Constantly using their voices, these 5 singers have unfortunately encountered vocal damage and have struggled with voice problems during their careers. Some had to cancel a leg of their tour while they recovered, while others have even had to go through surgery to fix their vocal chords. One of these stars believes his voice may never be the same after his struggle, while others feel they have thankfully recovered fully but know they have to treat their voices with care.
Adele
Adele had to have vocal surgery to save her voice. She said about discovering the problem: “I’ve been singing properly every day since I was about fifteen or sixteen and I have never had any problems with my voice, ever. I’ve had a sore throat here and there, had a cold and sung through it, but that day it just went while I was onstage in Paris during a radio show. It was literally like someone had pulled a curtain over it.”
Ed Sheeran
Ed thought he might have to cancel the Australian leg of his tour because his voice was suffering. He explained: “It was scary. It was a difficult tour in that respect, a lot of air conditioning and a lot of flying dries you up. I had to be more sensible than I usually am. One [of my hit songs] was in [the setlist] but because my voice went, I couldn’t do falsetto. It had to come out … It’ll be different when I come back to Australia in December.”
John Mayer
John had two surgeries on his vocal chords and believes his voice won’t be the same again: “Everything changed about my voice. I don’t have the projection. My laugh changed. The way I used to laugh is kind of like that ‘I’m embarrassed,’ high-pitched laugh. I don’t really laugh that way anymore. I’ve found new ways around everything – new ways to talk, new ways to laugh. Now I wonder if I can go right back to the shape of my voice that I had when I was singing once I can do what I want to do with it.”
Keith Urban
Keith decided to have surgery to remove a polyp and a nodule from his vocal cords and felt so much better about his voice after he recovered: “I think if a footballer in their 40s was given their knees back like they were in their early 20s, that’s kind of how I feel right now. It’s an extraordinary feeling of freedom.”
Sam Smith
Sam was diagnosed with a hemorrhage to his vocal cords and had to cancel a part of his tour. He commented: “I have been vocally exhausted for a while now however last night in Sydney I had a small hemorrhage on my vocal cords. The doctors have told me I need to fully rest until my vocal chords have healed, otherwise this could become a huge long-term issue. I am so sorry to all who have bought tickets, I truly am. This kills me.”
