, followed as the second single in several markets and also reached the top 30 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. Dion promoted the album extensively through television performances and appearances across North America and Europe, including The Voice, The Today Show, The X Factor, Wetten, dass..?, and her 2013 European Tour.
Background In June 2012, Dion's official website announced that during April and May, she had begun recording songs for her next English and French albums, which were planned for release in fall 2012. The English album was planned to include studio versions of previously unreleased songs from Dion's Las Vegas show, Celine, as well as several new tracks. In August 2012, celinedion.com confirmed that a cover of Journey's "Open Arms", which opens Dion's Las Vegas show, would appear on the upcoming English album. In September 2012, it was also revealed that "Ne me quitte pas" would be included on the English album. Eventually, "Ne me quitte pas" was released on the deluxe edition of Sans attendre, and "Open Arms" appeared only on the Japanese edition of the English album.
Le Journal de Montréal reported that the English album would include songs written by Eg White, who had worked with Adele on 19 and 21, tracks produced by Babyface, and a duet with Stevie Wonder on "Overjoyed", which Dion performed during her Las Vegas show. In March 2013, Ne-Yo confirmed earlier information from Dion's website that the two had recorded a duet. He described the collaboration as challenging and said it made him question his vocal ability. The pair had previously worked together on 2007's Taking Chances, with Ne-Yo co-writing and co-producing "I Got Nothin' Left". Another new track, "Unfinished Songs", written by Diane Warren, was included in the British-German film Song for Marion. When the film's soundtrack was released in February 2013, it did not include Dion's recording, which was held for her upcoming album. A recording session for "Unfinished Songs" was posted on Dion's website in July 2013.
On 14 September 2012, celinedion.com announced that Dion's new English album, titled Water and a Flame, would be released in November 2012. However, on 26 September 2012, Sony Music postponed the release to 2013. In March 2013, René Angélil explained that the delay was due to a change in the album's concept. Instead of an equal split between original songs and covers, the decision was made to focus primarily on original material. Angélil stated that the album had originally been planned to include six covers and six original songs. After further discussion, they chose to include two covers from Dion's Las Vegas show: "At Seventeen" and "Overjoyed". A behind-the-scenes video of Dion recording "At Seventeen", produced by Babyface, was posted on her website in April 2013. "Overjoyed", with a new arrangement by Stevie Wonder, was co-produced by Tricky Stewart. In April 2013, celinedion.com also shared a behind-the-scenes look at Dion and producer Eg White recording "Water and a Flame". The remainder of the album was planned to include original songs, including two co-written by Audra Mae. The album was scheduled for release in October 2013. In July 2013, it was announced that the title had been changed to Loved Me Back to Life. Dion performed the title song live for the first time during the Céline... une seule fois concert in Quebec City on 27 July 2013, and two days later her website announced that the album would be released in November 2013.
Content On 29 August 2013, Billboard announced that the album Loved Me Back to Life would be released in North America on 5 November 2013, with the lead single, "Loved Me Back to Life", arriving on 3 September 2013. The publication described the album as Dion's "edgiest record to date -- just not in the ways you might think". It praised tracks such as "Water and a Flame", originally recorded by Daniel Merriweather and Adele, which presents Dion's lower, grainier vocal register. The lead single, written by Sia and produced by Sham and Motesart, was noted as "a different kind of power ballad for Dion", sung in a minor key and supported by a chorus with a beat drop reminiscent of dubstep.
The album includes two songs written by Ne-Yo, among them the duet "Incredible", which Billboard suggested could suit the Olympic Committee for the 2014 Winter Games. Additional collaborators include Babyface, Tricky Stewart, and Swedish trio Play Production, who produced the beat‑driven "Somebody Loves Somebody", co‑written by the group and Audra Mae. The album also contains two covers from Dion's Las Vegas show Celine – Janis Ian's "At Seventeen" and a rendition of "Overjoyed", performed as a duet with Stevie Wonder. The deluxe edition adds two more songs from her Las Vegas performances, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" and "Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)", along with four collector postcards. Loved Me Back to Life also includes "Unfinished Songs", written by Diane Warren for the film Song for Marion.
