Sans attendre () is the twenty-fourth studio album and fourteenth French-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Columbia Records on 2 November 2012 and is her first French studio album since 2007's D'elles. The album includes 16 songs produced mainly by Jacques Veneruso, David Gategno, and Scott Price. It also contains three duets with Johnny Hallyday, Jean-Pierre Ferland, and the late Henri Salvador. The first single, "Parler à mon père", was issued on 2 July 2012, followed by "Le miracle" as the second single. Both reached number one in Quebec, and "Parler à mon père" also entered the top 10 in France. The third single, "Qui peut vivre sans amour?", was sent to radio in March 2013.
Sans attendre received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, some of whom described it as a restrained and personal work. Its songs explore themes such as longing for a deceased father, love, and reflections on an aging mother. The album achieved commercial success in Francophone markets. It debuted at number one in Canada and France, selling almost 100,000 copies in its first week in each country. Sans attendre also topped the charts in Romandy and Wallonia, and entered the top 10 in Switzerland and Poland. It was certified diamond in France, triple platinum in Canada, platinum in Belgium, and gold in Switzerland and Poland. Worldwide sales exceed 1.5 million copies.
Background On 7 June 2012, Dion's official website announced that during April and May, the singer began recording songs for her next French and English albums. The French album would contain all new material, and the English album would include studio versions of previously unreleased songs from Dion's Las Vegas show, Celine, as well as several new tracks. When asked about the difference between singing in French and English, Dion said: "It's like wearing a pair of jeans or an evening gown. You cannot change what's in your blood. French is my home, my roots. It's where I live first. French is a more interior energy, more poetic. But, when I sing in English, there are different emotions. As a singer I cannot choose, I need both".
On 29 June 2012, celinedion.com previewed a 30-second excerpt of the first single written and co-produced by Jacques Veneruso, "Parler à mon père", from the French-language album scheduled for release on 5 November 2012. However, in selected European countries, it was released on 2 November 2012. The cover art for the single was revealed at the same time. The full version of "Parler à mon père" premiered on 1 July 2012, and the single was released to digital outlets in selected countries the next day.
During an interview with Le Parisien, Dion announced the title of the upcoming French album, Sans attendre, which means "without waiting". She later explained that for her the title means "don't leave until tomorrow what you can do today", and that "today" is the most important day. She also discussed "Parler à mon père", which is about her father, who died in 2003. He was her biggest supporter, and she thinks of him every day, believing that he is always with her and watching over her children.
On 19 August 2012, Dion's official website announced that the album would include "Une chance qu'on s'a", a duet with Canadian artist Jean-Pierre Ferland, who also wrote the song's lyrics. Dion and Ferland had previously performed together during the Céline sur les Plaines concert celebrating Quebec City's 400th anniversary in 2008. Another duet with French singer Johnny Hallyday was also announced. A preview of the music video for "Parler à mon père" was posted on celinedion.com on 5 September 2012, and the full video premiered the next day. It was filmed in Las Vegas on 16 July 2012 and in the Death Valley, and directed by Thierry Vargnes, who had previously worked with Dion on the music videos for "Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)" and "Immensité". Dion completed recording her French-language album in September 2012.
Content On 1 October 2012, Dion's official website presented the album's cover art and announced in a press release that Sans attendre would be released in two versions: a standard edition with 14 tracks and a 24‑page booklet in a jewel case, and a deluxe edition with 16 songs, a 24‑page booklet, and a 12‑page desk calendar in a special digipak. The album cover was created by illustrator Aurore Hutton, niece of former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Jean-Pierre Ferland, a Canadian singer-songwriter, appears twice on the album. He recorded his own song, "Une chance qu'on s'a", as a duet with Dion and wrote the lyrics for "Je n'ai pas besoin d'amour". Ferland had previously performed two songs with Dion during the Céline sur les Plaines concert, which was released on DVD in 2008. Luc Plamondon, a Canadian lyricist, offered her "Que toi au monde". Both artists had worked together on Dion chante Plamondon in 1991.
