Céline Dion Explains Why She Wore a Coat on Stage at 2024 Grammys: 'It Made Me Feel Better to Hold On to It'

Céline Dion is opening up about about her fashion choices after she made an emotional appearance at the 2024 Grammys.

During a recent interview with Vogue for its "Life in Looks" series on YouTube. the Canadian pop star, 56, looked back at her style over the years and opened up about the mustard yellow Valentino coat she wore to the award ceremony.

"It was very nerve-wracking, but at the same time, a big honor," she told the outlet of her surprise appearance at the Grammys in February. "That magic. That excitement. To see the fans, to see the crowd. To see show business again."

For the five-time Grammy winner (who was styled by celebrity stylist Law Roach for the evening), the coat served an emotional purpose in addition to a stylish one — Dion told Vogue that she felt better having something to hold on to while she stepped out on stage.

"I was like, 'You can walk onstage with a coat? Oh yeah! You can do whatever you want in fashion, have a good time, wear that coat, own that coat, go for it,'" she recalled. "And it made me feel better for a moment to hold onto this coat, to hide myself a little bit from all these little things."

The singer then broke into song, singing the words from her 2019 track "Imperfections".

"I got my own imperfections. I got my own...I got my own, whole..." she sang in the video, before going to her interview. "So, we did it."

Her time on stage at the ceremony is one of just a few public appearances Dion has made over the last few years, after she was diagnosed with the rare and incurable neurological disorder stiff-person syndrome (SPS) in 2022. She stepped out at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to present album of the year — an award she first won 27 years ago — with her son, René-Charles Angélil, 23, accompanying her to a standing ovation from the star-filled crowd.

"It took a lot, a lot out of me. But my son, René Charles — RC — came and gave me his support. And to present the award — the album of the year — to Taylor Swift — it was an honor because she's having the time of her life and I'm the one who's presenting it to her," Dion added. "But it's always very, very touching when you have a standing ovation."

A source previously spoke with PEOPLE about just how much planning went into Dion's appearance at the Grammys.

"It was an amazing night for her. She's doing well, and the hope is that she can continue to do more and ease back in," says the source of Dion, who posed backstage with Taylor Swift after her appearance.

"Everybody was stopping her. She had a beautiful moment with Oprah and sang with Stevie Wonder. They were just riffing," says the source. "Victoria Monét also stopped her. Everyone was so gracious."

Dion also recently spoke with Vogue France for a cover story, discussing how her style has transformed over her decades-long career as she donned pieces like an Jacquemus white leather trench coat, a Schiaparelli blouse and a gigantic pink wool coat from Alaïa.

"I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I collaborate with the designers, as this would be very pretentious of me," she told the magazine. "On the other hand, I can say that, all my life, my mother mended my tights, sweaters, coats and mittens, all my little things for winter. I was very lucky, because I had 13 brothers and sisters, and I got everyone’s hand-me-downs."

"After my first album in English, I was able to buy clothes by designers, and I started to read fashion magazines," she continued, discussing the early years of her career after she released her first English-language album Unison in 1990. "... I treated myself to a Lagerfeld jacket in the same way that people buy themselves diamonds."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Elsewhere in the interview, Dion spoke with Vogue France about her SPS treatment, two years after she first announced her diagnosis.

"I haven’t beat the disease, as it's still within me and always will be. I hope that we'll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research, but for now I have to learn to live with it," she said. "Five days a week I undergo athletic, physical and vocal therapy. I work on my toes, my knees, my calves, my fingers, my singing, my voice... I have to learn to live with it now and stop questioning myself."