Music superstar Celine Dion is known as the “Queen of Power Ballads.”
She is most widely known for her signature song “My Heart Will Go On,” which was the theme of the 1997 movie Titanic.
And now gangs are using Celine Dion’s music to torture residents in this New Zealand town in the craziest way.
Celine Dion is one of the most famous singers alive.
At age 55, the superstar has sold over 200 million records worldwide and is listed as one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Seven of Dion’s albums have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide, which is the second highest among women in the history of music.
Over the years, Dion racked up five Grammy Awards and achieved two Honorary Doctorates in Music degrees from Berklee College of Music and Université Laval.
The Los Angeles Times recognized her as that decade’s top-earning artist in 2009, with combined album sales and concert revenue exceeding $747 million.
With hits like “Because You Loved Me” and “My Heart Will Go On,” it’s hard to imagine that Dion’s music would be used as a form of torture by gangs in New Zealand.
But that’s exactly what is happening in the New Zealand town of Porirua, north of Wellington, which is home to 60,000 people.
There, apparently rival gangs compete in “siren battles” to see which gang can blare its music the loudest and clearest.
“It’s a headache,” Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said.
“Local media have reported on contestants – often people with family links to Pacific Island nations – using large siren-type speakers on cars and even bicycles to drown each other out with their powerful systems,” France 24 reported.
The Mayor said the gangs “love Celine Dion.”
“They like anyone with a high pitch and great tone in their voice,” she said, including “My Heart Will Go On” and “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now.”
The gangs start the battle at 7pm and it lasts until 2am in the morning.
According to the Mayor, competing cars park with their engines running and blast out music before moving to avoid police.
“It’s really loud music,” the Mayor said. “They only play a quarter of the song, so it’s like having a turntable and it comes screeching out.”
Of course, hearing Celine Dion music all night must be a form of torture.
But gangs battling it out with music sure beats shooting it out with guns any day of the week.