Several other artists also joined Dion for duets: French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday on "L'amour peut prendre froid" (a French-language adaptation of "Love Me Anyway" performed by Mary Ann Redmond), and the late French-Caribbean singer Henri Salvador in a virtual duet titled "Tant de temps". Dion had performed two duets with Hallyday in the past during French television specials: "L'envie" in 2005, and "Blueberry Hill" in 2007. She also performed a duet with Salvador on "Le loup, la biche et le chevalier (une chanson douce)" during a French television special in 2003. A studio solo version of this song was later included on Miracle. New collaborators on the album include Grand Corps Malade, who wrote the lyrics for "La mer et l'enfant", and Stanislas with Maxime Le Forestier, who wrote "Moi quand je pleure". In 2000, Le Forestier co-wrote "Tomber", which was later recorded by Dion in English as "Ten Days" and included on A New Day Has Come. Jacques Veneruso, a longtime collaborator, wrote "Parler à mon père", the first single. He also co-produced the album and composed the arrangements for most songs. Veneruso had worked with Dion on her previous number‑one albums: 1 fille & 4 types (2003), On ne change pas (2005), and D'elles (2007). He is the author of many of her French‑language hits, including "Sous le vent", "Tout l'or des hommes", and "Je ne vous oublie pas".
Another contributor was David Gategno, who produced and wrote the music for four songs. He had previously worked with Dion on D'elles and was responsible for her French number‑one single "Et s'il n'en restait qu'une (je serais celle-là)". Sans attendre also includes a studio version of "Ne me quitte pas", which Dion performed during her Las Vegas residency show, Celine. The song was written and originally recorded by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel in 1959. The lyrics and 30‑second previews of all songs were posted on celinedion.com on 18 October 2012. According to Dion, "this album is about feelings and being close to the people who have known me a long time. I can speak to them freely without having to convince them of what I'm capable of. It's like a VIP invitation: I invite you into my home". In May 2013, the deluxe edition of Sans attendre was re-released in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, including a 56‑page notebook with drawings by Aurore Hutton, replacing the desk calendar.
Singles The first single, "Parler à mon père", was released to digital stores on 2 July 2012 and reached number one for 10 weeks in Quebec, number seven in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (Romandy), number eight in France, number 11 in Belgium's Wallonia, and number 25 in Switzerland (including the non-French-speaking areas). The music video premiered on 6 September 2012. The second single, "Le miracle", was announced on 28 October 2012, and its music video premiered on 20 November 2012. The song peaked at number one in Quebec and reached number 27 in Wallonia, and number 77 in France. Although not released as a single, "Les petits pieds de Léa" reached number 80 on the Canadian Hot 100 due to digital sales following the album's release. The third single, "Qui peut vivre sans amour?", was announced by Dion's official website on 10 February 2013, and it was sent to radio stations in Francophone countries in March 2013. The music video premiered on 19 April 2013. On 8 April 2014, "Celle qui m'a tout appris" was announced as a single supporting Dion's live release Céline une seule fois / Live 2013.
Promotion For the release of her new French-language album, Dion taped a television special, Céline Dion... Sans attendre, in Montreal on 15 October 2012, which was broadcast on 4 November 2012 on TVA. She performed selected songs from Sans attendre, including "Parler à mon père", "Je n'ai pas besoin d'amour", "Une chance qu'on s'a" with Jean-Pierre Ferland, "Celle qui m'a tout appris", "Que toi au monde", "La mer et l'enfant", and "Le miracle". Other segments of the special showed the studio recording of "Les petits pieds de Léa", Dion performing "Mille après mille" with Fred Pellerin, and a medley of her hits with Star Académie contestants. Véronic DiCaire, a Canadian imitator, also appeared on the show. The special became the most-watched program of the fall season on Quebec television, drawing 2,386,000 viewers and a 57.9% market share. As part of the promotion in Quebec, Dion also performed "Je n'ai pas besoin d'amour" on Tout le monde en parle, which aired on 11 November 2012. On 22 November 2012, she received a Bambi Award in Germany and performed "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Ne me quitte pas" during the ceremony.
A second television special, this time for France, titled Céline Dion, Le grand show, was broadcast on 24 November 2012 on France 2. Dion performed four songs from Sans attendre: "Parler à mon père", "L'amour peut prendre froid" with Johnny Hallyday, "Le miracle", and "Qui peut vivre sans amour?". The show also included performances by various artists who sang their own songs or tributes to Dion. She performed duets with Patrick Bruel on "Qui a le droit...", Florent Pagny on "J'irai où tu iras", and Michel Sardou on "Voler", and sang several of her hits. The special became the second most-watched program of the night, attracting 4,874,000 viewers and narrowly trailing Danse avec les stars, which drew 5,040,000 viewers. On 28 November 2012, during C à vous on France 5, Dion performed "La mer et l'enfant". On 2 December 2012, she appeared on Chabada on France 3 and sang three songs from Sans attendre: "Le miracle", "Ne me quitte pas" with Florent Pagny, and "Parler à mon père". She also performed duets with other artists invited to the show. The episode dedicated to Dion became a major success with 1.5 million viewers, setting a record for Chabada. Also on 2 December 2012, Dion sang "Parler à mon père" on Vivement Dimanche on France 2.