The album was also issued on a vinyl LP and includes "Save Your Soul", which contains a rap interlude by Malcolm David Kelley of MKTO. This two-disc 180-gram edition includes an eight-page booklet with exclusive photos and imagery, as well as a CD of the full album. The Japanese edition includes "Open Arms", produced by Fraser T Smith, who also co-wrote and produced Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain". The album additionally contains "Breakaway", written by Audra Mae, Johan Fransson, Tim Larsson, and Tobias Lundgre, and previously recorded by German singer Ivy Quainoo for her 2012 album Ivy. On 29 October 2013, Billboard reported that "Always Be Your Girl" was the first original song selected for the album. Written by Dana Parish and Andrew Hollander after they watched Dion's 2011 documentary 3 Boys and a New Show on OWN, the song holds personal significance for Dion, who associates its lyrics with her sons.
Singles The first single, "Loved Me Back to Life", was released on 3 September 2013. In the United States, it debuted at number 26 on Billboard'''s Adult Contemporary chart, becoming Dion's 40th entry on this list. "Loved Me Back to Life" peaked on the AC chart in its third week, reaching number 24. The song sold 23,000 downloads in its first week, enabling its debut on Pop Digital Songs at number 19 and on Hot Digital Songs at number 63. It also reached number three on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In Canada, "Loved Me Back to Life" earned the Hot Shot Debut on the Canadian Hot 100, entering at number 26. It became Dion's best debut to date on the chart and her second-highest peak, behind 2007's "Taking Chances". In the United Kingdom, "Loved Me Back to Life" reached number 14, becoming Dion's highest-charting single there since "A New Day Has Come" peaked at number seven in 2002.
"Breakaway" was released as the second, promotional-only single in the United Kingdom on 5 December 2013, and in France on 22 January 2014. On 14 February 2014, "Incredible" (a duet with Ne-Yo) was digitally released as the second single in most European countries (except France and the United Kingdom), as well as in Australia and New Zealand. The song was also sent to Adult Contemporary radio stations in the United States on 24 February 2014, where it reached number 25. On the Canadian Hot 100, "Incredible" peaked at number 44. The music video for "Incredible" premiered on 4 June 2014. Although scheduled for commercial release in the United Kingdom on 24 March 2014, "Water and a Flame" became the third, radio-only single there.
Promotion After limited promotion of the first single, "Loved Me Back to Life", in the United States in September 2013, another new track, "Somebody Loves Somebody", premiered on 17 October 2013. The official audio of "Somebody Loves Somebody" was released on Dion's Vevo channel on 22 October 2013. On 29 October 2013, the official audio of "Incredible" (a duet with Ne-Yo) was also released. On 5 November 2013, two additional tracks were uploaded to Vevo: "Water and a Flame" and "At Seventeen". On 3 December 2013, the audio of "Breakaway" was added. Several behind-the-scenes videos were also posted on Vevo.
Dion began promoting the album in the United States. On 28 October 2013, she performed "Somebody Loves Somebody" and "Water and a Flame" on The Today Show, and "Loved Me Back to Life" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. She also performed "Loved Me Back to Life" on The View on 30 October 2013. Additionally, Dion gave an intimate club performance at the Edison Ballroom in New York City on 29 October 2013, which was broadcast on 1 November 2013 on QVC. She performed older hits and several new songs, including "Loved Me Back to Life", "Water and a Flame", and "At Seventeen", and the concert received positive reviews. On 6 November 2013, Dion performed "Somebody Loves Somebody" on The Dr. Oz Show. In Canada, she performed "Loved Me Back to Life" and "Incredible" with Ne-Yo on Le Banquier on 3 November 2013.
In Europe, Dion performed "Loved Me Back to Life" on Wetten, dass..? in Germany on 9 November 2013, and on The X Factor in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2013. She also recorded a performance of "Breakaway" for Strictly Come Dancing, which was broadcast on 15 December 2013. Dion also performed "Loved Me Back to Life", "At Seventeen", and older hits on C'est votre vie in France on 16 November 2013. She also performed "Loved Me Back to Life" and "Water and a Flame" during her European Tour 2013, which began in Belgium on 21 November 2013. Later in France, Dion performed "Loved Me Back to Life" on Les chansons d'abord on 1 December 2013, Vivement Dimanche on 8 December 2013, Les disques d'Or on 18 December 2013, and Ce soir on chante on 3 January 2014. Her concert Céline... une seule fois was broadcast on three European channels: RTS Deux in Switzerland on 24 December 2013, D8 in France on 25 December 2013, and La Une in Belgium on 31 December 2013.